Weighty Posy Ring with striking inscription, disclaimed as treasure.

Gold band with D-section, plain on the exterior and engraved on the interior in italic script the motto: “Feare god love me.” The ring shows signs of wear through age and is in good wearable condition.

Provenance:

In 2022 the ring was found in the village of Emborough, near Wells, in the Mendip district of Somerset (Portable Antiquities Scheme ID: SOM-752CD5, Treasure case number 2022T231).

Literature:

Posy rings, their name deriving from the term poésie or poetry, are rings with mottoes either in prose or verse. The message was often concealed inside the hoop and its personal content only known to the giver and recipient. They find mention in plays by William Shakespeare, such as Hamlet and the Merchant of Venice, and enjoyed great popularity throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, especially as betrothal or wedding rings, like here, with the inscription evoking God’s blessing “Feare god love me.” The meaning behind the motto is fear only God, but love me, probably alluding to the union of the couple. Through the centuries posy rings were also exchanged between lovers, friends, and family members expressing affection, friendship, faith, or a Happy New Year.

Joan Evans records three variations of this inscription and variants (Evans 1931, pp. 35-36). The same motto appears on a ring in the Griffin Collection (Scarisbrick 2021, no. 118); in the Museum of London (inv. no. 62.4/150; 62.4/69); National Museum Cardiff (inv. nos. 2016.36H; 2017.28H) and a variant in the British Museum, London (1961,1202.203).

For a history of posy rings with extensive examples ranging from the medieval period to eighteenth century, see: Scarisbrick 2021 and for further information on posies: Evans, 1931; Anon., A Garland of Love: A Collection of Posy-Ring Mottoes, London 1907; Dalton 1912, pp. 174 ff.; Scarisbrick 2007, pp. 74 ff., Taylor and Scarisbrick 1978; Oman 1974, pp. 39 ff.

R-1083