Home › Memorial and Mortuary Rings › Memorial and Mortuary Rings: Charles

Memorial and Mortuary Rings: Charles

On the eve of the death of Henrietta Anne, the daughter of Charles the First, she sent most tender messages to her brothers King Charles the Second, and James, Duke of York; and, drawing from her finger a ring, she expressed a wish that it might be sent to the former, as a memorial of her dying love. 6 A remarkable interest is attached to the bequest of a ring by Sir Charles Cotterell, master of the ceremonies, who died in 1700. The particulars are given in the 'Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries' (January 30, 1862). 'I bequeath to my constantly obliging Friend, Sr Stephen Fox, a ring wth a figure cut in an onyx, which was given by King Charles ye first, from his Finger to Sr Philip Warwick, at ye Treaty in the Isle of Wight, to seal letters he there writt for him, and whch Sr Philip left to me for a Legacy, and wch I cannot leave to anybody that has been a greater Honourer of that Excellent Prince's Memory, nor a Worthier A Friend to us both, and who for these reasons I know will 6 value it.' To this has been added, by Sir Stephen Fox, ' which I leave to my son Stephen and his Heirs, enjoining him to keep it in remembrance of the excellent King that gave it off his Finger to Sr Philip Warwick, who died in August 1684, and his son Philip at New Market a month after, and excellent Sr Charles Cotterell died in the year 1700, and after this was left to my good son Charles, who died in September 1713. Ste(phen) Fox.' At the commencement of the first of these memoranda, and (observes Mr. Franks, by whom these particulars were given to the Society) at the conclusion of the last are muchmutilated impressions from a very small antique gem, which, there can be no doubt, is the onyx set in the ring in question. The figure is of fine workmanship, and represents a partially-draped young man standing in profile to the right. It is, possibly, a representation of Mercury, and resembles somewhat in attitude the bronze statue found at Huis, in the south of France, and known as the Payne Knight Mercury.