ruins of Middleham Castle today.
credit: webbaviation.
A large congregation of goldsmiths was located in Cheapside and also plenty of goldsmiths on London Bridge. Presumably there would have been goldsmiths in York as well.
A large congregation of goldsmiths was located in Cheapside and also plenty of goldsmiths on London Bridge. Presumably there would have been goldsmiths in York as well.
But who had commissioned this jewel? It was a fine example of an English goldsmith’s work of c1450–99, an amulet offering both religious and magical protection. Of course the castle had been home to many powerful lords, but its likely date had suggested it was in the lifetime of the most famous occupant, King Richard III (1452-85).
The solid gold pendant weighing 68 grams was beautifully engraved with a Trinity and Nativity, and set with a large blue sapphire. The blue colour related to the Virgin Mary, and the Nativity scene suggested that the jewel assisted in childbirth. Probably it was a reliquary containing a holy relic, an amulet to protect the wearer eg an Ananizapta charm against epilepsy, written in Latin on the border. The blue sapphire above the Crucifixion was believed to enhance prayers and also to cure ulcers, poor eyesight, headaches and stammers. And the extract from the Mass is followed by the magic word, the Latinised Hebrew name of God.
Each side of the 6.4 cm high, lozenge-shaped pendant was engraved with a religious scene. On the outward side is a beautiful engraving of the Crucifixion. On the inward face is a Nativity scene above an image of the Lamb of God. A Latin extract from the Mass: Behold the Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world … Have mercy upon us, framed the Crucifixion scene, and around the Nativity stood 15 tiny images of saints. This part was conventional religious imagery, while other elements of the jewel inhabited the border between medieval religion, magic and medicine.
Left. The Crucifixion on front side
Right: The Nativity on back side
The gold Jewel has a 10 carats blue sapphire..
English Heritage
It is likely that this high status item was owned by a relation of Richard III, possibly his wife Anne Neville, mother Cecily Neville or mother-in-law Anne Beauchamp (1426–92), widow of Warwick the Kingmaker and mother-in-law of Richard III. It is uncertain who owned this combination of magic and religion, though she must have been very rich to commission such a treasure. The jewel was the only survivor of similar adornments often depicted as being worn on necklaces by great late C15th English noblewomen. I hope it was Anne Neville who married Richard in 1472 and gave birth at the castle to Prince Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales (c1475–84), son and Richard’s heir apparent. The jewel may well have been given to Anne to protect her in childbirth; after all Edward was Richard's only legitimate child.
Much more than a mere fashion accessory, this rich pendant was also packed with a holy relic! It opened to reveal four fragments of gold-embroidered silk, but they were not recognised. Nonetheless it was likely that the Jewel protected its wearer against the dangers of childbirth, the greatest hazard to all medieval women. And not just the Nativity imagery on the face of the Jewel; note several saintly childbirth-helpers among the figures that framed it.
In Aug 1485, Richard met the Lancastrian forces of Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field. During the battle Richard was abandoned by Thomas Stanley Earl of Derby, Sir William Stanley and Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. The switching of sides by the Stanleys severely depleted the strength of Richard's army and influenced the outcome of the battle. As did the death of close friend John Howard, Duke of Norfolk demoralised Richard’s side.
Tiny gold bible, with saints Leonard and Margaret
The gold Jewel has a 10 carats blue sapphire..
English Heritage
It is likely that this high status item was owned by a relation of Richard III, possibly his wife Anne Neville, mother Cecily Neville or mother-in-law Anne Beauchamp (1426–92), widow of Warwick the Kingmaker and mother-in-law of Richard III. It is uncertain who owned this combination of magic and religion, though she must have been very rich to commission such a treasure. The jewel was the only survivor of similar adornments often depicted as being worn on necklaces by great late C15th English noblewomen. I hope it was Anne Neville who married Richard in 1472 and gave birth at the castle to Prince Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales (c1475–84), son and Richard’s heir apparent. The jewel may well have been given to Anne to protect her in childbirth; after all Edward was Richard's only legitimate child.
Much more than a mere fashion accessory, this rich pendant was also packed with a holy relic! It opened to reveal four fragments of gold-embroidered silk, but they were not recognised. Nonetheless it was likely that the Jewel protected its wearer against the dangers of childbirth, the greatest hazard to all medieval women. And not just the Nativity imagery on the face of the Jewel; note several saintly childbirth-helpers among the figures that framed it.
In Aug 1485, Richard met the Lancastrian forces of Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field. During the battle Richard was abandoned by Thomas Stanley Earl of Derby, Sir William Stanley and Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. The switching of sides by the Stanleys severely depleted the strength of Richard's army and influenced the outcome of the battle. As did the death of close friend John Howard, Duke of Norfolk demoralised Richard’s side.
Richard had no legitimate heir, so when Henry Tudor/Henry VII father of King Henry VIII was killed Richard at Bosworth, he quickly seized the throne. Richard’s death effectively ended the Wars of the Roses.
