A detectorist and amateur historian has shared his discovery of a rare medieval papal seal in Abbots Langley.
Resident Rob Braban found the seal while metal detecting in the village on the morning of Christmas Eve 2022.
He is only now sharing news of his exciting find due to a backlog in recording items at Verulamium Museum in St Albans, where the seal is currently being kept.
He explained: “The seal was only four inches deep, so I doubt it was in its original situ, as I find many Victorian/Georgian pennies six to 10 inches deep in the same pasture. It may have been displaced due to ploughing or historic landscaping of the land.”
The Papal Bullae Seal belonged to Pope Nicholas IV, who was in office from 1288-92, and would have been used to officiate documents sent by Vatican City to countries throughout Europe. The fact that Pope Nicholas was only in office for four years adds to the seal’s rarity, as he would have sent far fewer documents to England than popes who were in office for a longer period of time.
During his time in office, Pope Nicholas IV oversaw the end of a long conflict between France and the kingdom of Aragon, as well as the establishment of the first Roman Catholic church in China.
Rob has suggested that the seal may have been used to officiate a new chapel in the area. He also said that while there has been discussion of the seal being part of an early Christian burial, he thinks it is more likely the seal was simply dropped.
Rob said: “It’s in remarkable condition for its age and being made of lead, which is soft and malleable, could have easily been damaged by any disturbance to date.”
The coin is not expected to be recorded on Verulamium Museum’s database until later this year. Rob suspects that the delay is due to a recent surge in the amount of material found.
Should the museum choose to legally procure the artefact, the profits would be shared between Rob and the owner of the land where the coin was found, but Rob stresses that his enthusiasm for detecting is fuelled by his passion for history and not by any financial motives.
He said: “Although it doesn’t have a significant monetary value, the historic value is priceless to anyone with a vested interest in local medieval history, of which we have a rich abundance in the area, such as the former Palace of Kings Langley and the early Norman presence of a motte and bailey castle situated at Moat Farm.”
Rob, who works as a mechanical engineer, has been detecting for six years.
He said: “I started detecting because of a general intrigue in what has been lost over the years and about what has been left behind and why.
“This is one of my best finds to date. While it’s not worth lots of money and it isn’t incredibly rare to find a papal seal, it is pretty special to find one in such good condition in my local area.”
Rob chronicles his finds on Instagram and you can follow him @historyhunters_uk.
All of Rob’s detecting is carried out in accordance with government regulations and correct permissions are ascertained prior to any searches.
Rob is always looking for new land to search. If you have any suggestions, you can contact him at RobertBraban@outlook.com
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