Gold and white enamel wing mourning a young child's death. The owner writes, “Occasionally one comes across a ring made for a deceased child. I am fascinated by these because, obviously the child had few friends to attend a funeral and, of course no will! I think these help dispel the crazy myth that parents were less grieved by the death of a child than we are today (the argument hinges on the high infant/child mortality rate). Here is a testament that, yes, the parents did indeed love their children, and wished to remember them. This ring of 1730 is for George Newland died aged 3.” A white ring indicated the deceased was unmarried.
Photographs and caption material by the owner. Thanks to Anna Waymack who arranged for the owner to share this image and associated text with readers of the Victorian Web. You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.
Last modified 29 September 2011