With this ring…
Colin Smale examines historical love tokens found on local farmland.
The three oddly bent silver coins featured here (PIC 2 – all found around Caistor) are bent for a very special reason. Have you ever heard the old Mother Goose nursery rhyme, ‘There was a crooked man’?
There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
The crooked sixpence he found relates to a coin like one of these, they are love tokens. They were kept by the man or the woman in purse or pocket so their loved one was always near.
Of course they, like us, had their fallings-out, when no doubt the coin was angrily flung as far away as possible (we have all been there) and that’s when we find them on farmland.
A quick proposal followed by an unexpected quick acceptance might well catch a chap without a ring at that precise moment, and so he may well wind a piece of string or wire until he can find a nice ring. However, using a length of gold wire [PIC 1] is a surprise and does pose a few questions. Did this man of obvious means not have a gold ring with him? If he could lay his hands on some gold wire, what was his trade?
Of course, we can never know now, but as with many unearthed finds they pose more questions than we can sometimes answer.
Finally we have ‘macho-man’ in the shape of a silver Roman ring with an intaglio of the god of war, Mars [PIC 3]. This was found near Caistor.
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Grantham school joins Carol Service in celebration of town’s hospital![]()
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Pupils from St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy are taking part in the first Carol Service to celebrate the special relationship Grantham and District Hospital has with the town and surrounding communities.![]()
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The school children will join in the singing of favourite Christmas Carols as well as perform their own set musical piece at the Carol Service on Thursday 11th December at 7pm, in St Wulfram’s church, Grantham.![]()
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Deputy Head Teacher Olivia Mumford said: “The Carol Service is a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to share the joy of music while showing appreciation for the incredible work done at Grantham and District Hospital. It’s a privilege to support such an important event in our town."![]()
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The Carol Service has been organised by United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity, who work closely with staff at Grantham and District Hospital and provides those extras for staff and patients that NHS budgets are unable to fund. ![]()
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Further details on the Grantham NHS Carol Service can be found by visiting www.ulhcharity.org.uk/news/christmas-carols-at-grantham-st-wulfram-church-in-thanks-for-towns-sup...