Rare Medieval Seal Matrix Found By 10-Year-Old Boy In UK

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - One does not have to be a trained archaeologist to find something of great historical value. A young boy discovered a very rare Medieval seal matrix while treasure hunting with his father in Suffolk, England.

George Henderson showing the Medieval seal matrix he discovered. Credit: Hansons Auctioneers

According to the Hansons Auctioneers, George Henderson and his father Paul took part in a charity dig to raise money for the Air Ambulance in Woodbridge when they accidentally found an early 13th-century seal displaying the Virgin and Child buried about five inches in the ground.

“George has been metal detecting on and off since the age of five but he doesn’t always come out with me. He’s found one or two interesting things over the years.

He knew the seal was special when he dug it up but he didn’t know what it was. I did. I knew it was a medieval seal matrix. What I didn’t know then was how unusual or valuable it was. George was laid back about it at first but, as the day wore on, people kept asking to look at it and he got more excited.

“He seems to be better at making important finds than me! Having said that, there have been plenty of times when he’s come back with nothing. I always tell him to keep at it – and he got his reward,” Paul told the auction house.

George, whose find has been designated as of ‘Regional Importance’ on the PAS (Portable Antiquities Scheme) database, said: “I’m happy I discovered it.”

“Thanks to ancient wording on the relic, he discovered his find was embedded in the area’s history. The seal’s Latin inscription translates to, ‘Seal of the Priory and Convent of Butley, of Adam, Canon Regular’.

The ecclesiastical artifact is connected to Butley Priory, a religious house for canons founded near Woodbridge in 1171. Adam served as its prior from 1219 to 1235 which makes the object around 800 years old,” the Hansons Auctioneers report.

Priory seal. Credit: Hansons Auctioneers

The priory remained in use until 1538 as a religious base for priests and was a site dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Madonna figure on the seal would have been pressed into wax to seal official correspondence.

Although the ancient seal is very valuable, George and his father said they care more about the magnitude of the artifact.

"The seal's historical importance rather than value is what's important to both me and George," Paul said. "It's the most exciting find either of us have ever made."

Due to its rarity and historical significance, the copper-alloy object went under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall in Derbyshire where it was sold for £4,000 ($5,239) to a private UK buyer.

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The proceeds will now be shared between lucky finder George and the farmer whose land the treasure was discovered on.

A precious find like this one can make a significant impression on a young boy, and who knows, it may even inspire George to become an archaeologist later, and if not, it will still be a memory for life.

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer