A heart shaped pendant celebrating the relationship between Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, is at the centre of a fundraising campaign to keep it on show to the public.
The gold heart, engraved with their initials, is currently on show at the British Museum in London. It’s launched a major push to bring in £3.5 million to buy the gem to preserve it for the nation.
The jewel is over 500 years old. The golden heart was designed to be worn as a pendant.
It bears the initials ‘H’ and ‘K’ on one side and a Tudor rose entwined with pomegranates, the symbol used by Katherine of Aragon, on the other side. Beneath the rose and pomegranate is the word ‘tousiors’ which is Old French for ‘always’.
It’s believed the heart was made in 1518, just nine years into the couple’s marriage. It could have been created to mark a tournament held in October that year to celebrate the betrothal of the couple’s daughter, two year old Mary, to the Dauphin of France.
Henry and Katherine were married for 24 years, the longest by far of his six unions. They had wed almost as soon as Henry became king with the young monarch apparently head over heels in love with his new bride. They were very close for much of their marriage and Henry appointed Katherine as regent for him but he then fell for Anne Boleyn and asked for an annulment which Katherine refused, leading to one of the most famous marital fallouts in history.
The pendant was found by a metal detectorist in a field in Warwickshire in 2019 and was reported under the Treasure Act of 1996. That means that the British Museum has a chance to buy it to keep it on public show but it needs financial support to meet the asking price.
The museum now needs to raise £3.5 million by April 2026.
It’s already received £500,000 from the Julia Rausing Trust which is one of the largest charitable trusts in the country and which supports a wide range of causes including health, welfare and the arts.
The Museum has now launched a public appeal to help raise the rest of the money.
The Director of the British Museum, Sir Nicholas Cullinan OBE, said ”’The Tudor Heart is perhaps one of the most incredible pieces of English history to have ever been unearthed. Support will ensure that this unique and beautiful treasure is secured for the nation, so that it can be enjoyed by and inspire generations to come.”
The museum has also enlisted the support of actor Damian Lewis, who played Henry VIII in the TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s novel, Wolf Hall, to the cause. He said ”the Tudor Heart is a beautiful piece of our history, shedding a light onto the court of Henry not previously seen. Your support will help the British Museum save this piece for the nation and ensures our history remains on view for generations to come, not hidden away in a private collection.’
If the museum doesn’t reach the target, the pendant will go on the open market and could end up in a private collection.
You can find out more about the Tudor Heart and the campaign to keep it at the British Museum here.
