Rare memorial ring for Lord Byron is up for auction

A rare ring made in memory of the poet Lord Byron, who is buried at Hucknall Parish Church, is set to fetch thousands of pounds at auction this summer.
By The Newsroom
Published 25th May 2018, 12:59 BST
Updated 25th May 2018, 13:01 BST
The rare ring made in memory of Lord Byron. (PHOTO BY: Harry Middleton)The rare ring made in memory of Lord Byron. (PHOTO BY: Harry Middleton)
The rare ring made in memory of Lord Byron. (PHOTO BY: Harry Middleton)

The gold and enamel ring was made by Charles Rawlings, of London, after Byron’s death in 1824.

It comes, reputedly, from the contents of Newstead Abbey, the poet’s ancestral home, which Byron sold to his old school friend, Colonel Thomas Wildman, in 1818. Wildman subsequntly sold the abbey to William Frederick Webb in 1861.

The ring is one of only three known examples of Lord Byron memorial rings of this type, and is to be sold at the summer fine art sale of Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn, north Yorkshire on Saturday, July 21. It has an estimate of £3,000 to £5,000.

Most Popular

Tennants’ jewellery specialist Melanie Saleem said: “There is always great interest in items associated with Byron, and the rarity, provenance and exceptional condition of this ring are sure to appeal to collectors.”

Composed of 18-carat gold, the ring contains three separate inscriptions or engravings, which read ‘Byron’, ‘In Memory Of’ and ‘Died 19 April 1824, aged 36’.

Related topics:London