Selected Silver and Objects of Vertu

A silver replica of the Lanark Bell on stand,
by Hamilton & Inches, Edinburgh 1949,

the bell engraved with the burgh arms of Lanark, suspended within a tripod frame, screwed to a circular spreading base, height 21.5cm.

£600-£800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Private Collection of Trophies.

View
Collection

Formerly the property of the late Lt-Col. Wilfred Lyde, OBE.

Sotheby’s, The Racing Sale, 12 November 1997, Lot 457.

The Lanark arms were officially granted on 4 April 1929. However Lanark became a Royal Burgh between 1153 and 1159 in the reign of King Malcolm IV, although the date of its foundation may be slightly earlier. The arms are based on the old seals of the Burgh, the oldest known impression being dated 1357.




The Lanark Silver Bell is a horse racing trophy from Lanark, Scotland. and traditionally thought to be one of the oldest sporting trophies in the world.


The Lanark races were founded by William the Lion of Scotland (1165-1214), the silver bell being described as a gift of William the Lion to the Royal burgh of Lanark in 1160. However, the various hallmarks on the bell still in existence date from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The Compendium of Scottish Silver states the date of the bell to be circa 1617, and the makers to be Hugh Lindsay and Deacon Robert Dennistoun.

The bell disappeared during the Civill War, and was rediscovered by Lanark Council when moving offices in 1836. For many years, Lanark offered a replica for the annual race and the example offered here for sale was won by Colonel Lyde’s chestnut gelding ‘Dancing Flame’ on 2 September 1950.

The last Silver Bell race to be run at Lanark Racecourse was in 1977. The series started again in 2008 at the Hamilton Park Racecourse.