Cramp rings
The Good Friday rings
- Known today as
- Rings blessed by the kings of England on Good Friday, made from gold and silver offered at the cross.
- Kind
- Sacramental
Cramp rings: what was it used for?
Given away and worn against cramp and epilepsy, the “falling sickness.”
Cramp rings: what does modern science say?
A few survive in collections.
What Medicine Makes of It
- The Falling SicknessEpilepsy, the demon that throws the child into the fire.
- The King's EvilThe royal touch for scrofula, and a disease that heals itself.
Cramp rings: what lore surrounds it?
The custom is recorded from the fourteenth century and ended with Mary I; the rings were a companion of the royal touch for scrofula, the king’s evil.
In Their Own Words
The 1911 Britannica says cramp rings were much worn in the Middle Ages as a preservative against cramp, and drew their virtue from being blessed by the king with a special form of service.
“Cramp rings were much worn during the Middle Ages as a preservative against cramp. They derived their virtue from being blessed by the king; a special form of service was used for this”
John Henry Middleton and Arthur Hamilton Smith, Encyclopædia Britannica, eleventh edition: Ring, “Ring”, vol. 23. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, as transcribed on Wikisource. The text, read in part
Each passage is quoted from the text named, which the press fetched and read, and was checked word for word against a fresh copy of it; the link opens that copy. Passages are given as printed, without the editors’ footnote numbers, and with words broken across lines joined.
Sources
- [21] Herbermann, C. G., et al. (eds.) (1907–1912). The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Online at newadvent.org. Articles: Agnus Dei (H. Thurston); Amulet (M. Hassett); Ash Wednesday (H. Thurston); Bells (H. Thurston); Holy Oils (H. Leclercq); Paschal Candle (H. Thurston); Scapular (J. Hilgers). Read in part · the text read
- Bloch, M. (1924). Les rois thaumaturges. Strasbourg; in English as The Royal Touch (1973). Verified against its record · doi:10.1086/358344
- Thomas, K. (1971). Religion and the Decline of Magic. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Verified against its record · doi:10.5040/9798881825980.ch-020
Verification
- Checked
- October 1, 2026
- Passes
- Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
- Sources
- 3 cited: 1 read in part, 2 verified against its record.
- Corrections
- None were needed.
What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.
Cite This Entry
Version 1 · first published September 28, 2026
- Chicago
“Cramp rings.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified September 28, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/cramp-rings.
- MLA
“Cramp rings.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 28 Sept. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/cramp-rings. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
- APA
Cramp rings. (2026, September 28). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/cramp-rings
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See Also
Drawing on the same sources: Bloch, Thomas
Nearby in the alphabet
Crow’s gall (The bile of a crow) · Crabs’ eyes (Chalky stones from the stomachs of crayfish) · Crucifix (The image of Christ on the Cross) · Cowslip (Primula veris) · Cubeb (a Javanese pepper whose berries keep a little stalk, like a tail) · Cornicello · Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) · Corn smut
Historical description, not medical advice.