A LONG-LOST Scottish mourning ring discovered in South Africa is set to go on display for the first time.
The ring, engraved with the name, birth date and death date of Scottish geologist, writer and social justice campaigner Hugh Miller dates back to the Victorian era and was found on a beach in 2022.
Now, the ring is set to go on display at Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage & Museum in Cromarty, Highlands for the first time this month.
The ring was found by local metal detectorist, Cornell Swart, on a beach in Gordon’s Bay, South Africa.
Mourning jewellery was common in Miller’s time, and this ring, made of 18 carat gold, features the inscription “In Memory Of”, which would likely have been filled with black niello.
On the inside it is engraved with “Hugh Miller Born Octr 10th 1802, Died Decr 24th 1856”.
After the ring was found, it was very generously donated through the Friends of Hugh Miller Group to Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage & Museum in Cromarty, where it will now be on display for the very first time.
It 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.
Alongside the mourning ring, Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage & Museum is also hosting a pop-up exhibition in collaboration with Carrick Artists Collective, from 21 March to 4 May.
Carrick is a place Hugh Miller once explored, and the exhibition aims to highlight the beauty of Carrick and the link between these two places.
Donations and events like this help support the National Trust for Scotland’s vision to care for, share and protect Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage, as outlined in its strategy launched in 2022, and contributes to its engagement objectives to provide access and enjoyment for everyone.
Visitor services manager at Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage & 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.”
