Posy Ring

3D Model

British, gold, 15th century

Rings like this, bearing inscriptions that are usually love notes or messages of fidelity, are called posy rings, the name deriving from poetry. They were often used as wedding rings. An inscription on the outside, as here, is more common in 14th- and 15th-century rings; as their use continued into the 16th and 17th centuries the inscription moved inside.

This inscription was not understood until recently but Malcolm Jones used this model to demonstrate that it reads ‘bi e va’, not ‘vi e va’ as previously thought. The extension after the ‘e’ shows that it is an abbreviation of ‘en’ so the whole reads as ‘bien va’, which translates as ‘go well’. The same inscription appears on a contemporary ring brooch from the Isle of Wight, now in the British Museum.

Four very similar rings were found about 30 miles away at Lewes, possibly suggesting that they were all made locally. They are on display at Lewes Museum.

From the Pevensey Castle collection (not on display).