Mystery of Victorian geologist's ring found on African beach
Mourning jewellery was common in Miller's time, and this 18-carat gold ring was engraved with: "Hugh Miller, Born Oct 10th 1802, Died Dec 24th 1856".It was discovered by South African metal detectorist Cornell Swart in June 2022.She told the Friends of Hugh Miller Group she kept searching after finding "some old pennies and buttons"."I got a very faint, deep signal and I dug down in between rocks and pebbles"From the first moment I saw it I knew it was special - when I realised it had historical significance I was over the moon."
For a man who painstakingly gathered and reconstructed fossilized sea creatures to uncover their secrets, it is perhaps fitting that his mourning ring was found buried among the rocks on a beach. From humble beginnings in a thatched cottage in the early 19th Century, Miller went on to become a social justice campaigner and leading voice of the Scottish people.National trust staff at the Hugh Miller museum hope the story of the ring's discovery will attract many visitors to the site to learn about his legacy. Photographs of Miller's children show his daughter, Harriet, wearing a ring very similar to the one found on the beach. Although know one knows how it ended up buried in the sand, there is speculation it could have been sold, stolen or lost overboard from a ship bound for Australia.
Debbie Reid, visitor services manager at the museum, said: "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."Ms Reid said they were "thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase the ring"."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," she said. The ring will be put on display at the National Trust for Scotland museum next to a mourning brooch purchased in Australia in 2007.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
14 hours ago
- Daily Record
The 'worst Scottish foods' named as popular chippy dish tops list
Many takeaway classics are named on the roundup. Scotland's food scene is one of the most underrated in the world. There are countless dishes that originated in the country that are enjoyed all over the globe. Shortbread, cranachan, and black pudding are just a few of Scotland's renowned food offerings. However, not every Scottish dish is held in high regard. Food experts at TasteAtlas have shared a list of the "worst rated Scottish foods". A total of 26 dishes are featured on the website's roundup. Coming in at number one is Scottish deep-fried pizza, which received a rating of 2.7 out of five. The dish, which is a pizza that has been deep fried in hot oil without batter, is a staple in fish and chip shops across Scotland Unlike traditional pizza, which is baked in an oven, it has a crispy and greasy texture. A similar dish, called a 'pizza crunch', sees the pizza battered before being deep-fried. TasteAtlas wrote: "Deep-fried pizza is a Scottish concoction consisting of a pizza that is deep-fried in hot oil (without being dipped in batter) instead of being baked in an oven. It can be found in numerous chip shopsthroughout the country, where it is fried in the same oil where fish and chips are prepared. "This extremely caloric and unhealthy meal is often served with salt, vinegar, or chips in order to improve its flavors." Following behind in second place on TasteAtlas's roundup are Melting Moments, which received a score of 3.2 out of five. The treat is a simple crunchy biscuit that is rolled in oats and finished with a cherry. Described by TasteAtlas as "one of Scotland's teatime staples", Melting Moments are traditionally vanilla-flavoured and made with butter, caster sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, and oatmeal. The biscuits are easy to bake, making them a popular choice amongst parents. The third-worst Scottish food according to TasteAtlas is brose, earning a rating of 3.2 out five. The simple dish is made by soaking oatmeal in boiling water or milk. The dish, which is believed to date back as far as the 16th century, is said to have been popular amongst Scottish soldiers on active service. According to TasteAtlas, it can be made with vegetables such as young nettle tops, spring onions, swede, and kale. Placing fourth on the experts' list is deep-fried Mars Bar, which is among Scotland's most polarising dishes. Like deep-fried pizza, deep-fried Mars Bars are usually available in chippies across the country. A deep-fried Mars Bar is made by battering and deep-frying the chocolate bar. It originated in the 1990s as a novelty, but has become a takeaway staple over the years. Rounding out the top five is Lorne Sausage, which is also known as square sausage or slice sausage. The dish, which is made with ground beef, rusk, and various spices, is technically not a sausage as a casing is not used to hold the meat in place. Other Scottish dishes named among the worst by TasteAtlas include Scottish oatcakes, Bannocks—a type of griddle-baked unleavened flatbread—and the traditional fruit-based Dundee Cake. Completing the top 10 are Forfar bridie, which is a variety of meat pasties, and Scotch pies. See below for the full list of the 26 worst Scottish foods according to TasteAtlas. More information about each one can be found on the TasteAtlas website. The 'worst' Scottish foods Scottish Deep-Fried Pizza Melting Moments Brose Deep-Fried Mars Bar Lorne Sausage Scottish Oatcakes Bannock Dundee Cake Forfar Bridie Scotch pie Pollock fish and chips Scottish Porridge Butteries Clootie Haggis Neeps and Tatties Stornoway Black Pudding Mince and Tatties Tablet Cranachan Scotch Broth Bap Stovies Cock-a-Leekie Clapshot Ecclefechan Butter Tart
Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
The 17 UK universities with the highest entry standards
Many of this year's secondary school leavers will now be turning their eyes towards university – and will likely be considering which one will be the best choice that their grades allow them. Students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland finally received their A Levels results this week, while their Scottish counterparts found out how they did in their Highers qualifications earlier in the month. Those with university aspirations will have also found out whether they have met the requirements for any conditional university offers they had waiting – while others will now be navigating the Clearing process. With this in mind, we've taken a look at the UK universities with the highest entry standards for new students, according to the Complete University Guide's new 2026 league table. This comprehensive annual ranking compares some 130 universities across the country across a variety of metrics, including the proportion of students who stay on after their first year, student satisfaction ratings, research quality, student-to-staff ratio, and more. It also compares universities based on the average of the total number of UCAS tariff points held by new undergraduate students entering the university, using the most recent available data - currently for the 2022/23 academic year. These are points awarded based on the different qualifications and grades a prospective student has earned, which allow candidates' performances to be compared even if they sat different qualifications. The Complete University Guide says in its guidance that it ranks them this way because it's a more accurate reflection of a university's academic standards than average entry requirements. 'Two universities may have similar entry requirements, but the students taking the places may well have exceeded those requirements.' Many of the universities on this list still have spots available via Clearing, so are well worth considering for students who achieved excellent grades on results day. A lot of universities in Scotland ranked particularly highly, although prospective students shouldn't let this put them off – Scottish students often earn more UCAS tariff points overall due to the way their secondary school qualification system is structured. Our list only includes universities where the average UCAS tariff points of the students they accepted as undergraduates exceeded 170. Here were the 17 UK universities that topped the entry standards chart: 1 . University of St Andrews This prestigious Scottish university is based in St Andrews, Fife, and came in 4th overall in the Complete University Guide's 2026 ranking. The average UCAS tariff score of all new students entering the university was 215, the Guide said, from the most recent data available. | Peter Thompson/Photo Sales 2 . University of Glasgow Another well-regarded Scottish institution, Glasgow's namesake university is next. It came in 31st in the overall national ranking. According to the Complete University Guide, the average UCAS tariff score of all new students entering the university was also 215. | Google Photo Sales 3 . University of Cambridge One half of the acclaimed Oxbridge duo, this well-known university in Cambridge, in the East of England, ranked 1st in the overall national ranking. According to the Complete University Guide, the average UCAS tariff score of all new students entering the university was 206. | JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images Photo Sales 4 . University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde is also based in Glasgow, Scotland. It came in 38th in the overall national ranking. According to the Complete University Guide, the average UCAS tariff score of all new students entering the university was 203. | Adobe Stock Photo Sales Related topics: UniversitiesStudentsClearingBoost
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Scotsman
17.5 million salmon died prematurely in Scottish fish farms in a year. Here's what we need to do
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland is one of the largest producers of farmed salmon in the world, exporting a product that is consumed globally and often marketed as a hallmark of quality. It is one I have enjoyed myself, many times. But behind this booming industry lies a reality that many find hard to stomach: the staggering scale of welfare issues and the lack of clear, enforceable welfare standards to prevent those issues. Think about this: in 2022 alone, an estimated 17.5 million farmed salmon died prematurely and they were not included in the total production figure of 37.7 million a year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Undercover footage shows that on Scottish fish farms, these fish experience a whole host of welfare problems. For example, due to overcrowding in sea cages, the fish also experience