![]() ![]() ![]() The first official portrait of King Charles with Queen Consort Camilla - alongside William and Kate - carries an air of finality, writes RICHARD KAY 'We cannot thank Geoff and Jennie enough for their time spent tracking us and for the gift of our unknown family history, and of course the ring which is now in my safe hands!' 'Through amazing networking my daughter was found on Memories of Horsham and from then on we have been overwhelmed with family history that none of us knew about. 'The ring was a mourning ring dating back 176 years and originated from a Horsham family. She said: 'My elder daughter contacted me to say that a very old family ring had been found on Lancing beach and our family had been traced by the gentleman who had found it, and a colleague in Australia who was a genius in tracing family history. Maybe he came with his cane and it got left on the beach.'Īmanda Edwards, who is Liz Honywood's three times great niece said being told of the ring's existence was a 'day I will never forget.' 'They'd come to the beach in their time off. 'They must have come down to Lancing for their holidays, that's the only thing i can think of. It's incredible what you can find on the beach after all these years. She said: 'The fact that we found something and we can return it is amazing. Mr Smith's wife Kay, 51, said she had a theory about what had happened. 'I didn't think I'd find anyone to be honest. He added: 'It's good because it has brought people together. She managed to build the entire Honywood family tree - which turned up living relatives still in the county of West Sussex Mr Smith put out a plea on a Facebook page for Horsham and although he received no messages from relatives of the Honywoods at that point, he was contacted by a former Horsham resident, Jennie Hartwell, who now lives in Australia. Mr Smith, who lives near the beach, said: 'It was just poking out of the sand. It is thought to be a mourning ring - made for widows who want to remember departed spouses. Picking it up, he was astounded to see it was an old ring with an inscription still clearly visible.Īlthough it had been fashioned into what looked like a top fitted onto a cane, the words Liz Honywood and the date - 29th September 1834 - were still etched deeply into the gold. Several weeks ago he was on a night scan of Lancing Beach in West Sussex when his head torch picked out a gold band glimmering in the light. Mr Smith has been a hobbyist metal detector since 2015 and often goes out scanning nearby land with his wife Kay. He this week met family of Liz Honywood, the woman named on the ring, who were overjoyed to accept it.Īlexina Berwick, Mrs Honywood's four times great niece, said her family were now considering donating it to a museum to tell the amazing story. ![]() Geoff Smith, who lives near Lancing Beach in West Sussex, found a ring from 1834 lying on the beach in the shingle. Geoff Smith, who lives near Lancing Beach in West Sussex, found a ring from 1834 lying on the beach in the shingleĪ metal detectorist who found a ring on a beach has handed it back to the family almost 200 years later. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |