Charles I medallion is declared Treasure

A silver pendant, engraved depicting King Charles I and his wife Queen Henrietta Maria was declared Treasure this week. It was found by detectorist, Nicholas Davies in July 2020 near Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire.

The find

Nicholas described the find “I visited the field on a particularly warm and dry July morning, which can often limit the amount of finds that you discover. However, this time I received a confident reading on the metal detector. As I un-earthed the signal from the hole, I gently revealed a silver oval item with the striking bust of an elegant lady.“

He continued “Taking in the precious moment, I sat down holding this truly magnificent find whilst trying to imagine the story that it would tell. Who had dropped it? What connections did they have to it? How did they come about this item?“

The medallion

The obverse shows Charles I with the inscription CAROLVS. D. G. MAG. B[RI. FR.]ET. HIB. RX. The reverse depicts Queen Henrietta with the legend HENRIETTA MARIA. D.G. M.A.G. BRITAIN. FRAN. ET. HIB. REG.

Underneath her bust is stamped T. Rawlins. Thomas Rawlins worked under Nicholas Briot at the Royal Mint. He moved to the Oxford mint at the start of the Civil War and produced the dies for the coins minted there and several medals on behalf of King Charles. After the restoration he was reinstated as chief engraver at the mint.

Collaboration

Carmarthenshire County Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, leisure, culture and tourism – Councillor Hazel Evans said “This beautiful silver pendant shines a light on Carmarthenshire’s fascinating seventeenth century history. “The discovery of this object is another great example of how collaboration between metal detectorists, PAS Cymru and Amgueddfa Cymru can benefit communities“