{"id":616686,"date":"2026-06-02T08:16:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T08:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/616686\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T08:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T08:16:08","slug":"somerset-detectorist-strikes-gold-with-spectacular-roman-ring-find-roman-britain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/616686\/","title":{"rendered":"Somerset detectorist strikes gold with \u2018spectacular\u2019 Roman ring find | Roman Britain"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Kevin Minto, a lorry driver, former soldier and keen metal detectorist, came upon something glinting in a Somerset<\/a> field, he thought at first it was a coin \u2013 potentially quite interesting, probably not amazing.<\/p>\n

But the object turned out to be extraordinary: a gold Roman ring, unusually large and exquisitely crafted, set with a finely engraved gemstone depicting the goddess Victoria driving a two-horse chariot.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to explain what if feels like when you find something like that,\u201d Minto said. \u201cIt was like being hit by an express train. At first I thought it was a coin, then a brooch, and then realised it was a ring. You\u2019re a little dumbfounded, really. One of the boys I was with was screaming: \u2018We\u2019re rich, we\u2019re rich.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday the South West Heritage Trust<\/a> announced it had acquired the ring, along with a hoard of 297 Roman coins also found at the site near Ilminster, for \u00a378,000, meaning they will remain in Somerset.<\/p>\n

Minto took up detecting as a way to keep fit. Photograph: Kevin Minto<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m chuffed it\u2019s staying,\u201d said Minto, 68, who settled in Wiltshire after leaving the army and took up detecting as a way of keeping fit. \u201cThat seems right to me, somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the landowner got half of the money. Minto split his half with a metal detecting friend he worked with on the find. He was able to pay his mortgage off and has cut down his lorry driving to four days a week. He may go to three next year.<\/p>\n

Minto first found Roman coins at the site<\/a> in 2017. He kept returning and finding more coins scattered over a wide area, probably by ploughs. \u201cThe coins were all over the place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On another occasion he found a lead-lined coffin. Then in 2018, the ring was discovered. \u201cThe money was only paid out a couple of months ago, so it\u2019s taken a long time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

There was a complication, too, because the ring was found on the day of a military veterans\u2019 detecting rally \u2013 and there was a dispute about who was entitled to the proceeds. \u201cI\u2019m glad it\u2019s all finished now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dating to around AD297, the ring weighs 48 grams. South West Heritage<\/a> Trust, a charity committed to protecting and celebrating Somerset and Devon\u2019s heritage, said it was rare in scale and artistry, and described it as an \u201cunparalleled discovery for Britain\u201d.<\/p>\n

Amal Khreisheh, senior curator at the trust, said: \u201cThe Ilminster ring is both large and heavy, with elaborate gold work and a beautifully executed intaglio<\/a> [a technique in which a design is engraved into the surface of a gemstone]. While other examples are known, these elements combine to create a spectacular ring that is only paralleled by continental discoveries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khreisheh said the ring might have been worn by its owner on important occasions, or could have had a ceremonial function. She said there was a contrast between the simple elegance of the gemstone design and the \u201cextravagant\u201d amount of gold used.<\/p>\n

\u2018Things like this don\u2019t come along very often,\u2019 said Amal Khreisheh. Photograph: South West Heritage Trust<\/p>\n

The gold has not needed cleaning, and flecks of red soil can still be seen in the gemstone. More analysis of the ring may be carried out to try to find out if it was made in Britain or elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Khreisheh said the find helped shed light on how south Somerset\u2019s Roman inhabitants navigated a period of unrest from 286-296. \u201cIt is likely the ring was buried shortly after, in 297, as part of a hoard including coins, lead and pottery objects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khreisheh said there had been a number of wealthy Romans in the Ilminster area at the time, and also important trade routes. \u201cPerhaps the ring belonged to a governor, merchant or big landowner.\u201d More work may be carried out to try to establish if the coffin is linked to the ring.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually archaeologists handle broken things \u2013 such as pieces of pottery or animal bones. Things like this don\u2019t come along very often,\u201d Khreisheh said.<\/p>\n

The ring is now off on its travels. It is being taken on a tour of primary schools this month, and an \u201cIlminster ring discovery day\u201d will take place at the town\u2019s art centre in August. It will be given a permanent home at the Museum of Somerset in Taunton.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Minto continues to return to the field, hoping other treasures may lurk there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Kevin Minto, a lorry driver, former soldier and keen metal detectorist, came upon something glinting in a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":616687,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-616686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/616687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}