A medieval gold ring unearthed in the grounds of a hall has been pronounced an official treasure.

The intricate piece of medieval jewellery - inscribed with the names of the three Magi, the wise men who brought gifts to baby Jesus - was found by Linda Day, of Priory Cottage, Kirklees Hall, Clifton.

She was walking in the grounds of the hall in March 2002 with husband Ian when she came across the ring in some foliage.

She first thought it was a piece of copper pipe encrusted with earth, put it in her coat pocket and forgot about it for six months until she put the coat on again.

The area's Coroner, Roger Whittaker, held a rare Treasure Trove inquest at Halifax Coroner's Court yesterday to decide if the item was treasure.

"This is an unusual experience," he said. "This court deals, almost all the time, with matters which are other people's grief. It's therefore a joy to have a little bit of light relief looking at something which is exquisite and which will, I believe, reveal we have a treasure within our area."

He described the ring, which is just under one inch in diameter, as a "beautiful object" and said it was of huge historical interest locally.

Mrs Day, a retired psychiatric nurse, told Mr Whittaker that Kirklees Hall dated back to the 1500s and was set in 18 acres of land to which she and her husband had access, being owners of one of the properties on the land.

"My husband decided we'd walk up through the woods and it was quite hilly, so I'd got my eyes on the ground. I was looking closely at the ground and I saw something glinting and picked it up," she said. She took the ring to the Tolson Museum, in Huddersfield, where experts contacted the British Museum.

Mr Whittaker said a report from James Robinson, the curator of medieval collections at the British Museum, said the names of the Magi inscribed on the ring were believed to have curative powers in the Middle Ages and were considered especially effective in cases of epilepsy.

Mr Whittaker concluded that the ring did qualify as treasure under the Treasure Act 1996 because of its age and precious metal content.

Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Day said: "I think it may possibly have been a man's thumb ring. I don't think the Kirklees estate dates back to when the ring was worn. When I realised what it was, I was quite excited about it."

The ring is now in the possession of the British Museum until its future is decided. It may end up on display at the Tolson Museum.