In February 2023, on a cool, overcast day with sporadic rain drifting across the mere at Combermere Abbey, Eddie Vine recovered a gold ring from around twelve inches below the surface of a reed bed field.
The ring had lain in that spot for somewhere between 600 and 900 years, dating to circa AD 1100–1400.
Now, three years later, the ring is nearing the end of another journey: from the British Museum’s Treasure process back to South Cheshire.
Vine, from Crewe and Nantwich Metal Detecting Society said, ‘I knew what it was by its colour,’ he says. ‘Rich buttery gold.’ The ring still held soil and fibrous micro-roots when it came out of the ground. He chose not to clean it fully himself, instead asking Steve King, who first introduced him to metal detecting, to uncover it properly. ‘It was a lovely thing to hold. It was my second gold item and far more than I ever expected to find.’
The object has since been formally identified as a complete medieval gold ‘stirrup’ ring set with a cabochon turquoise. The official treasure report describes it as a substantial example of its type.
The turquoise is a semi-precious stone not commonly found in medieval rings and remains intact, though slightly darkened with minor surface wear. It sits a little low in its setting, with some dirt visible between the stone and the lip.
Medieval gold stirrup ring AD 1100–1400.
The stone itself is larger than is typical for stirrup rings, possibly reflecting the medieval difficulty of sourcing sizeable sapphires, emeralds or garnets. Weighing nearly eight grams, undamaged and still wearable, and in a large finger size, the ring survives in notable condition.
Stirrup rings are not rare within museum collections. But Vine says he has never before or since been present when one from that period was uncovered while detecting. In this condition, with turquoise and without dents or distortion, he considers it rare within its field.
Founded in 1133, Combermere Abbey would historically have attracted wealthy visitors and senior clergy. Vine believes, though without proof, that the ring was most likely lost accidentally. ‘These rings were often worn over a light glove,’ he explains. It may have snagged off a finger or fallen from a bag in transit.’ Unlike a hoard, which is deliberately concealed, a single ring suggests a moment rather than an act of hiding.
Since its discovery in February 2023, the ring has been held at the British Museum while progressing through the Treasure Act system. Now, as that process nears completion, it is expected to move to its intended home at Nantwich Museum.
The Museum has launched an appeal to acquire the stirrup ring along with a second locally discovered piece: a complete post-medieval gold posy ring found in Audlem and dating from around 1600–1700. The Audlem ring bears floral decoration on its exterior and an inscription inside the band reading ‘Not value but vertue.’ If secured, both rings will form part of the Museum’s ‘Treasures of Nantwich’ collection.
Gold posy ring found in Audlem.
As of 24 February 2026, the appeal had raised £583.25 from 25 donations towards a target of approximately £2,700–£2,900. which already includes Roman, Saxon, Medieval and Tudor artefacts.
Museum Manager Kate Dobson has said: ‘We hope we can find the money to ensure that these beautiful rings can be retained and displayed in Nantwich for the public to enjoy.’ Without local fundraising, such finds may ultimately be acquired elsewhere following valuation.
For Vine, the idea of the stirrup ring remaining in Cheshire is important. ‘I would much prefer the ring to be in a public museum than a private collection,’ he says. ‘If it’s locked away in private hands, it will be almost as lonely as when I found it after possibly 900 years in the soil. In the museum we all get to see it.’
Eddie Vine with the gold stirrup ring.
He has been metal detecting for around eight years and says it has fundamentally changed how he walks through the countryside. High ground, access to water and natural defensive positions become clues to past habitation. Maps detailing thousands of years of occupation help, but it is often the unknown ground that holds the story. ‘That could be pretty much any field,’ he says.
In one such field beside the mere, a gold ring lay undisturbed for centuries before being lifted back into daylight. After three years in the national system, it is now close to returning to the landscape that kept it for so long. Whether it remains there will depend not on its gold content alone, but on whether Cheshire decides to keep its own history close to home.