A 350-year-old golden ring discovered in the south of the island has just been declared treasure in an inquest earlier this week.

It was uncovered in a field by metal detectorist Lee Morgan, from Peel and owner of Morgan’s Pies bakery.

Curator for Archaeology at Manx National Heritage [MNH] Allison Fox said that it was rare to find such high-quality English Civil War era artefacts in the island, and that something like this had never been found here before.

Some of the Manx Museum’s few artefacts from that period include a cap purported to belong to Illiam Dhone, and some coins which were found by a detectorist in a hand-woven purse.

The ring, dated from the mid to late 1600s, is 21.5mm in diameter, made from gold, with a crystal stone 12mm diameter, covering gold lettering of the initial capital letters J (or I) and D.

Each shoulder of the ring is decorated with an engraving of a leaf inlaid with black enamel.

MNH believe the initials could refer to James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby Lord of Man, as he later adopted the signature ’J Derby’.

Ms Fox said the ring would likely have been made in memory of him, not for him.

This is because it is in the style of a Stuart-period ’mourning ring’, sometimes distributed at funerals to commemorate the person who had died, usually including their initials.

Ms Fox continued: ’The ring is small and quite delicate in form, but of a high quality and intact.

’The quality suggests that it was made for, or on behalf of, an individual of high status.

’It is unlikely that we will be able to establish for certain who owned the ring or whom it commemorated, but there is a possibility that it may have been associated with the Stanley family, previously Lords of Man.’

Ms Fox added that it was unusual for such rings found here to be intact with the stone attached, and that the fact the crystal had remained embedded in this ring shows how well-made it is.

She said that the ring is ’the first one of its kind’ to be found’ in the island, and that ’even without any association with the Stanleys, it’s a really special find’.

The ring was easily dated because the style is very specific to the late to mid 1600s, with similar examples having been found in the UK.

The style is also indicative of political allegiance, being typically associated with the Royalist cause in the English Civil War, which James Stanley supported - he was executed by the Parliamentarians in 1651.

MNH also consulted with experts on the Derby family in the UK who were ’quite happy’ to agree that there could be a possible association with the ring.

Ms Fox also said that she hopes publicity for the find may attract attention that could tie the ring to the Stanley family with greater certainty, should more information come to light.

It is unknown whether it would be worn by a man or a woman, but could fit a man’s little finger.

When Coroner of Inquests Jayne Hughes determined the ring as being treasure, the two main criteria were its age (with an item needing to be at least 300 years old or more to be considered treasure) and for the ring to be made of at least 10% precious metal.

Ms Fox said that MNH had also put forward the potential connection to James Stanley, which she believes would have been taken into consideration by the inquest, but that the age and precious metal content alone would have been enough to make the determination.

There are now plans to send the ring to the UK for review by the treasure valuation committee, an independent panel which meets at the British Museum and provides advice on antiquities.

When finds of archaeological artefacts are made on the island there is a legal requirement to report them to Manx National Heritage.

If the artefacts fall under the categories in the Treasure Act 2017 (which include being so closely connected with Manx history and national life that their loss would be a misfortune, and/or being of outstanding significance for the study of any branch of Manx art, learning or history), the find must also be reported to the Coroner of Inquests.

If the find is declared to be treasure, a financial reward is usually paid to the finder and landowner by the government.

The valuation off-island will allow them to be paid the equivalent market value of the treasure.

The exact find location in the south of the island will remain a closely guarded secret to protect the integrity of the site, but MNH could confirm that no artefacts from this time period had ever been found in that area.

The memorial ring is Mr Morgan’s third treasure find in the island.

In 2013 he discovered a hoard of silver coins dating to around AD 1320, and in 2019, he discovered a silver ingot dating to between AD 950 and 1075.

Mr Morgan began metal detecting in 2008, having been introduced to the hobby by his father when he was young.

He told us that on his first trip out in St John’s he found an Elizabeth I sixpence coin, which he said ’kept me going back [to the hobby]’.

Mr Morgan had researched the ring himself and come up with the same conclusion about its age as MNH.

He added that his interest in history was ’borne out of metal detecting, once you find these artefacts I think in some ways it’s your duty to work out [roughly] what they are.’

’If you don’t know what you’re finding then you either have to come here or do the research yourself, and I find that quite interesting.

’And if I know I’ve found something interesting then I know to report it’.

He said that some of his favourite finds were non-treasure, and included a bronze age axe and a 15th century silver ring which he described as being less spectacular than this treasure ring, but also in fantastic condition.

He donated the axe, but kept the ring.

Mr Morgan could also tell us that he had found a viking ingot nearby in the same field as the ring.

Asked what his reaction was to finding it, he said: ’We spend 99.9% of the time digging scrap metal, you’re pretty much a scrap metal merchant.

’But then that 1%, ocassionally you’ll find something, but that ring was an exception.’

The find was unexpected, having first picked up a signal from a piece of lead, before walking two paces and picking up the ring’s signal before digging it out of a small hole. MNH are looking to have the ring on display for the Manx Museum’s reopening this Saturday.