It is an object small in size but immense in its symbolic significance which will ultimately remain in Great Britain: the “Tudor Heart”, a rare testimony to the personal lives of Henry VIII (1491-1547) and his first wife Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536). Discovered in 2019 in Warwickshire (England), the 24-carat gold pendant represents the Tudor rose and the pomegranate (emblem of Catherine of Aragon) accompanied by the motto “tout iors” (“always”). In the center, the intertwined initials H and K (Henry VIII and Katherine) are encircled with a gold thread. The pendant embodies the symbol of an illustrious union, broken in 1533 when the king repudiated Catherine to marry Anne Boleyn.
The discovery was made by a café owner in Birmingham, who was walking near a dried-up pond when he came across the object. A stroke of luck all the more notable since he had only been using a metal detector for six months. As required by law in the UK, the man reported his find to the relevant authorities. The British Museum provides expertise and conservation treatment.
Faced with the risk of seeing this gem go into a private collection or abroad, the British Museum launched a fundraising campaign in October 2025 to acquire it and keep it in the public domain. The appeal received significant support with more than 45,000 individual donors contributing around £380,000 (€430,000), or more than 10% of the £3.5 million required (€4 million).
Major grants and donations completed the sum, including £500,000 (€570,000) from the Julia Rausing Trust, £400,000 (€460,000) from the Art Fund and £300,000 (€340,000) from the American Friends of the British Museum. The National Heritage Memorial Fund contributed £1.75 million (€2 million).
Now part of the national collection, the Tudor pendant is on display in Room 2 of the British Museum. The museum plans to take it around the UK as part of a touring exhibition. An exhibition is notably planned near the place where the pendant was found.
Many important objects, however, escape public collections. In 2022, a very rare antique ring discovered in Knaresborough ended up at auction with a private collector, due to lack of means to purchase it within the allotted time. According to official data, only 24 to 26% of the treasures declared in recent years have been acquired by museums.
