Lover's ring lost hundreds of years ago reappears as treasure
More treasures including a lover's gold ring with the inscription "my affection is my affliction" have been given up by the fields of the county.
The post-medieval posy ring had lain in the ground at Moreton Say, near Market Drayton, until Mark Gray rediscovered it with a metal detector on June 18, 2023.
The 2.69g ring and other items found in Shropshire, one of them unique, were declared to be treasure at inquests held in Shrewsbury on Wednesday.
The ground of the county is slowly giving up the secrets of how people lived in the past, in one case it also helps reveal Shropshire's ancient importance even as far back as the bronze age.
Emma-Kate Lanyon, curator of Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, said: "Posy rings are gold finger rings with a short inscription on their surface.
"This example is now slightly misshapen but has a rather lovely inscription which reads 'My affection is my affliction'.
"They were popular gifts between lovers during the 15th through the 17th centuries in both England and France.
"The inscriptions are often quotations from contemporary courtship stories or chapbooks and usually inscribed on the inner surface of the ring."
