A fascinating historical artefact has surfaced in the Bilton Grange archives—a signet ring impression taken from an ancient onyx stone. The origins of this piece remain unclear, and we are keen to uncover how it came to be part of our collection.

According to the accompanying notes, the impression was made from a ring picked up by Colonel Charles George Gordon—later Major-General and famously known as ‘Chinese Gordon’—while marking the border between the Russian and Ottoman Empires in Bessarabia. Experts at the British Museum examined the artefact and suggested it could be as old, if not older, than the time of Ahasuerus and the Persian King, Xerxes I (486–465 BC).

Bessarabia, now part of Moldova and Ukraine, once formed the north-western boundary of the Achaemenid Empire, adding to the intrigue surrounding this discovery. Could this impression offer a glimpse into the ancient past? And how did it find its way to Bilton Grange?

If anyone has any knowledge of its connection to Bilton Grange or how we came to own it, we would love to hear from you.

Transcript:

Impression from an onyx stone of an ancient signet ring, picked up by Col. Gordon K.E¹ on the border of Bessarabia² and pronounced by the authorities of the British Museum to be as old, if not older than Ahasuerus³.

Notes

¹ Charles George Gordon (later Major-General), sometimes known as ‘Chinese Gordon’, was a British Army officer. He fought in the Crimean War (1853-1856), when he was a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers. Following the peace, he was attached to an international commission to mark the new border between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire in Bessarabia.

² Bessarabia was a part of Eastern Europe, comprising modern day Moldova and parts of Ukraine. It was at the very north-western limit of the Achaemenid Empire.

³ Ahasuerus" is given as the name of a king, the husband of Esther, in the Book of Esther. He is said to have "ruled over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Nubia" – that is, over the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire. The name Ahasuerus is usually understood to refer to Xerxes I, who ruled the Achaemenid Empire between 486 and 465 BC