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The legendary monarch was better known for losing wives than jewellery.
But a cafe owner has made one of the most important Renaissance finds in Britain in decades – by uncovering a gold pendant linked to Henry VIII.
Amateur treasure hunter Charlie Clarke found the 24-carat heart-shaped piece that was at first thought by curators to be ‘too good to be true’.
It is marked on one side with the letters ‘H’ and ‘K’ in reference to Henry and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon.
Henry tied the knot with Katherine in 1509 and the couple were married for 24 years, before the king had the union annulled so he could marry Anne Boleyn.
It is marked on one side with the letters ‘H’ and ‘K’ in reference to Henry and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. The other side is decorated with an entwined Tudor rose and a pomegranate bush, which was the badge of the former Queen of England. It sits on a chain made up of 75 links
The legendary monarch Henry VIII was better known for losing wives than jewellery. But a cafe owner has made one of the most important Renaissance finds in Britain in decades – by uncovering a gold pendant linked to Henry VIII
The other side of the pendant is decorated with an entwined Tudor rose and a pomegranate bush, which was the badge of the former Queen of England. It sits on a chain made up of 75 links.
The piece, described as ‘blingy’ by Rachel King, a curator of Renaissance Europe at the British Museum, was discovered by metal detectorist Mr Clarke in a field in Warwickshire in December 2021.
‘I had found a few coins before, nothing special,’ the 35-year-old father of one told The Guardian. ‘But I knew it was gold.
‘When you see that colour then that is what you are there for as a metal detectorist.’
His ‘once in 30 lifetimes’ find caused him, he said, to shriek ‘like a little schoolgirl’.
‘The majority of people who saw this at the museum felt it was almost too good to be true,’ Ms King said yesterday.
And after determining it wasn’t fake, curators said that nothing of its size and importance from the Renaissance period had been found in Britain for more than 25 years.
Henry’s union with Katherine came after she had previously been married to his elder brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales, who died aged just 15 in 1502.
The pair had only been married for six months when he passed away, possibly from sweating sickness.
Katherine of Aragon was Henry VIII’s first wife and the ‘K’ on the gold pendant is in reference to her
The finder of the chain and pendant associated with Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, Charlie Clarke (left) and Arts and Heritage Minister, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (right) look at the pendant on display at the British Museum in London as archaeological discoveries made by members of the public are revealed via the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS)
The piece, described as ‘blingy’ by Rachel King, a curator of Renaissance Europe at the British Museum, was discovered by metal detectorist Mr Clarke in a field in Warwickshire in December 2021
And after determining it wasn’t fake, curators said that nothing of its size and importance from the Renaissance period had been found in Britain for more than 25 years
Because Katharine, the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile, had insisted the marriage had not been consumated, she was able to go on to marry Henry.
The couple had a passionate union, with historians believing that she was the only woman he ever truly loved – despite the fact that he went on to marry five more times.
However, she fell out of favour with Henry through her inability to produce a male heir. Out of six children that she gave birth to, only one – daughter Mary – survived.
The King then focused on Anne Boleyn – a lady-in-waiting to Katherine – in 1525.
His desire to marry her instead and have his union with Katharine annulled ultimately led to a split with the Catholic Church in Rome.
‘The majority of people who saw this at the museum felt it was almost too good to be true,’ Ms King said yesterday
Pope Clement VII refused to annul the marriage, prompting Henry to pass the Act of Supremacy, declaring him the head of the Church of England.
Henry was then free to have his marriage to Katharine declared void so he could marry Anne.
Katharine spent the rest of her life insisting that she remained Henry’s lawful wedded wife and was still England’s rightful Queen.
She went to live at The More Castle in Hertfordshire from 1531 and was moved four further times before being transferred to Kimbolton Castle.
Katharine was forbidden from seeing her daughter Mary because they both refused to acknowledge Anne as the new queen. Katharine died in January 1536 aged 50.
Henry and Anne were only married for three years – during which time daughter Elizabeth was born – before Henry accused Anne of treason and had her executed.
Anne’s three miscarriages and inability to produce Henry’s desired male heir helped to seal her fate.
No value has yet been put on the pendant but it is likely to be significant.
When it is sold – probably to a museum – Mr Clarke will split the proceeds with the landowner.
The pendant was among more than 1,000 treasures unearthed by the ‘everyday people’ of Britain – mostly detectorists – in 2021, and outlined in the British Museum’s Treasure and Portable Antiques Scheme (PAS) annual reports.
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