The gold wedding ring that was placed on Martha Balfour’s finger in 1960 is back in its rightful place after being missing for 50 years.
The Irvinestown pensioner was “delighted” and “emotional” after the ring that went missing in the back garden of her former home was found last week by the current owner who was digging up a hedge.
Martha married Derek Balfour in Derryvullan North Parish Church on May 21, 1960. After living in Enniskillen for a short while, the couple returned to live in her childhood home at 6 Burfitt’s Hill with her father and brothers. One day in 1968, she realised that her wedding ring was missing.
“I was expecting my fifth child at the time so I thought maybe my fingers had swelled and went back to normal or perhaps I was gathering coal when I lost the ring,” Mrs. Balfour recalled. She and her husband and children searched high and low for the ring and Mr. Balfour even got a man with a metal detector to try and locate it.
“I remember thinking: ‘I can’t be running around with all these children and no wedding ring!’” Mrs. Balfour quipped. A replacement ring was purchased and life went on.
When the family moved to Brownhill Meadows, Mrs. Balfour told the new owners to keep an eye out for the ring.
Irivnestown businessman Ian Coulter was digging at 6 Burfitt’s Hill recently when he came across the precious piece of jewellery and quickly passed the good news onto Mrs. Balfour.
“It was emotional. Derek died in 2001 and I never forgot about the ring,” she told The Impartial Reporter. “There’s not a mark on it. It’s as if it was wrapped up in cotton wool,” she added.
Mrs. Balfour, who is now 77 and has seven children, 16 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren concluded: “The replacement ring is now in a jewellery box and I have my old ring back on. It fits like a tee.”