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Rare ‘Tudor Heart’ pendant from the early 16th Century saved for the UK
British Museum secures historic treasure that laid in the ground for centuries. The gold pendant is decorated with the initials of King Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon.
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With our support and a public appeal for donations, the British Museum has acquired this unique jewel known as the ‘Tudor Heart’, which dates to about 1518. It is unlike any other object held by the museum or elsewhere in the UK.
While there is no evidence it belonged to the royal family, it is one of only a few surviving objects that commemorate King Henry's life with the devoutly Catholic Katherine. His desire to end their marriage led to the English Reformation in the 1530s.
Research suggests the jewel may have been created to mark the engagement of the couple’s two-year-old daughter Princess Mary to the eight-month-old French heir-apparent. That marriage never happened, but Mary would go on to become the first queen to rule England in her own right in 1553.
Our £1,750,000 grant has helped ensure the Tudor Heart was not sold into private ownership and will now go on public display for the people of the UK to enjoy.
Unearthing history
This rare piece of 24-carat gold and enamel jewellery was found by a metal detectorist in Warwickshire in December 2019. It is remarkable that it survived unchanged. Historical jewellery was often melted down and repurposed to something more fashionable. It’s the earliest surviving example of goldsmithing from Tudor England, aside from religious pieces.
The jewel is decorated with a white and red Tudor rose entwined with a pomegranate bush. The pomegranate was the personal emblem of Queen Katherine, representing fertility and her Spanish homeland. The back is decorated with the initials 'H' and 'K' united by a cord. Their union was the longest of Henry's six marriages, lasting 24 years and shaping the first three decades of his reign.
The Tudor Heart will remain on display at the British Museum in Room 2: Collecting the world until late summer 2026.
Preserved for us all
Dr Nicholas Cullinan OBE, Director of the British Museum, said: “I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our campaign and to the National Heritage Memorial Fund for so generously awarding £1.75million. I am looking forward to saying more soon on our plans for it to tour the UK in the future.”
Dr Simon Thurley CBE, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “The Tudor Heart is an extraordinary insight into the culture of Henry VIII’s court, and I am delighted that Memorial Fund support will enable it to go on public display, where people can enjoy it and learn what it tells us about this fascinating period in our history.”
The Memorial Fund exists to save the UK's most outstanding heritage and make it publicly accessible, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. Since 1980 we have supported nearly 1,500 acquisitions and the Tudor Heart is now part of the growing and timeless collection of UK heritage that belongs to all of us forever.