George Henderson – A 10-year-old boy from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, has joined the ranks of the most famous and successful metal detectorists in the UK after discovering a medieval seal matrix from the 13th century – a metal artifact that would have been used to stamp and verify official documents.
George Henderson and the ancient seal.
George learned the art of metal detecting from his father, Paul, who has spent 20 years passionate about this fascinating hobby. The two explorers were only 10 minutes into their hunt in Sutton-in-Ashfield earlier this year when young Henderson’s detector suddenly went off. George had to dig about 5 inches (13 cm) deep to unearth the object, which could be considered quite ancient based on its design and its old-fashioned Latin inscription.
What they pulled from the ground was a small, oval seal used to make a special impression on important documents.
Close-up details of the early seal matrix. (Hansons Auctioneers)
At the time, the two detectorists did not realize how old the oval seal was, but experts later confirmed that it was produced in the 13th century. The Latin inscription on the seal revealed the truth, reading as follows:
“Seal of the Priory and Tuvent of Butley, of Adam, Canon Regular”.
This inscription refers to a religious house established near Woodbridge in 1171. An individual named Adam served as the prior at Butley Priory for 16 years, from 1219 to 1235. The seal matrix was designed to carry his official seal, and its age is nearly 800 years, give or take a few years.
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The northern front of the 14th-century gatehouse of Butley Priory. (CC BY-SA 4.0)
In medieval times, government officials and religious institutions often affixed wax seals to important documents to verify their authenticity. The seal matrix, or die, would be created with a special image representing the individual to whom it belonged, and that individual would add their seal as a representation of a specific authority or administrative body.
Adam’s long-lost seal featured an image of the Virgin Mary and her child, Jesus. The priory was dedicated to the Virgin Mary when it opened in 1171, and it remained so until the church was closed in 1538.
Such medieval seals are rarely found in organized archaeological excavations. The common practice in medieval times was to melt down these metal seals when they became worn or were no longer needed.
This particular seal matrix must have been lost somehow before it could meet that fate. It could have been lost and buried forever if young George Henderson hadn’t practiced his favorite hobby in the right place at the right time.
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The lucky metal detector that found the seal. (Hansons Auctioneers)
George Henderson Makes History
The 13th-century copper alloy seal matrix is undoubtedly a rare and historically significant item. George and his family ultimately decided to auction it, and it was listed for sale by Hansons Auctioneers’ Historica on March 24. The Henderson family’s expectations were high, and those expectations were met when the seal matrix sold for an impressive £4,000 ($5,260). George will share the proceeds with the farmer who owns the field where the seal matrix was unearthed, as per legal regulations.
“The historical significance is more important than the value of the seal itself, and that matters to both me and George,” his father Paul told the East Anglian Daily Times. “This is the most exciting discovery either of us has ever made.”
Young George shares his father’s excitement over their unique discovery.
“I’m really happy that I found it,” the boy said briefly, revealing that he is a man of few words.
“George has been on and off metal detecting since he was five, but he hasn’t always gone out with me. He has found one or two interesting things over the years,” his proud father explained. “He knew the seal was very special when he dug it up, but George didn’t know what it was. I did. I knew it was a medieval seal matrix.”
“At first, George was comfortable about it,” Paul continued, “but as the day went on, people kept asking to see it, and he became more excited.”
As of now, at just 10 years old, George Henderson is the youngest metal detectorist to have made such a historically significant discovery in the UK. That is a distinction that the boy may hold for quite some time.
Interestingly, the auction on March 24 at Hansons featured not one but two historically significant artifacts discovered by amateur metal detectorists (each of whom, coincidentally, can be identified by the initials ‘GH’). In addition to George Henderson’s medieval seal matrix, the Derbyshire auction also sold a 17th-century gold ring found by Graham Harrison, a 64-year-old veteran detectorist from Lincolnshire, who also unearthed his valuable artifact from a field in Nottinghamshire.
Harrison’s ring dates back to the 17th century and once belonged to an individual who served as the High Sheriff of Nottingham (yes, just like in “The Adventures of Robin Hood”). This extremely unusual artifact sold for £8,500 ($11,180), meaning that two metal detectorists at opposite ends of the age spectrum were rightly rewarded for their contributions to archaeology and history on the same day.
