British Museum Buys Tudor Pendant Found With Metal Detector

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In 2019, amateur metal detectorist and café owner Charlie Clarke was searching for treasure in a field in Warwickshire, England. He ultimately unearthed what he calls his “once in a lifetime—no, one in 30 lifetimes” find: a heart-shaped pendant celebrating the royal marriage between Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Now, seven years after Clarke’s discovery, the British Museum has successfully raised the money needed to purchase the 16th-century artifact, ensuring it will be displayed for decades to come.

Dubbed the Tudor Heart, the 24-carat gold pendant features an enameled clasp shaped like a hand, a 75-link chain, and several symbols indicative of its royal origins, including a red and white Tudor rose, a pomegranate bush, and the initials “H” and “K.” Unfurling across the pendant’s golden face is also a banner, engraved with the old French word for “always.”

“The Tudor Heart has the word ‘tousiors’ on it,” Dr. Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum, told the Times. “That phrase is poignant as the heart will now always be in a public collection, saved for generations to come and made possible by extraordinary support.”

But the artifact isn’t only relevant in its craftsmanship or unexpectedly affectionate message. It also offers a critical glimpse into the early years of Henry VIII’s rule, especially during his marriage with Catherine. In fact, the Tudor Heart is the only surviving piece of jewelry linked to the couple’s nearly 24-year-old union, which stood as the longest of the king’s six marriages. According to Rachel King, curator of Renaissance Europe at the British Museum, the pendant marked one of Britain’s most significant discoveries from the Renaissance period in more than 25 years.

“Thanks to Charlie’s find, we can actually hold this history in our hands for the very first time,” King remarked last year.

Following his find, Clarke reported the Tudor Heart under the Treasure Act 1996, which grants English museums and galleries the opportunity to purchase and subsequently display important historical objects before they head to public auction. It didn’t take long for the British Museum to throw its hat in the ring, setting a fundraising goal of £3.5 million (about $4.8 million) in an effort to acquire the pendant for its permanent collection. The total sum will be split between Clarke and the owner of the land on which the artifact was found.

Once it launched its fundraiser in October 2025, the British Museum received £1.75 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, £500,000 from the Julia Rausing Trust, £400,000 from the Art Fund, £300,000 from the American Friends of the British Museum, and funds from about 45,000 people. By Valentine’s Day of this year, the museum had reached its £3.5 million target.

“The fact that 45,000 members of the public have got behind this and donated money to keep it in the country on public display shows the enthusiasm for this object—it really is unique,” Cullinan said during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today program. “I think this is such an important part of our history. Very little survives around the marriage of Katherine of Aragon to Henry VIII. I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our campaign.”

The British Museum hopes to officially feature the pendant in its collection later this year.