Mourning Jewellery

The tradition of mourning jewellery evolved from Memento Mori jewellery, often seen in the Tudor and Stuart periods, into the more sentimental mourning jewellery which gained prominence in the Georgian era. The term Memento Mori loosely translates as ‘remember you must die’. This phrase encapsulates the purpose of these jewels, which served as a reminder of life’s transience and a reminder to lead a virtuous life. Early examples frequently incorporated skulls and other symbols of mortality, including hourglasses and sickles, and would sometimes have an inscription to remind the wearer of a loved one's memory. However, during the Stuart and Georgian periods, this stark imagery gradually gave way to more elaborate and sentimental designs, with funerary urns and weeping willow trees becoming popular motifs. When possible, pieces often incorporated the deceased hair into the design. Black was the traditional colour of mourning and so black enamelling was often present on pieces, however white and sometimes a pale blue enamel was used to commemorate an unmarried woman or child. The fashion reached the height of its popularity during the Victorian era.

The Bond Family of Tyneham

The Bond family’s history has an intriguing connection to one of Britain’s most recognisable fictional characters. John Bond (1555–1631), was an Elizabethan intelligence agent and is said to have established the family motto Non Sufficit Orbis ‘The World Is Not Enough'. It was his son Nathaniel Bond (1634-1707) who acquired Tyneham Estate and Creech Grange, in the 1680s. The family would own these estates for the next 260 years.

Both the Bond surname and the motto were later adopted by Ian Fleming for his James Bond novels. Fleming may well have been familiar with the family’s prominence in Dorset, having attended Durnford Preparatory School at Langton Matravers, close to the Bonds’ extensive estates and former family seats.

John Bond (1678-1744)

Following Nathaniel's death, Tyneham House passed to his second son, John Bond (1678–1744), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Corfe Castle. Among the jewels from the collection are two George II mourning rings commemorating John’s death in 1744. Both bear the inscription ‘J. Bond AR:OB 19 Jun 1744 Æt 67’, recording the date and his age at death.

John Bond (1717-1784)

John married his first cousin, Margaret Williams (d. 1775), and together they had four sons and two daughters. Their eldest son, also named John Bond (1717–1784), inherited the Tyneham Estate following his father’s death in 1744, and Creech Grange from his uncle Denis in 1747, who died without a male heir. Like his father, John also represented Corfe Castle in Parliament. Two George III hairwork mourning pendants in the collection commemorate his death in 1784. One features an ivory panel painted in sepia with an urn, inscribed ‘J. Bond Ob: 30: May 1784 Æ: 67’. The other is framed by a blue and white banded enamel border and bears the inscription ‘J.B Ob May 30 1784 Æt: 67’.

Mary Bond (1717-1787)

John married Mary Dummer, daughter of Edmund Dummer of Swaythling and stepdaughter of his uncle Denis. Two further jewels commemorate Mary's death in 1787. The first is a George III mourning locket, circa 1787, featuring an oval sepia-painted panel depicting a woman gazing towards a winged cherub in the sky. Beside her stands an urn upon a plinth, accompanied by the poignant sentiment ‘Not lost but gone before’. The reverse contains a woven hair panel and is inscribed ‘Mary Bond Ob: 3: Oct: 1787 Æ: 70’.

The second is a George III hardstone mourning ring, with an oval panel decorated with the popular motif of an urn draped in foliage. A glazed compartment to the reverse contains a woven lock of hair, while the inscription records ‘M.B ob Oct 3.1787 Æt 70’.

Eliza Newsam (d. 1788)

John and Mary had five sons and two daughters. Their third surviving son, Thomas Bond (1756-1833), who took responsibility for managing the Tyneham Estate, married Sarah Newsam in 1779. Sarah was the daughter of Eliza Newham, whose death is commemorated in another jewel from the collection: a George III sepia-painted mourning brooch. Its oval panel depicts a woman standing beneath a weeping willow, beside an urn raised upon a pedestal. Below, a weeping cherub accompanies the inscription ‘Sacred will I keep thy dear remains’. The scene is framed by a blue and white enamel border, with the reverse engraved ‘Eliza Newsam Ob 19 Jan, y 1788 Æt. 55’.

Henry Biggs (1722-1800)

Another branch of the family is represented by two George III mourning rings associated with the Reverend William Bond (1757–1852), John and Mary's fourth surviving son, who married Jane Biggs in 1794. Jane was the daughter of Henry Biggs of Stockton House. Both rings commemorate Henry's death in 1800. The first features a blue enamel ground bearing the initials ‘HB’, set within a black and white enamelled surround; the second is a simple black enamelled band. Each is inscribed ‘Henry Biggs. OB 31. Mar: 1800 Æ 77’.

Together, these jewels offer more than a record of Georgian mourning customs. Through their inscriptions, materials and carefully chosen motifs, they preserve personal connections across generations of the Bond family, providing a tangible link to the lives and losses of those associated with Tyneham and Creech Grange.

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Auction Details

Wednesday 18 November, 10.30am GMT
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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Viewing at Dreweatts London (highlights): 16-17 Pall Mall, SW1Y 5LU
Tuesday 10 November: 10am-4pm
Wednesday 11 November: 10am-4pm

Viewing at Dreweatts Newbury: Donnington Priory, RG14 2JE
Saturday 14 November: 10am-3pm
Sunday 15 November: 10am-3pm
Monday 16 November: 10am-4pm
Tuesday 17 November: 10am-4pm

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