Rare ring with runic inscription found in Lincolnshire

A rare Viking-era finger ring with a runic inscription has been discovered by a metal detectorist near Quadring in Lincolnshire. It dates to the between the 8th and the 10th centuries and is one of very few inscribed rings from the early Middle Ages found in Britain.

Archaeologist Dr Lisa Brundle described it as one of “the most significant” archaeological finds ever recorded in the area. […]

Brundle, who is finds liaison officer for PAS at Lincolnshire County Council, said the ring “would have been a treasured possession”.

Found by metal detectorist Rafal Wesolowski in May 2024, the ring is made of silver gilded on the outside of the central band. The runes are engraved on the exterior band and show no sign of having been gilded, so they must have been carved after the gilding was complete. There’s a raised border encircling the top and bottom of the band. It is silver now, but may have originally been gilded and the gold wore off with use.

There are 16 runic characters running from left to right on the central band in fine lines. There’s a cross mark at the beginning of the inscription, and dots at the end. Experts from the University of Nottingham have interpreted the runes as reading: +udnAnH(:)Ri*aHiSDe. There are several possible translations of the runes, all involving “Udnan” as the starting point and “ring” in the middle. It could be a simple declaration of ownership, as in “Udnan owns this ring,” but it’s not certain that Udnan is a personal name, and the simple statement leaves out a number of the runes.

Other artefacts found at the same location by Wesolowski, including a late Anglo‑Saxon buckle, indicated the presence of a previously unknown early medieval archaeological site in the area, Brundle added.

“Together, these discoveries point to a community of considerable status and may even suggest the presence of a literate elite living along the fen‑edge landscape.”

The ring has been officially declared treasure at a coroner’s inquest and will now be assessed for valuation. When the fair value is determined, a local museum will be given the opportunity to acquire the ring for the sum assessed. The fee will then be shared by the finder and landowner.

Brundle said it was hoped the artefact, which has since been declared as treasure by the Coroner in Lincoln, could be acquired by Lincoln Museum, where it could “enrich our understanding and appreciation of the early medieval past”.

* This article was originally published here