Archaeologists working on the HS2 high-speed rail project have discovered an 800-year-old pendant featuring three golden lions.
A priceless treasure dating back to the 12th century was found in Wormleyton, a village in Warwickshire about 50 miles southeast of Birmingham.
It features the iconic three golden lions on a red field, reflecting the distinctive coat of arms of English football, and would likely have adorned horse harness.
Archaeologists suspect it was brand new when it was lost and may have come loose from the suspension during use.
As the English Lionesses prepare for a historic football final, HS2 Ltd has published an image of a pendant discovered during an archaeological dig.
The famous three lions crest that adorns the England kit has almost 1,000 years of history.
The use of lions as a symbol of England dates back to the first Norman king, William the Conqueror, who ruled from 1066 to 1087.
William the Conqueror used two lions on a red background as his coat of arms and brought this symbol to the English throne.
Henry II, King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, added a third lion after his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, which took place in 1152.
This type of pendant depicts the coat of arms of England from the reign of Henry’s son Richard I (1189-1199) until the founding of the Lancastrian dynasty in 1399, so it probably dates back to the 12th century.
According to HS2 Ltd, the publicly funded organization responsible for supplying the future HS2 range, the location where the pendant was found could be an Iron Age settlement or a Romano-British settlement.
HS2 Ltd announced the opening ahead of the Women’s European Championship final against Germany at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
“The HS2 Archaeological Program has given us an unparalleled opportunity to discover, excavate and study British history,” said a spokeswoman for HS2 Ltd.
“The whole country has supported the England women’s team and we hope this great find will inspire the lionesses to create their own piece of history on Sunday.”
The pendant is in the form of a shield – more precisely, a “heating” shield with a flat top and steep sloping sides.
It measures less than 2 cm (0.7 in) wide and over 4 cm (1.5 in) high from top to bottom, including mounting loop.
William the Conqueror (pictured here), who ruled England from 1066 until his death in 1087, used two lions on a red background as his coat of arms and brought the symbol to the English throne.
It is made of a copper alloy, most likely brass, gilded with fine gold paint.
The three lions are engraved on a red background made of opaque crimson enamel, perhaps originally intended to represent the blood of the battlefield, and the reverse is plain and unadorned.
The pendant measures less than 2 cm (0.7 in) wide and over 4 cm (1.5 in) from top to bottom, including a hanging loop.
Weathering of the red enamel and part of the gilding is visible, possibly where the pendant rubbed against the harness during use.
HS2 Ltd stated that the condition of the item is “quite remarkable” and that it is very rare to see a horse harness pendant in “such a fine state of preservation”.
The upcoming HS2 line is intended to provide a high-speed rail link linking London and northern England, but there will be archaeological work along the route before HS2 workers can build bridges, tunnels, tracks and stations.
This ensures that the concrete is not filled with secrets from the British past, although this is controversial due to the destruction of historic buildings and natural landmarks.
Last month, HS2 Ltd. detailed multiple findings in an Anglo-Saxon cemetery near the market town of Wendover, Buckinghamshire.
These include a skeleton with a spear in its back, as well as beads, brooches, buckles, knives, and spearheads.
