An exquisite medieval silver annular brooch dating to the 13th or 14th century. The frame of the brooch is circular in plan, with a semi-circular cross-section and has a constriction for the elaborately decorated pin. The frame bears an inscription - a rhyming couplet in Anglo-French, which starts to the right of the pin and reads: "+ IO SVI DE DRVERIE NE ME DVNE MIE" This can be translated as "I am a love-token, do not give me away", or perhaps a more sympathetic translation could be "I am [given] out of love; on no account give me away". The choice of words is interesting - as though the brooch has a voice of its own. This style of French was written and spoken by the Norman French elite and the upper classes in post-Conquest England of the 12-15th centuries - it is also the language of the conventions of Courtly Love, and thus common on items of late medieval English personal jewellery. Romance and courtly love provided plentiful sources for the decoration of medieval love jewellery. A major theme in the Romances is gift giving, in which Knights and ladies exchange girdles, brooches and rings as love tokens. Brooches like this one were worn to be seen - as symbols of wealth and status, although they were also used to fasten garments. By fastening a garment, a brooch symbolically protected the wearer from unwanted amatory advances. This brooch is in excellent condition - its unusually large size (31 mm.) and weight (11.3 g.)testify to the obvious wealth and status of the original owner. It is tempting to speculate about who she was, and how she came to lose such a precious jewel - especially when the inscription so clearly states "on no account give me away". Originally the inscription was filled with niello - some of which remains, the pin is still working and its possible that it would have originally been gilded. This is a wonderful, romantic relic from the age of chivalry and courtly love and highly evocative of the period.

Diameter: 31 mm. Weight: 11.3 g.

References: Egan, Geoff and Pritchard, Frances. (2002). Medieval Finds from Excavations in London: 3 Dress Accessories c.1150-1450. Benet's Artefacts of England and the United Kingdom, Third Edition: M07-0205.