A GOLD wedding ring thought to date from the Tudor period has been found by a metal detecting enthusiast.

Brierfield man John Bradbury made the discovery of the woman’s medieval wedding band, complete with inscription, on Sunday when he travelled to Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire with a group of friends.

Mr Bradbury has been metal detecting for 21 years and said he believes the ring would be worth between £6,000 and £10,000.

Mr Bradbury, who runs his own company called Digital Memories, said: “There is a real excitement when you uncover something like this.

“There is excitement to think that 500 years ago a Tudor lady was wearing this ring and her husband had it engraved personally.

“When you hold something like this in your hand it brings the history alive, all that time ago people were just going about their lives as we are now.

“They obviously had some status and I can only think that the lady has tripped and lost her ring at that point.”

The inscription on the ring is unreadable.

The find will now be reported to a local coroner and can be declared treasure and purchased by the British Museum, or returned to Mr Bradbury to be sold at auction, with 50 per cent going to the finder and 50 per cent to the landowner.

He said that he thinks it is unlikely the British Museum will purchase the ring.

That is because it is not particularly rare, in which case it will be sold at auction