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Devotion and diplomacy: Examining a treasure from the heart of the Tudor court
The British Museum has launched a £3.5 million fundraising campaign to acquire a unique pendant associated with Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, and with the wider political ambitions of 16th-century Europe. Carly Hilts reports.

Friday 13th is not usually seen as an auspicious day, but that date in December 2019 certainly proved fortunate for amateur metal-detectorist Charlie Clarke. He had only been practising his hobby for six months when he set out to explore farmland (with the owner’s permission) near Birmingham – but when his machine emitted a promising beep, what emerged from the soil can only be described as the find of a lifetime. The golden object was still so bright that it looked like a piece of modern costume jewellery but, following expert analysis (made possible by the fact that Charlie immediately reported his discovery to the local Finds Liaison Officer), it has since been recognised as one of the most complex and complete ornaments associated with the court of Henry VIII ever found.

The artefact in question is a pendant: 75 gold links form a chunky chain, and from the centre of this hangs a small, gold-and-enamel link shaped like a hand emerging from a cloud. This would have originally secured the object’s most visually striking component: a golden heart as big as an egg, hinged like a locket and adorned with colourful enamel. On one side, these decorations depict the Tudor rose and a pomegranate tree – emblems associated with Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon – while the couple’s initials appear as large, red letters on the other side.


Above & below: Discovered near Birmingham in 2019, this is one of the most complete pieces of jewellery associated with the Tudor court ever found. Its imagery includes the initials of Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, as well as emblems associated with the royal couple: the Tudor rose and pomegranates.


We first reported on this discovery in CA 397, when the pendant was presented to the press at the launch of the British Museum’s Treasure and Portable Antiquities Scheme reports for 2020 and 2021 respectively. At that time, the artefact had undergone initial investigations in Birmingham and conservation by Drakon Heritage, as well as analysis at the British Museum, but it had not at that time received its coroner’s inquest in accordance with the 1996 Treasure Act. Since then, the pendant has been formally declared to be Treasure, and last month the British Museum launched a public fundraising appeal to acquire the object. The initiative (which has already received a donation of £500,000 from the Julia Rausing Trust) needs to raise £3.5 million by April 2026 to secure the object for public display and to prevent it from going to auction and potentially disappearing into a private collection. At the launch event, Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the British Museum; Dr Rachel King, Curator of Renaissance Europe and the Waddesdon Bequest; and British Museum Trustee Dame Mary Beard emphasised the artefact’s importance – and explained what historical and scientific research has revealed since it was last in the news.


The pendant’s finely wrought chain, formed from 75 gold links.

https://the-past.com/news/devotion-and-diplomacy-examining-a-treasure-from-the-heart-of-the-tudor-court/