PREVIEW

BY MARK WORGAN

An amateur Somerset metal detectorist has landed a £15,000 windfall after unearthing an early 17th century gold signet ring depicting a red deer stag that likely has a connection to Charles I.

That’s the estimate of what the ring may sell for at an auction of jewellery at Noonans on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 - money he plans to spend on opening a pizza truck.

It was discovered in Emborough, Somerset in October 2020 by metal detectorist Peter Faxholm, who lives six miles away in Wells.

Peter, 48, and a Head of Process for cider firm Brothers Drinks, where they make cider in their own cider mill, has been metal detecting for 21 years.


The lucky detectorist recalls: “I am passionate about history and began metal detecting after fieldwalking with my father looking for Stone Age artefacts from the age of 7. This developed into a love of history, archaeology and ultimately metal detecting - it all stems from a fascination with our past, and what everyday objects can tell us about our ancestors.”

On his latest find, which shows the deer being brought down by hounds, he adds: “It was early in the morning on a beautiful Autumnal day when I made the discovery with my XP Deus. It was my first visit to the field, and I was with a friend of mine who I regularly detect with; I had only been on the field for about 5 minutes when I discovered the ring and felt a mix of emotions - shock, surprise, elation. My hands were trembling as I knew what it was immediately.”

Peter, who has a degree in archaeology, continues to metal detect as a form of relaxation and intends to share the proceeds of the auction with the landowner and intends to invest his portion into his pop-up pizza business PTZA Handmade Pizza by Pete by buying a truck.

He took the ring along to Noonans valuation day in Shaftesbury, where Laura Smith, Jewellery Specialist, noted a royal connection.


“We think that this lovely ring might be associated with a local gentleman called Gabrielle Hippisley, who was Equerry of the Hunt to Charles I,” she said. “The Hippisley (Hippesely) family purchased the manor house at Whitnell in 1496, acquiring the manor at Ston Easton in 1544, the manor at Cameley in 1559, and the manor house at Emborough in 1570, combining all as one estate.”