A treasure story

Sorting through a deceased relative’s possessions can sometimes take a while, particularly if like my Granny, they were a compulsive hoarder. When I explain that she lived in an enormous rambly old house, parts of which we believe are medieval, this should clarify why we are still working on the clear-up almost two years after she passed away. Today my Dad and I took some time to go through some of her jewellery and other treasures, and this particularly special piece came to light.

This brooch was given to my Granny by her maternal grandmother in 1929, presumably for her 16th birthday (Granny was born 1913). The woman depicted is suspected to be Harriet Susannah Anne Horton, born October 21st 1784, the daughter of Lady Elizabeth Horton. Lady Horton was the sister of the 12th Earl of Derby, who founded the horse race at Epsom. She is wearing a bracelet marked with the initials “WH”, which I think is an artist’s signature. But it could equally be the woman’s initials, in which case she is not who everyone thinks she is. My investigations are ongoing!

My Granny was a meticulous labeller – every single jewellery box is labelled with names, dates and places – but I had to do a bit of detective work to find out the woman’s name. Finding the 12th Earl of Derby wasn’t hard, because he was a man and obviously therefore more important in peerage terms (feminist growl of displeasure), but information on his sisters and nieces was much trickier to come by. How my great great grandmother came to have this brooch remains a mystery; my Granny’s records do not divulge.

I have a acquired a few more amazing things from this clear out, which I will no doubt find a moment to share in the future! What little treasures have you found that a relative was squirrelling away?