AYR - a rare gold mounted souvenir brooch,
£1,000
Auction: 7 December 2005 at 12:00 GMT
Description
with marks for Ayr circa 1900, maker John Lyle, marked J.LYL, AYR, of pointed oval outline, composed of oak carved with thistles and applied to the centre with a gold circular plaque engraved OAK OF THE AULD BRIG O' AYR 1252 and carved to depict the bridge, collet set with cannetille style mounts
Dimensions
5.5cm x 3.4cm
Footnote
The Auld Brig O' Ayr was made famous in the Robert Burns poem 'The Brigs of Ayr' in this poem the auld brig mocks the new brig saying "I'll be a brig when you're a useless cairn". This came true as the new brig was replaced in 1878. The Auld Brig was itself restored in the early part of the 1900's and this is presumably the source of wood for souvenirs such as this brooch. The Brig was originally built by a gift from two sisters whose fiancés, Sir Sandy Fraser and Richard of Kelburn, were swept away in the river whilst returning home after the great Scottish victory over the Norse fleet in 1263 led by Alexander III. After the death of their beloveds the sisters never married and their effigies are said to be still visible on the eastern parapet of the brig, although washed smooth and therefore hard to detect.