Gold 'spy ring' to go under the hammer

A gold ring used to identify the agents of Jacobite leader Bonnie Prince Charlie, thought to be the only one of its kind still in existence, is reportedly up for auction in Scotland.

The BBC says the ring was used by emissaries of the Jacobite leader after he exiled to France in 1746 following his defeat at the battle of Culloden.

It contained a secret cipher that Jacobite spies would display when delivering their messages to prove they were genuine.

Colin Fraser of Lyon and Turnbull, the auction house handling the sale, told the corporation that the ring was used because anyone found carrying documents with the prince's signature or seal could have been executed by government troops.

"Therefore this ring would accompany the messenger to show they had originated from Charles and were considered an official document," he said.

He added that the ring is valued at £3,000.

Bonnie Prince Billie, or Charles Edward Stuart, led the Jacobite cause which aimed to return the Stuart family to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland. He died exiled in Italy in 1788 and is buried in St Peter's Basilica, Rome.