Farmer reunited with dead wife’s wedding ring 60 years after it slipped from her finger

A FARMER was reunited with his widow's lost wedding ring - 60 years after it slipped from her finger in a field.

Stunned Cecil Hutchinson, 89, was left speechless after the gold band was unearthed against all the odds.

It was dug up by amateur metal detectorists who were searching his land for Roman artefacts.

Thrilled Cecil told how it vanished into the mud soon after he and his late wife, Hilda, 84, were wed in March 1962.

The dad-of-four said: "The ring was a bit slack and it came off as Hilda tended to the cows in the field.

";We searched for it for days but to no avail.

"Hilda was understandably devastated - we'd not been married long.

"I never thought I'd see it ever again so to get it back is absolutely marvellous. If only she was here to see it."

The couple were married for 58 years.

Cecil agreed to let brothers Stephen and Shane Pattison search his land in Thirsk, North Yorks., for coins dating back hundreds of years.

The pair - who dub themselves the Darrowby Diggers online - never imagined they would dig for gold.

Stephen, 47, who runs his own cleaning business, said: "At first I thought it was a gold bottle cap.

"But when I rubbed the mud away I instantly realised it was a ring.

I never thought I'd see it ever again so to get it back is absolutely marvellous. If only she was here to see it.

Cecil Hutchinson

"I got it home and checked the markings. It was 22 carat and the hallmark showed it was made by Steele and Dolphin in 1956.

"I knew it was a woman's wedding ring because fellas didn't wear them back in the day. I wondered if Cecil might be able to shed some light on it.

"We went back to see him and he confirmed it was Hilda's."

Beaming Shane, 53, said: "It was an emotional moment.

"We do this to find buried treasure in a bid to shed a light on local history.

"To find something that has a story behind it and be in a position to return it to its rightful owner made it all that bit more special."