aggression, fin damage, and increased susceptibility to diseases. Sea lice infestations are a major problem, causing painful lesions and requiring treatments which can themselves also negatively impact the fish. Scotland has long been famous for its salmon fishing and farmed salmon has become a major global export (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images Deadly jellyfish blooms Many of these issues are not fixable. I have spoken to fish farmers who do everything they can within the current system to mitigate negative impacts and protect the animals they farm, but they can't stop a tide. Our changing climate results in destructive events and jellyfish blooms as the water warms, and unpredictable weather events are becoming more and more extreme. However, that does not mean that more can't be done to protect these animals. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Farmed fish do have some minimal protections under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. This legislation protects them from unnecessary suffering and requires that their welfare needs are met, for example the need for a suitable environment in which to live. READ MORE: How Scottish businesses are crying out for better trade deal with EU These are the same protections that are applied to animals like pigs and chickens. I've seen these protections printed and hung on the walls of fish farm offices; but when I asked the workers what a suitable environment for a fish is, what implementing this act looks like in the context of a fish farm, and how to tell whether a fish is happy, they – understandably – can't say. Because, unlike pigs and chickens, fish do not benefit from formal government-issued guidance to help producers and regulators understand what the law means and what they should do to meet these obligations. Instead, the sector relies on the industry-authored code of good practice, a voluntary framework that – while it contains some useful standards – is neither legally enforceable nor comprehensive. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Fish can feel pain This is where the problem becomes a Catch-22. When campaigners raise concerns about fish welfare, the Scottish Government defers to the industry's code of good practice. But when asked to ensure that this code is enforced, it claims it can't – because it's not the government's code. Accountability is denied and millions of fish suffer as a result. This legal ambiguity benefits no one – not the farmers, who are left without clear rules; not you and me, who want assurance that the animals are treated humanely; and certainly not the fish, who – as scientific evidence shows – are capable of experiencing pain. As a member of the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, I recently took part in an inquiry into salmon farming in this country. One of the clearest conclusions we reached was that we are failing to uphold the welfare of farmed fish due to the absence of official government guidance. In fact, despite years of documented concerns, there has never been a single prosecution or formal notice issued relating to fish welfare on Scottish farms. This lack of enforcement speaks volumes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The solution is simple and achievable. The Scottish Government must issue official guidance. This would provide the clarity needed to interpret the law, set a clear baseline for welfare standards, and ensure that they are properly enforced. It would also close the loophole that currently allows welfare breaches to go unpunished simply because no one understands them. Farmers committed to high standards The Scottish Government's "Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture' strategy has prompted the introduction of mandatory reporting on mortality and sea lice numbers, which is a useful start. However, the path forward is still murky. The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, in its detailed report on fish sentience, specifically recommended that the government issue official guidance to make the law meaningful in practice. This is about more than just data collection: it is about creating a clear framework that supports everyone involved. I've spoken with farmers who are committed to high standards but find it challenging to know what is legally expected of them without this kind of guidance. Providing clear, government-backed standards would create a level playing field, ensuring that good practice is the norm, and not the exception. This is a chance for Scotland to lead on animal welfare, and official guidance is the crucial next step. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This view is shared by expert lawyers at the Animal Law Foundation, which continues to push for the law that protects fish to mean something in practice and sees official guidance as one of the key ways of achieving this. We cannot allow fish welfare to be compromised. Industry-led codes – regardless of how well-intentioned they are – are no substitute for government responsibility and legal clarity. Scotland must commit to and take pride in standing by high standards of animal welfare – and that includes fish. It's time to break the cycle. It's time to get farmed salmon out of this Catch-22.
