A Elizabethan silver hawking ring found on land near Darlington has been classified as treasure following a hearing in a coroners’ court.
The small circular vervel was discovered by a metal detectorist at Sadberge in October 2021.
On Wednesday morning Assistant Coroner Crispin Oliver held a treasure trove hearing in Crook.
He said the ring was engraved with the name of Robert Partridge from Great Miserden in Gloucestershire.
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It is believed to date from 1560 to 1600 but how the ring ended up in Sadberge is unclear.
Mr Oliver said: “No connections exist between the finding spot and the Partridge family.”
He said it would be classified as treasure and that the British Museum has said the Museum in the Park in Stratford Park, Stroud, Gloucestershire, has expressed an interest in acquiring it.
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