A rare piece of Fife’s history is part of a treasure trove on show at Kirkcaldy Galleries.
Running until February 14, Treasures Found displays archaeology from the east of Scotland.
It brings together recently discovered archaeological pieces from five local authority areas the Scottish Borders, City of Edinburgh, West Lothian, Fife and East Lothian under the East of Scotland Museums Partnership alongside treasures from Fife Cultural Trust’s own collection.
The partnership’s display is made up of artefacts obtained from the Treasure Trove system.
This is the process under Scottish law which allows ownerless objects found by chance, by metal detecting, walking across fields or carrying out archaeological excavations, become property of the Crown and can be claimed as Treasure Trove.
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From a Bronze Age spearhead to Roman coins and a medieval pilgrim badge, the fantastic finds in the touring exhibition, supported by the Art Fund and the Headley Trust, reveal aspects of the archaeological history of the area.
New finds from Fife include a silver coin hoard from Ballingry and a 16th Century gold skeleton ring. Coins on display for the first time include those from the 16th Century, of the time of Henry VIII and James V.
There is also an Alexander III penny from the 14th Century which was found near Ballingry.
The skeleton ring was found in 2013 near Culross and curator Jane Freel said: “This was probably just dropped in a field.”
Bearing an inscription to remind everyone to “remember death”, Jane added: “It is a reminder we should live a good life, with the idea then we would have a good afterlife.”
“It is gold, so it is a high-value item, and was high fashion.”
However, it is the seal matrix of Bishop William de Lamberton, a hugely significant figure in Scotland’s history, which is the jewel in the crown.
He was Bishop of St Andrews from 1292 until his death in 1328 and supported both William Wallace and Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
It has been purchased by the galleries thanks to a substantial donation by the Friends of Kirkcaldy Galleries, as well as funding from the Art Fund and Beecroft Bequest.
Curator Ross Irving added: “Items like this do not come along very often. So it is quite a significant find.”
The seal matrix had different uses.
Mr Irving added: “We have seen larger seals used by Bishop Lamberton but this is smaller and was probably for clerical use.”