500-Year-Old Necklace Found To Be Linked To Henry VIII & Katharine of Aragon
It’s not every day that you stumble across a 500-year-old pendant that reveals a wealth of history while metal detecting across a field in Warwickshire, but this is exactly what has happened to Charlie Clarke, who had only been detecting for a mere six months at the time of the remarkable discovery.
This week the find was unveiled by the British Museum. The ornate and delicate pendant is one of a rare array of surviving items linked to Tudor King Henry VIII and his first wife Queen Katharine of Aragon (the one he divorced in order to marry Anne Boleyn.) The pendant is in a rather romantic heart shape and hangs gracefully from a chain consisting of 75 links and made of 300 grams of 24-carat gold. What makes this piece so special, however, is the decoration of Tudor roses and a pomegranate (Katharine’s symbol). Even more magnificent are the H and K engraved initials on the reverse side of the piece. Further, inspection reveals the legend TOVS and IORS, which seems to be a pun on the French word “toujours” and “all yours”.
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Rachel King, curator of Renaissance Europe at the British Museum, has said of the find, “In the British Museum, we’ve got the largest collection of objects from the early Tudor periods in precious metal; none of them are anything like this.”
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: "This beautiful pendant is a thrilling discovery giving us a tangible connection to Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon and enriches our understanding of the Royal Court at the time."
The British Museum has also revealed that over 45,000 archaeological finds and more than 1,000 treasures were recorded in 2021, with this the jewel in the crown.
