Gunpowder Plot ‘leader’s ring’ to be auctioned
A 16th-century gold ring thought to belong to the man who orchestrated the Gunpowder Plot is expected to sell for up to £12,000 at auction.
The ring was discovered last year by metal detectorist Andrew Rose, from Birmingham, in a field next to Bushwood Hall in Lapworth, Warwickshire, where conspiracy leader Robert Catesby was born in 1572.
It bears an inscription reading “Yovr Frende in Deede” (“Your Friend in the Deed”), alluding to the famous plot to blow up Parliament on 5 November 1605.
Mr Rose said it was “extremely exciting” to find the ring before it is auctioned by Hansons Auctioneers next month.
“The hall where Catesby was born can only be accessed by one road, meaning that the ring, located just a few meters from the moat, is linked to the hall or belonged to someone who lived there,” he said.
“The words ‘truly’ indicate that the giver of the ring is ready to prove their loyalty with actions, not just words. This was a wonderful discovery and extremely exciting.”
Bushwood Hall was said to have been used as a base for the conspirators and Mr Catesby was stockpiling weapons and supplies there.
It was also the home of Guy Fawkes, who has since become the most famous of the bunch, and another conspirator, John Wright, who went to school in York.
According to the British Museum, there is no record of any ring with a special inscription on the ring.
‘A brave attack’
At the time, gold bands, also known as posy rings, were given as symbols of love, devotion, or friendship between boyfriends and allies.
Meanwhile, the conspirators had planned to put the Midlands at the center of their rebellion if their plan to assassinate King James I was successful.
They were only caught when an anonymous warning letter was sent to one of the lords, warning him to stay away from parliament.
Guy Fawkes was discovered hiding in a cellar beneath the building the night before the planned attack.
Guy Fawkes, the most famous of the Houses of Parliament explosion planners, was found at the scene of the crime the night before. [Getty Images]
He was later executed by hanging, drawing and quartering.
Mr Catesby, along with the Wright brothers, were murdered by the king’s men at Holbeach House, South Staffordshire, on 8 November 1605.
Auctioneer Charles Hanson said he believed the ring belonged to one of the conspirators, adding: “Imagine it shining in the firelight as they planned one of the most daring attacks in British history.”
“Given the remoteness of the hall’s location, its connection to Catesby, and the date and inscription of the ring, it is exciting to imagine that it belonged to one of the conspirators,” he said.
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