Reverse, Finger ring fragment, gold, ca. 1618-1650

A gold ring fragment recovered from the fort site is another enigmatic find. It is stamped with a herringbone pattern and engraved with the letter “F.” At the ring’s edge, there appears to be another letter, perhaps the beginning of an inscription. Personal items such as this one are fairly uncommon finds. It is tempting to speculate that it may have once belonged to Temperance Flowerdew, the wife of Sir George Yeardley. 

Obverse, Finger ring fragment, gold, ca. 1618-1650

Without many clues, the questions about the ring’s owner remain: Who wore the ring? What significance did it have for the owner? Was the ring a gift from someone or was it an inherited family heirloom? These are the questions facing archaeologists and curators alike in the many fragments that make up the Flowerdew Hundred collection.