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BBC News
17-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Mystery of Victorian geologist's ring found on African beach
A long lost gold ring commemorating a Scottish geologist and writer has been returned to Scotland after being found on a South African beach.A metal detectorist uncovered the mourning ring inscribed with the name of Hugh Miller - a Highland stonemason who went on to be regarded as one of Victorian Britain's greatest ring is believed to have belonged to his daughter Harriet, who travelled to Australia after Miller's death in has been donated to Hugh Miller's Birthplace Cottage & Museum in Cromarty, but it remains a mystery how the ring reached Gordon's Bay in Cape Town. 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 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 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.
The Independent
17-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
19th century ring linked to Scottish geologist found on South African beach
A ring linked to a 19th century Scottish geologist which was found on a South African beach has gone on display for the first time. A metal detectorist found the mourning ring, engraved with Hugh Miller's name and the date of his birth and death, in the sand at Gordon's Bay, near Cape Town, in 2022. It has now gone on display at Hugh Miller's Birthplace Cottage & Museum in Cromarty on the Black Isle for the first time. Mourning jewellery was common at the time of Miller who, as well as being a geologist, was a writer and social justice campaigner. It is not known how the ring ended up in South Africa but it is thought that it may have belonged to Miller's daughter and was lost while she, or her children, were travelling between the UK and Australia, as many ships would have stopped there on the way. Debbie Reid, visitor services manager at the museum, which is cared for by National Trust for Scotland, 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, made of 18 carat gold, features the inscription 'In Memory Of', which would likely have been filled with black niello, a metallic alloy. The inside of the ring is delicately engraved: 'Hugh Miller Born Octr 10th 1802, Died Decr 24th 1856'. After the piece of jewellery was found by local metal detectorist Cornell Swart, it was donated through the Friends of Hugh Miller Group to Hugh Miller's Birthplace Cottage & Museum where it is being displayed beside a mourning brooch already in the collection. Miller was born in a thatched cottage in Cromarty but, from humble beginnings, he went on to become a renowned Victorian intellectual who was remembered as the 'supreme poet of geology' in 2002 at the bicentennial celebrations of his birth. The museum is also hosting a pop-up exhibition in collaboration with the Carrick Artists Collective from March 21 to May 4. Miller explored Carrick in South Ayrshire, and the exhibition aims to highlight the link between these two places.
