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This is an elaborate and rare form of 9th or 10th century Viking gold ring. It was found during the excavation of a drainage ditch in Sedbergh. It is a double-banded hoop made from a gold strip, the ends of which are drawn into wires at the back of the hoop and then wound tightly round. It is decorated with incised grooves, triangles and lozenge shapes.
It is difficult to be certain of the status and gender of the person who might have worn the ring, as it wasn't found near any other archaeological material. However the fact it is gold suggests the owner might have been someone of high status, possibly noble. The ring may even have been a royal gift since, according to the histories and sagas of the time, kings gave gold rings to their warriors and court poets as rewards for service. Gold rings were regarded as the sign of a Viking king's man. They were not given exclusively to men, but the size of this ring suggests it may have once belonged to a man.
There are various Anglo-Scandinavian sites in the Yorkshire Dales. One farmstead excavated at Ribblehead near Ingleborough, consists of the remains of three buildings clustered together on what is now almost bare limestone pavement.