English historian and author Carol Ann Lloyd illuminates the Cheapside Hoard—an extraordinary trove of 500 pieces of rare Elizabethan and Stuart jewelry found buried beneath one of London's busiest streets, where it had lain for 300 years.‍

‍

In the middle of the English Civil War, a London jeweler took advantage of one night’s darkness to secretly bury a wooden casket below his shop on Cheapside street. This box contained all his riches—hastily concealed during his escape from possible fighting. However, the owner never returned, and this treasure was forgotten until 1912, when a work crew began to dig under the basement of a torn down building on one of London’s busiest streets.

‍

Suddenly, glittering rings, brooches, watches, and rare enameled chains—featuring emeralds, diamonds and pearls—were unearthed in a discovery that sounds more like fiction than reality. More than 500 pieces of rare Elizabethan and Stuart jewelry were revealed—rare surviving examples only previously known from portraiture. Through pieces from the Cheapside Hoard, Lloyd illustrates how 16th-and-17th-century royals and nobility used jewelry and adornment to establish and communicate power, how these objects were worn — and how the gems demonstrate the impact of luxury items and global exploration in early modern England. Join us as we have a unique opportunity to look at a collection that has only been displayed twice: in 1914 and at the Museum of London in 2013.‍

‍

Carol Ann Lloyd is a popular speaker who shares the stories of Shakespeare and English history. She is the former Manager of Visitor Education at Folger Shakespeare Library. Her podcast, British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics, explores the lives of famous and infamous historical characters. Her latest book is Courting the Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I and Her Suitors. Carol Ann has presented programs at the Smithsonian, Folger Shakespeare Library, Agecroft Hall, and TEDx, among other venues.

‍

Presented by The Royal Oak Foundation.