ourpasthistory.com » Metal Detecting
Those rings yet again!
from UK DETECTOR NET by Ceejay
First of all we had better show the artefacts we are discussing - these are my own finds from just one field over a number of years - varying approx. between 20 and 30mm in size and being slightly flat in profile.
Gordon Bailey in 'Finds Identified' identifies the purpose of these crudely made bronze rings as personal adornment and in particular for suspending items from the waist belt. He illustrates the simplest means of attachment by leather thongs and more substantially by metal attachments (below). This evidence is from Germany and I must say I have never found one of these rings with anything attached so I would be particularly interested to hear from anyone who has.
The evidence of suspension by leather straps is backed up in a painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (The Peasant Dance c1568) in which rings can be seen suspended from a pouch on the belt of the male figure - second from the right in the foreground. You will have to click on the link below for this picture - it is too big to put on here. These rings may be functional (they do seem too low but note the key and pouch suspended from the lady's waist on the extreme right) or they may be purely decorative. Another purpose might be (much as bells and spurs in other times) as 'jinglers' to make a noise when moving.
That evidence seems fairly compelling but doubts remain - why are they so crudely made. Part of the reason for this may be that they were simply cast in multiple moulds, often on a local basis, and only received a rudimentary clean up with a file to remove the roughest edges. Here we must be careful to define the type - observant readers will have noted that there is an interloper in my first picture - the ring in the top row, third from left is a different type - more rounded in profile and much smoother in finish. This one may have had an entirely different purpose and does in fact appear to be more like the ones in the painting.
Other uses may be as links in leather harness and as suspension rings for curtains and hanging fabrics. Both of these suggestions are feasible possibilities and in the case of harness I think distinctly so. You might also consider that rings sewn into the top hem of a hanging fabric for suspension by hooks would not need to be particularly well finished off. As to dating we have the evidence of manufacture by hand suggesting a pre-industrial age and of course paintings. Other evidence comes from our own hobby and indeed from this forum. This picture was posted by MARTYN and as soon as I saw it I thought of the close dating of the group as all the artefacts in it appear to be of the 16th-17thC. Does this give us an approximate date for the rings?
These leather bound buckles were sold on Ebay –it would have been interesting to have bought those and cracked open that ring second from left on the bottom row!!
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no way celtic ring money.
I come from cheshire, celtic finds are quite rare all over cheshire but I have found loads of these rings in different locations – medieval onwards I say
— cleveroonie · Apr 15, 07:11 pm#