Tudor ring with Elizabeth I’s emblem goes on display at Hampton Court Palace

On display from 15 July

A newly discovered gold signet ring engraved with the phoenix emblem of Queen Elizabeth I will go on display this week inside some of the oldest rooms of Hampton Court Palace.

Discovered in the former royal hunting ground at Ampthill in Bedfordshire by a metal detectorist, this exceptional piece of jewellery has been acquired under the terms of the Treasure Act 1996 administered by the British Museum on behalf of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that cares for Hampton Court Palace, has purchased the ring with generous support from the Meakin Family.

The gold signet ring has been scientifically dated to around the 1570s, and is minutely engraved with a phoenix bird shown to be rising from the flames. The phoenix emblem was first associated with Queen Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, following the publication of a poem in 1575 by Ulpian Fulwell eulogising her as being like a phoenix, with her daughter Elizabeth rising from the ashes as “a worthy Queen”. Around this time, Elizabeth I adopted the phoenix emblem for herself and to honour her late mother. Her courtiers were quick to follow suit, and began to display the emblem formerly associated with Anne Boleyn in their clothing, jewels and paintings to show loyalty to the queen.

The location of this formerly lost piece of Tudor jewellery raises questions about the original owner of the ring. It was found close to the remains of Ampthill Castle – a royal hunting ground owned by Henry VIII which four generations of royalty enjoyed for progresses and hunting. It may have been lost or hidden by a courtier or other supporter of the queen.

The ‘Boleyn’ ring, similarly acquired under the Portable Antiquities Scheme in 2023, is another remarkable survivor of the Tudor dynasty. Also on display at Hampton Court Palace, this ring is engraved with a bull’s head and arrayed with sunbeams and stars of white enamel, with religious decoration of icons of the Virgin and Child and St Catherine of Alexandria. Found close to the home of Anne Boleyn’s cousin, the Boleyn signet ring is speculated to have belonged to her father or brother, and features the bull for ‘Bullen’ found on the family’s coat of arms and document seals.

Tracy Borman, Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces, said “We are delighted to acquire this extraordinary Tudor signet ring and to be able to display it at Hampton Court Palace for the first time. Thanks to the Portable Antiquities Scheme and the generosity of the Meakin family, this remarkable object has been saved for the nation. Its striking phoenix emblem – so closely associated with Elizabeth I and her mother Anne Boleyn – makes it a powerful symbol of dynastic legacy, loyalty and identity at the Tudor court. Finds like this rarely survive, and it raises tantalising questions about the individual who once owned and wore it, perhaps within the very orbit of the queen herself. It feels especially fitting that this evocative piece of Tudor history will now be on display in a palace so deeply connected to the lives and reigns of the Tudor monarchs, where visitors can encounter it alongside the spaces that shaped their world.”

The Tudor ring will be on display in the Tudor World exhibition in the Wolsey Rooms at Hampton Court Palace from 13 July and is included in palace admission.

Notes to Editors

For further information and images please contact Jessica England-Tracey in the Historic Royal Palaces Press Office via [email protected] / 020 3166 6166

Tickets from: Adult £29.00/ Concession £23.50 / Child £14.50. Free for Historic Royal Palaces members.

Purchased by Historic Royal Palaces with generous support from the Meakin Family under the terms of the Treasure Act 1996.

Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity that loves and looks after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. The palaces are the setting for the stories that shape us all, and we’re bringing them to people in ways that mean more to them. We want everyone to find themselves in the spaces and stories we share. 

Registered charity number 1068852. For more information visit www.hrp.org.uk