Lead-glazed earthenware tile fragment covered with a white slip, carved and incised with apocryphal scenes from the childhood of Christ. English or French, made about 1330.

Lead-glazed red earthenware tile fragment with decoration cut away from the background and incised through a coat of white slip; the whole covered with a yellowish clear glaze. The left hand top corner of a rectangular tile, showing the heads of two bearded men, one holding a thick rod or scroll and the head and shoulders of a boy facing right.

The 'Tring tiles' are said to have come from the parish church in Tring, Hertfordshire.
This tile fragment was purchased from Mr. Vaisey, a long-time resident of Tring. After informing us that he would sell it to the museum, he heard from the Duke of Rutland who begged him for the tile and said would give a considerable amount of money to the church if given it.

The British Museum analysed their tiles in 2007/8 by thermoluminescence dating and the results said that they were made between 500 and 800 years ago.

See C.469-470-1927 and C.119-1930 for further information. Also see attached documents in Register.
Similar tiles are in the British Museum which were acquired from a sale at Sothebys on 3 March 1922 and were described as:
'probably came from the Saxon church of St Peter ad Murum at Bradwell juxta mare, Essex, as they had been for many years in the possession of the Rector of that parish, and were acquired at the sale of his effects'.

The subject matter consists of apocryphal and Gospel scenes from the childhood of Christ. The scene represented on this fragment is the 'Adoration of the Magi'.

C.9-1931