An 800-year-old pendant with three golden lions has been unearthed by archaeologists working on the HS2 high-speed rail project.
Dating back to the 12th century, the precious treasure was found in Wormleighton, a Warwickshire village about 50 miles south-east of Birmingham.
It depicts the iconic three golden lions on a red field, a reflection of the signature English football crest, and would likely have adorned a horse harness.
Archaeologists suspect that it was quite new when it was lost and that it came loose from its suspension during use.
As the Lionesses of England prepare for a historic football final, HS2 Ltd has released an image of a pendant uncovered as part of its archaeological digs
The famous emblem of the three lions that adorns the equipment of the English national teams has origins dating back almost 1000 years
The use of lions as a symbol of England dates back to the first Norman king, William the Conqueror, who reigned from 1066 to 1087.
William the Conqueror used two lions on a red background as his coat of arms and brought the 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 armor pendant shows the coat of arms of England from the reign of Henry’s son Richard I (1189-1199) to the establishment of the Lancastrian dynasty in 1399, so it probably dates as far back as the 12th century.
According to HS2 Ltd, the state-funded body responsible for supplying the forthcoming HS2 line, the site where the pendant was found would have been an Iron Age or Romano-British settlement.
The discovery was announced by HS2 Ltd ahead of the Women’s European Championship final against Germany on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
“HS2’s archeology program has given us an unprecedented opportunity to discover, excavate and study British history,” said a spokeswoman for HS2 Ltd.
“The whole country is behind the England women’s team and we hope this great find will inspire the Lionesses to write their own piece of history on Sunday.”
The pendant is a shield-shaped design – a ‘heating shield’ to be exact with a flat top with sides that slope steeply to a point.
It measures less than 2 cm (0.7 in) wide and over 4 cm (1.5 in) high, top to bottom, including the fastening 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, which was gilded – thinly coated with gold paint.
The three lions are etched on a red background, made of an opaque deep red enamel, possibly originally intended to symbolize the blood of a battlefield, while the reverse side is simple and undecorated.
The pendant is less than 2 cm (0.7 in) wide and more than 4 cm (1.5 in) from top to bottom, including the attachment loop.
Weathering of the red enamel and some of the gilding is visible, possibly where the pendant rubbed against the horse harness during use.
HS2 Ltd said the condition of this property is ‘quite remarkable’ and it is very rare to see a horse harness hanger in ‘such a beautiful state of preservation’.
The oncoming line of HS2 is intended to provide a high-speed train service linking London and northern England, but before HS2 workers build bridges, tunnels, tracks and stations, archaeological work is taking place along the route.
This ensures that concrete is not dumped over the secrets of Britain’s past, although it has been controversial for tearing up historic buildings and nature reserves.
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 the back, as well as beads, brooches, buckles, knives and spearheads.