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Auction: 26050 - Jewellery & Objets de Vertu
Lot: 21

A GEORGIAN MOURNING RING TO THOMAS BURTON (D. 1831)
LONDON, 1828
With black enamel and central memorial panel.
The ring features engraved inscription within enamelled borders and applied later Victorian panel to centre.
The interior is inscribed ‘Tho.s Burton | ob.t 1 Jan.y, 1831 aet. 74’.
Maker's mark 'WP'
Tests as 18ct Gold
London hallmarks
Size/dimensions: ring size M (US 6 1/4)
Gross weight: 4.60g

The piece shows light surface wear consistent with age. The enamel remains intact, and the item is offered in very good condition.


Thomas Burton (1757-1831)

Thomas Burton of Bakeham House, Egham, Surrey, was a substantial landowner and gentleman whose life and family are unusually well documented through contemporary newspapers, parish records, and probate archives.



Burton appears frequently in local Berkshire and Surrey newspapers during the final years of his life. In April 1829 he was involved in a serious accident when the Devonport Mail Coach lost control near Egham and collided with his chaise. Burton suffered severe head injuries and was conveyed to Bakeham House following emergency treatment. Contemporary reports remarked upon the extraordinary circumstances of the accident, in which the runaway coach horses continued for several miles before overturning.



By late 1830 Burton again appeared in the local press when one of his agricultural barns near Egham was destroyed by fire during the period of widespread rural unrest associated with the so-called Swing Riots. Newspaper accounts describe the suspicious destruction of the building and note concerns regarding incendiary attacks then affecting farms throughout Berkshire and Surrey. Significantly, the reports observe that Burton's property had been left unguarded despite heightened local security measures, and that an unknown individual had deliberately damaged the fire engine's hose in an apparent attempt to prevent efforts to extinguish the blaze.



Only weeks later, Burton met a tragic end. On 1 January 1831, while returning from Windsor market, his gig collided with a brewer's dray near Old Windsor. Burton was thrown beneath the vehicle and killed instantly when one of the wheels passed over his chest. Contemporary newspaper accounts record that he was seventy-three years of age. An inquest held shortly afterwards returned a verdict of accidental death.



Further insight into Burton's family and social standing is provided by surviving legal and parish records. A marriage licence dated 30 August 1828 bears the signature of Thomas Burton as a witness to the marriage of Marmaduke Jegon and Anne White Wapshott, demonstrating his continued involvement in local society during his final years. His will, proved in London on 7 February 1831, identifies him as a gentleman of considerable means, possessing freehold and copyhold estates in Egham, Windlesham, and surrounding districts. The document names his wife, Ann Burton, and several children, including Adam, Arthur, Elizabeth, Helen, and Della Burton, and records the distribution of substantial real property, household effects, plate, china, wine, and financial investments.




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Estimate
£800 to £1,000

Starting price
£550