Brooch given to first passenger to board doomed steamship found at roadshow

A brooch given to the first passenger to board a Dundee-built steamship 37 years before she sank has surfaced at an antiques roadshow.

The decorative item was presented to Elizabeth Anderson on April 21 1894, the date of the maiden voyage of the SS Citrine.

Built by Dundee shipbuilders W B Thompson & Co, the Citrine was one of a number of vessels in the Glasgow-based “Gem line”, all of which were named after gemstones or minerals.

The shipping firm was owned by William Robertson, who started out with a single barge in 1852 before growing it into one of the largest coastal bulk shipping fleets in Britain.

The brooch was presented to Ms Anderson by Mr Robertson and is inscribed with the words “SS Citrine, April 21 1894, Elizabeth McIntyre Anderson, from William Robertson”.

The brooch contains a dedication with the date April 21 1894 / Credit: WeBuyVintage/PA

The sides of the gold-coloured item are shaped as a ship’s rope and its centre has been designed as a life ring mounted with a citrine stone, echoing the name of the vessel.

The Citrine sank on March 17 1931 after striking rocks at Bradda Head, Port Erin, on the Isle of Man.

Accounts at the time described the ship’s final moments in darkness, heavy weather and confusion, and the disaster claimed the lives of nine of her 11 crew members.

William Robertson had been dead for 12 years by the time of the sinking but the business remained in family hands under his sons, William Francis Robertson and James Robertson.

The brooch was discovered at a WeBuyVintage roadshow in Fleetwood, Lancashire.

The antiques firm said the man who brought it in explained it had passed down through his late wife’s family through one of her uncles – meaning it has remained in the family since it was given to Ms Anderson more than 130 years ago.

The brooch is expected to sell for £100 but WeBuyVintage specialist Matt Case said its true value lies elsewhere.

“While the value of the brooch is low in monetary terms, it is far more than just a piece of decorative jewellery,” he said.

“It is a rare and poignant survivor of Scotland’s maritime history.

“Connected to a specific ship, a named recipient, a launch date and ultimately a vessel lost in an infamous wreck, it provides an extraordinary link between Dundee craftsmanship, Glasgow’s commercial ambition and the human story behind one of the nation’s lost steamers.”