Whilst researching our village history we came across the will of Mrs. Anne Jane Purser, a widow living at Llanteglos Llanteg, in the early 1900's. The will, which was estimated at over £1 million at todays value, was in itself interesting but one item made us do a 'double take' as we read it:

'In trust for Winnifred Laura Purser - a hair bracelet with fastening containing Charles 1's hair and monogram surmounted by the Royal Crown'

Wanting to know more about this bracelet we began searching for both ancestors and descendants to see if we could find out how the bracelet came into the family and if it still existed.

The first evidence of the Purser family that we could discover was a will dated 1663 for a Henry Purser of Bosherston, Pembrokeshire, as well as references to four Pursers/Bursers on the 1670 Hearth Tax for the Bosherston/Stackpool/Pwllcrochen parishes of Pembrokeshire.

However we were only able to trace our family directly back to a George Purser who was born in about 1747 and who was later to live at Morston Farm, Monkton Pembrokeshire. Although undoubtedly the same family as the earlier Pursers we were unable to find George's Baptism to conclusively prove who his parents were.

To return to Anne Jane Purser who died in 1903 and made the interesting will. The bracelet in her possession was willed to Winnifred Laura Purser, the grand-daughter of her deceased husband. As Winnifred was still a minor the bracelet was left in trust to Rev. Thomas David, Vicar of Llandewi Pembrokeshire.

Winnifred Purser was later to marry Willie A. Pritchard in Narberth, Pembrokeshire in 1925. However she died tragically two years later in an accident, aged only 32, while they were living in Aberdare at Houghton, The Grove. We think she was a teacher.

Willie Pritchard (who should now have been in pocession of the bracelet) apparently remarried in 1929 again at Narberth. He died in 1973, but from his will it appears there were no descendants who might have inherited the hair bracelet. Willie is believed to have had his birth registered in the Merthyr district and during the 1901 census he was recorded as living in Aberdare. His will written in 1973 gave his address as Glencoe, 15 St. Isan Road, Heath, Cardiff and he was shown as a retired civil servant. Where the bracelet is now is anyone's guess.

We have traced other Purser descendents, one in Lyme Regis and the other in South Australia. They have a hair brooch and what had once been a hair ring but no one knows of the existance of the infamous bracelet. However our search continues.

If you have any information which you feel would be of interest to Ruth Roberts please email her at RuthRoberts123@aol.com.