This Tudor period gold finger ring with the initials RB found by a detectorist on land to the west of Crewkerne in 2017 sold for £3600 at local saleroom Lawrences on May 17.
As the land was once the property of the Earls Poullett (Paulet), it has been suggested that the ring once belonged to Richard Bagot (1532-88), deputy to the diplomat Sir Amias Paulet of Hinton St George, Somerset.
That Paulet, a fanatical Puritan, was the keeper-jailer of Mary Queen of Scots until her execution at Fotheringay Castle in 1587 doubtless added intrigue to the ring’s story. Offered as part of a Lawrences’ (22% buyer’s premium) Militaria, Coins & Medals sale in Crewkerne on May 17, it sold at £3600.
