George Grenville’s ring sells for £9,500
A gold seal ring, belonging to George Grenville, British Prime Minister between 1763-65, was offered for sale at Noonans on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in a sale of Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Objects of Vertu. It fetched £9,500, beating its pre-sale estimate of £6,000-8,000. The auctioneer reports that “The ring attracted a lot of interest and was ultimately bought by a buyer in the USA.“
The ring was found by detectorist, Tom Clark. After the auction, Tom said “I didn’t watch the sale as I was out metal-detecting, I only stopped as it began to rain! I am very pleased with the result, which is fantastic. I would like to put the money in my bank account, but I am sure that my wife will have ideas of how to spend it!“
Finding the ring
Photo: Noonans
In May last year, Tom went out detecting with his brand new Minelab Manticore in a filed near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. He had a good start, finding a Roman bronze coin and a Georgian gilded brooch.
About three metres away he got another signal and, on digging down 10 inches, unearthed what appeared to be a Medieval gold seal ring. Reading the name around the edge he saw the name ‘Grenvil’ and immediately recognised it as one of the ancestral surnames of the nearby manor house.
Tom said “I have been detecting since the age of 30, and over the years I have been lucky enough to find a Bronze Age gold armlet, a Roman lead coffin and many other treasures which are now in museums“
George Grenville
Nigel Mills, Artefact and Coin expert at Noonans, explains “The ring dates from the 18th century and originally belonged to George Grenville who was Prime Minister from 16 April 1763 to 10 July 1765.”
Stamp Act
George Grenville carries a coffin, representing the act
Nigel continues “He tried to reduce Britain’s growing debt by raising revenue in the American colonies with the introduction of the Sugar Act, the Currency Act, and the Stamp Act. These new laws, especially the Stamp Act, were strongly objected to by the colonists and stirred up protests, which resulted in George III dismissing Grenville. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, but concerns over taxation ultimately led to the American Revolutionary War of 1775-83.“
The ring
The arms on the bezel of the ring are those of Grenville, of Wotton Underwood and of Stowe in the county of Buckinghamshire.
Portrait by William Hoare, 1764.
This is a shield quartered with a central cross bearing five roundels, a helmet placed above the shield has a crest of a sheaf of corn. An inscription around reads “Sigillum Georg de grenvil’”
This seal ring appears to have been handed down to his second son, also named George, as the find spot is close to the son’s residence near Aylesbury.
The ring presumably became a family heirloom passing from father to son and remained hidden in the ground until now.
The auctioneer described it as “a truly exciting discovery!“