Ring
ca. 1577 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Serjeants at Law were the highest rank of English lawyers, from which judges were drawn. They were recognisable by their multi- coloured robes and white coif or cap, from which their common name, Order of the Coif is taken.
The serjeants were an exclusive group who held a monopoly on the Court of Common Pleas but also worked at the King's Bench. A small group of new serjeants would be created every few years. Each group of serjeants called was required to give gold rings, engraved with suitable loyal or legal mottoes to the sovereign, Lord Privy Seal and other dignitaries. In 1552, the diarist Henry Machyn described how ‘was made vii serjants of the coyffe, who gayf to the judges and the old serjants and men of the law, rynges of gold’. The new sergeants would also have to fund a celebratory feast. Although the rings and feast constituted a sizeable expense, the new serjeants could expect such a lucrative career after their advancement that the expense was justifiable.
The order of serjeants gradually declined in the 19th century and was eventually abolished by the Judicature Act of 1875 which allowed judges to be recruited from outside the ranks of serjeants.
The motto on this ring is 'LEX.REGIS.PRAESIDIUM' ('Law is the King's protection'), used in the general call of 1577.
The serjeants were an exclusive group who held a monopoly on the Court of Common Pleas but also worked at the King's Bench. A small group of new serjeants would be created every few years. Each group of serjeants called was required to give gold rings, engraved with suitable loyal or legal mottoes to the sovereign, Lord Privy Seal and other dignitaries. In 1552, the diarist Henry Machyn described how ‘was made vii serjants of the coyffe, who gayf to the judges and the old serjants and men of the law, rynges of gold’. The new sergeants would also have to fund a celebratory feast. Although the rings and feast constituted a sizeable expense, the new serjeants could expect such a lucrative career after their advancement that the expense was justifiable.
The order of serjeants gradually declined in the 19th century and was eventually abolished by the Judicature Act of 1875 which allowed judges to be recruited from outside the ranks of serjeants.
The motto on this ring is 'LEX.REGIS.PRAESIDIUM' ('Law is the King's protection'), used in the general call of 1577.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Engraved gold |
| Brief description | Serjeant-at-Law's gold ring inscribed on the outside 'LEX.REGIS.PRAESIDIUM' (Law is the King's protection); General call of 1577, possibly by Richard Pindar, England, about1577. |
| Physical description | Serjeant-at-Law's gold ring inscribed on the outside 'LEX.REGIS.PRAESIDIUM', general call of 1577. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | inscribed 'LEX.REGIS.PRAESIDIUM' (General call of 1577)
|
| Credit line | Given by Dame Joan Evans |
| Object history | This motto was used at the call of 1577 when Edward Fenner became a Serjeant. The goldsmith Richard Pindar is known to have made some of the serjeants rings during this period but candidates might also commission another goldsmith to make rings as private gifts. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Serjeants at Law were the highest rank of English lawyers, from which judges were drawn. They were recognisable by their multi- coloured robes and white coif or cap, from which their common name, Order of the Coif is taken. The serjeants were an exclusive group who held a monopoly on the Court of Common Pleas but also worked at the King's Bench. A small group of new serjeants would be created every few years. Each group of serjeants called was required to give gold rings, engraved with suitable loyal or legal mottoes to the sovereign, Lord Privy Seal and other dignitaries. In 1552, the diarist Henry Machyn described how ‘was made vii serjants of the coyffe, who gayf to the judges and the old serjants and men of the law, rynges of gold’. The new sergeants would also have to fund a celebratory feast. Although the rings and feast constituted a sizeable expense, the new serjeants could expect such a lucrative career after their advancement that the expense was justifiable. The order of serjeants gradually declined in the 19th century and was eventually abolished by the Judicature Act of 1875 which allowed judges to be recruited from outside the ranks of serjeants. The motto on this ring is 'LEX.REGIS.PRAESIDIUM' ('Law is the King's protection'), used in the general call of 1577. |
| Bibliographic reference | Somers-Cock, Anna, Princely Magnificence: court jewels of the Renaissance, 1500-1630, V&A, 1980, pp.62-3, cat. 47
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.53-1960 |
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| Record created | November 8, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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