Poetic ring is quite the thing, says TV auctioneer

Charles Hanson said the inscription on the ring was "especially intriguing"

A rare 500-year-old "love ring" with a poetic inscription has been unearthed in a field.

The Tudor posy ring, found in Bedfordshire, is expected to make thousands of pounds when it goes up for auction in June.

The inscription reads "Thou now ill / not always".

Bargain Hunt expert Charles Hanson, from Hanson Auctioneers, said the unusual wording was "especially intriguing".

Mystery surrounds the identity of the person who presented a loved one with this triple-banded gold posy ring five centuries ago.

No one knows why it was inscribed or the reason why the possession ended up in a field.

Hanson, an expert on the TV show Bargain Hunt, said rings of this type were "often exchanged as tokens of love or betrothal, and this one is especially intriguing due to its unusual inscription".

He added that the motto, engraved in clear Roman capitals, could be interpreted as "thou not sick, not always thus", which "may be a reference to a change of heart or a vow of enduring love through difficult times.

"These mottoes often reflected deeply personal, emotional messages between lovers."

The caption inside the ring, in Roman capitals, reads "Thou now ill / not always"

The auction house described the scrolling foliage and petal-like motif decorations on the piece as a "highly unusual style".

It believed the "exceptionally crisp engraving" and the style of lettering, predating italic script, suggested the ring was made between 1530 and 1560.

The triple-banded design includes scrolling foliage and petal-like motifs

Hanson said: "To think this ring was crafted nearly a century before Oliver Cromwell is remarkable.

"It was likely lost in the mid-16th century and remained preserved beneath the earth for nearly 500 years.

"Its survival in such immaculate condition - untouched by plough or damage - makes it all the more extraordinary."

The posy ring is expected to fetch between £4,000 and £5,000 when it goes under the hammer at a Hansons' sale in June.

Posy rings - taking their name from the French word "poesie", meaning poetry - often had inscriptions drawn from scriptures or romantic verses.