A SPECTACULAR gold finger ring found in an Ulster river dates back to the Viking invasion of Ireland, a ‘treasure trove’ inquest heard yesterday.
The rare piece of jewellery, deemed by a ring expert to be the “only one of its kind” on the island, was declared treasure trove at the hearing at the Coroner’s Court in Belfast, along with a silver coin hoard originating from the 16th century.
The artefacts were discovered by the late Glenn Crawford from Craigavon, well known as a keen metal detectorist.
The Co Armagh man found the historic items following the dredging of the River Blackwater about 20 years ago. Ring expert John Sheehan said he believed the gold annular rod finger ring may have fallen from a Viking boat as long ago as the 9th century.
The first Vikings were recorded invading Rathlin Island in the latter part of the 8th century prior to setting up bases in Ireland at Strangford, Carlingford and Lough Neagh.
Mr Sheehan, who travelled from Cork to give evidence at yesterday’s hearing, said nearby Armagh was raided three times in 832 and the most likely explanation for the ring ending up in the Blackwater was that Vikings may have used the waterway as a means of commuting from their Lough Neagh base. Mr Crawford found the ring in the Shanmullagh area of the river.
Describing the jewellery as the “only one of its kind”, Mr Sheehan said: “No museum in Ireland has a finger ring of that type.” The expert said it was not possible to prove the origins of the ring, but he claimed his “gut feeling” was that it was made in Norway.
Dr Greer Ramsey, curator at the Armagh County Museum, identified the Viking ring as an “extremely rare item”.
He confirmed there was a similar ring currently on display in the Ulster Museum, but maintained Mr Crawford’s piece was an “unusual” find. He said national museums would be “keen” to acquire it.
Commenting on the silver coin hoard, expert Robert Heslip described Mr Crawford’s find as “very unusual”.
He confirmed the collection contained six sixpence coins and one threepence coin that could be more than 450 years old. Mr Heslip said the coins were issued during the reign of King Edward VI, but bore the image of his father, Henry VIII.
Regarding their value at the time of their use, Mr Heslip confirmed a sixpence would have been a “good day’s wages” and the coins together totalled a week’s work in labour.
Coroner John Leckey, who described the ring as “spectacular”, ruled that all of the items constituted treasure and confirmed the Treasure Valuation Committee in London would be informed of his verdict.
Speaking after the inquest, Mr Crawford’s brother, Thomas, said his sibling regularly used his spare time to search for “treasures”. He said: “He was probably one of Northern Ireland’s top metal detectors. He was a fanatic.”
The Moy Park employee, 58, died two years ago following illness.
Asked what Glenn would have thought about the historic nature of his finds, Mr Crawford said: “I think he would have been very interested. It would have been great if he were here – he would have been fascinated by it.”