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The jewel was bought by Yorkshire Museum in 1992 for a huge amount (£2.5 m) in order to keep this fine piece of English Gothic jewellery in Britain. It was then displayed in the Yorkshire Museum York.
Since then, two metal detectorists have recently had another amazing find - a tiny gold bible, beautifully engraved. And what made the news even better was that it was the second discovery made near the remains of the old Neville strongholds. This new find was found close to a footpath on farmland near Sheriff Hutton, while the Jewel was found near Middleham Castle. Not only were they were possibly both owned by members of the Neville family, but both objects displayed the patron saints of childbirth.
Since then, two metal detectorists have recently had another amazing find - a tiny gold bible, beautifully engraved. And what made the news even better was that it was the second discovery made near the remains of the old Neville strongholds. This new find was found close to a footpath on farmland near Sheriff Hutton, while the Jewel was found near Middleham Castle. Not only were they were possibly both owned by members of the Neville family, but both objects displayed the patron saints of childbirth.
found in 2021, Yorkshire Museum.
Note St Margaret of Antioch was patron saint of expectant mothers and her dragon emblem was based on one of her trials. St Leonard of Noblac was often patron of women about to give birth, following the story of Clovis' wife
16 comments:
According to Julian Evan-Hart, editor of Treasure Hunting magazine, wrote that whoever it was that owned and used the tiny bible was incredibly wealthy. He described it as an exceptionally unique historical artefact, estimated to be worth 119,000+ Euros. The gold Bible was made when English laws made it illegal for anyone other than approved nobility to carry gold. See Ancient Origins.
The death rate in medieval pregnancies was about 5% during delivery and at least another 5% from infections after delivery. So even though amulets couldn't save any particular woman, at least the woman would know her husband cared.
This topic is always relevant. To this day, people (including me) believe in the protective power of amulets.
The gold jewel with the blue sapphire, and the tiny gold Bible are very impressive items!
Boa tarde minha querida amiga. Sempre aprendo com seus trabalhos maravilhosos e incríveis matérias de qualidade.
They are exquisite in their tiny sizes and real treasures. I am pleased they stayed in York where they belong.
Student
thank you for the reference. I knew that the gold items were so expensive, only wealthy families could have afforded to commission them from the goldsmiths. But I had never heard of laws specifying who could carry gold. More reading for me :)
Joe
pregnancy and childbirth were clearly very dangerous in the 15th century, something the married women would have known. But I wonder if they had the right to refuse to become pregnant. I assume it came with the marriage contract.
Royals and nobles would have been devastated if their sons died, and I hope that they would have been very anxious when their wives became pregnant.
DUTA
women need to do everything to guarantee their and their babies good health, starting with having the best ante- and post-natal medical care.
But I am also in favour of whatever else helps, even magical dreams eg I gave each of my new born babies the name of a much loved recently deceased relative, so that the baby would inherit the relative's finest qualities.
Luiz
I hope that if you get to Britain soon, you take the opportunity to spend time at the Yorkshire Museum. I haven't travelled since before Covid started, so I am looking forward to fulfilling some great plans.
Andrew
I have always loved and collected goldsmithing and silver goldsmithing, but mainly from the 1680s on. So you can imagine how exciting it was to read about and view exquisite objets d'art from King Richard III's era. [Alas my collecting passion ended back in the 1990s].
Jewellery was used as symbols of affection or to cement alliances such as the betrothal ring sent to Margaret of York by Charles the Bold; stones were thought to have magical powers; mainly in powdered form, gems were used as medicines. Before the existence of banks, gemstones and jewellery were well regarded as security for loans and were a form of portable wealth. Jewellery served also religious functions and complemented clothing both for adornment and practical application – brooches were useful in pinning together layers of clothing. For the nobility, gemstones and jewellery were an unmistakable signal of social standing, wealth and influence.
Richard III Society of NSW
Many thanks. I hope the readers follow up your reference. There were definitely many reasons for families to invest in gems and jewellery, far more than I suggested.
Hi Hels - I think all the goldsmiths would have been in Cheapside and on the Bridge - there was protection in London ... that wouldn't have been possible in York in those days ... and gold assaying was based in London, starting in the 1300s. But the post is really interesting - thanks for his information - cheers Hilary
Thank you for the post which I found most interesting and all new to me. I particularly like the tiny bible.
Hilary
Thank you...I am actually very pleased. Those are areas I inspected closely, when I did my gold- and silver-smith tours of London, as well as Spitalfields, then I got to Norwich and Canterbury. But I knew nothing about the pre-1680s era. All these decades later, I am still finding it a terrific topic.
Rachel
Me too :) I almost didn't know enough about the tiny golden bible to add it into this post. But it seemed so connected to the pendant in important ways (location, date, decorative theme) that I wanted to include at least as much information as I could read up quickly.
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