A LONG lost gold ring belonging to a Victorian geologist which was found on an African beach has now been returned to Scotland.
The nineteenth century heirloom was found by local metal detectorist Cornell Swart on a beach in South Africa in 2022.
The mourning ring was engraved with the name, birth date and death date of Hugh Miller[/caption]
It is delicately engraved with ‘Hugh Miller Born Oct 10th 1802, Died Dec 24th 1856’[/caption]
It was later revealed that the mourning ring was engraved with the name, birth date and death date of Hugh Miller.
Miller was a Victorian era Scottish geologist, writer and social justice campaigner.
The gold ring is believed to have belonged to his daughter Harriet who travelled to Australia after her dad’s death in 1856.
It has now been donated to Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage and Museum in Cromarty, in the Highlands, where it will be on display for the very first time.
However, it still remains a mystery to how the ring ended up on a beach in Cape Town.
Mourning jewellery was common in Miller’s time, and the 18-carat gold ring is delicately engraved with ‘Hugh Miller Born Oct 10th 1802, Died Dec 24th 1856’.
Visitor Services Manager at Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage and Museum, Debbie Reid said: “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase the ring to the public.
“It has an incredible story behind it which deserves to be shared and the fact that it has remained hidden all this time is remarkable.
“There is some mystery as to how the ring ended up in South Africa.
“Photographs of Hugh Miller’s children show his daughter, Harriet, wearing a ring which is very similar to the one found.
“We know from old records that Harriet travelled to Australia in 1870, and her children returned to the UK in 1884.
“Many routes to Australia would have stopped in Southern Africa during this time, so it is possible the ring was lost on one of these journeys, but we will never know for certain.”
The ring will be housed next to a mourning brooch already in the collection and the story of its discovery is hoped to attract many visitors to the site.
The ring was found on a beach in South Africa in 2022[/caption]
