Extremely rare, probably unique, 9ct gold locket containing a lock of hair of His Majesty King George III, shaved from his head within a year of his eventual death on 29th January 1820.
The locket is cased in 9ct gold and is glazed to the front with the internal lock of hair in superb, original condition meaning no moisture has infiltrated the locket over the past 200 plus years.
The beautiful hand-engraved inscription to the obverse of the locket reads:
"The Hair of his most Gracious Majesty George the Third. Shaved off his head - March 1819"
PROVENANCE: Acquired through a prominent & prestigious Scottish auction house which described the locket as:
"Property of a lady related to an aristocrat".
The locket comes with an antique jewellery box but this is not original to the locket.
9ct Gold Locket: Weight: 4.0 gm. Diameter: 20 mm. Depth: 5 mm. NOTE: Due to the age of the locket it is not hallmarked but it has been tested using a non-invasive XRF precious metal purity analyser machine which confirms the gold purity as 9.638ct, just over what would classify today as 9ct gold (see last 3 photos). The purity certificate will be passed on to the buyer.
His Majesty King George III (George William Frederick, 4th June 1738 - 29th January 1820): George III was King of Great Britain & Ireland from 25th October 1760 until his death on 29th January 1820.
In the latter part of his life, George had recurrent and eventually permanent, mental illness. In 1810 he had a relapse and his eldest son, George, Prince of Wales, was named Prince Regent the following year. George III died aged 81 and the Prince Regent became King George IV.
At the time of his death, George III was the longest-lived & the longest-reigning British monarch, having reigned for 59 years & 96 days; he remains the longest-lived & longest-reigning male monarch in British history.
Summary: As can be seen from the photos & history (above) this is an extremely rare item of memorabilia relating to King George III; a 9ct gold locket containing a lock of the king's hair, shave from his head over 200 years ago in 1819. Good luck!