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UCL Museums & Cultural Programmes acquires two rare Jeremy Bentham mourning rings
LDUCJB-13 Henry Bickersteth ring (left) and LDUCJB-14 Neil Arnott ring (right). Image © John Moloney.
Bentham commissioned 26 mourning rings, each containing his portrait silhouette and a lock of hair, to be bequeathed to his acquaintances after his death.
Generously donated by UCL alumnus and Fellow Michael Phillips (who had previously donated another Bentham mourning ring in 2007) and his daughter Liz Phillips, the two new rings are exciting additions to our collection of Bentham-related objects and will join the four already in the collection.
One of the new rings was bequeathed to Dr Neil Arnott (1788–1874), a Scottish physician and inventor who attended to Bentham in his final weeks (Inventor of the Arnott waterbed, and a smokeless fire grate). It has been in Arnott’s family, presumably since his death, residing with the descendants of Dr Arnott’s wife in the Norfolk area.
The second ring was bequeathed to Henry Bickersteth (1783-1851), first Baron Langdale, law reformer and Master of the Rolls 1836-51.
The other rings already held by UCL relate to John Stuart Mill (1806–73), philosopher and civil servant, William Tait (1793–1864), publisher and bookseller, Jean-Sylvain de Weyer (1802–74), Belgian politician and one unattributed ring (with no name inscribed on the band). The two other known surviving rings were dedicated to William Stockwell, servant to Bentham and Jean-Baptiste Say (1767–1832), economist, both owned by private collectors.
The location of the remaining rings is currently unknown which makes these new acquisitions such rare and important discoveries.
UCL Science Collections curator Liz Blanks said:
‘The two new rings are key additions to the auto-icon collection within UCL Science Collections. They can be used in teaching and research to understand a wider picture of Bentham’s life, and London society, during this period’.
Angharad Milenkovic, Vice-President (Advancement), said:
‘For many in the UCL community, Jeremy Bentham’s auto-icon is a core memory from their time at the university. As well as shedding more insight into who Jeremy Bentham was, these rings are symbolic of the generous and enduring spirit of UCL’s alumni community, and we are so grateful to Michael and Liz Phillips for enabling these acquisitions’.
