Middleham Pendant

Acquisition at export stop of a medieval gold pendant found near Middleham Castle in 1985 by someone using a metal detector. It is a lozenge-shaped container which was suspended by a loop at the top from a chain probably worn around the neck. On the front is a large sapphire, a Latin inscription and an engraving of the Trinity. On the reverse there is a scene of the Nativity and beneath this, the Lamb of God. 64mm high and 48mm wide. Bought by a private collector in 1990, it was subject to a temporary export stop.