RARE HELMET PLATE £395.00

RARE VICTORIAN OFFICERS HELMET PLATE, SUSSEX ARTILLERY VOLUNTEERS 

A fine and scarce original Officers Helmet Plate of the First Sussex Artillery Volunteers circa 1860. The silvered helmet plate with Victoria crowned Royal Arms, pierced around the shield, with scroll below inscribed "First" over an artillery piece resting on a scroll inscribed "Sussex Artillery Volunteers". Three loops to reverse.

Additional notes:

This helmet plate would be an excellent display item for one of the Kerrs revolvers marked to this Sussex Artilllery Unit.

During the 1860's, Shoreham Fort was garrisoned by the 1st Sussex Volunteer Artillery of Eastern Division, Royal Artillery, whose headquarters were in Brighton. They were formed just before 1860 as Rifle Volunteers from the local rifle clubs and were joined by artillery volunteers following the invasion scare of Napoleon III. The Sussex Volunteer Artillery was considered to be the cream of Volunteer Artillery units and in 1865 at the Shoeburyness National Artillery Meeting it won the Queen’s Prize and the Lord Palmeston Prize for accurate shooting.   

A RARE SNUFF BOX CIRCA 1825 DEPICTING KARL XIV JOHAN, FORMERLY MARSHAL BERNADOTTE OF FRANCE

Extremely rare circular brass/copper snuff box 3" in diameter depicting Karl XIV Johan, King of Sweden and Norway, formerly Marshal Bernadotte of France. The hinged lid still works but is damaged and the brass is worn through by the hinge, otherwise the stamped brass depiction of Bernadotte is worn but clear in Swedish Field Marshal Uniform wearing his Swedish Order of the Seraphim medal which dates the snuff box to when he was King of Sweden rather than Marshal of France. This is in accord with a note that came with the snuff box stating that the snuff box was one of a number made by Bernadotte as gifts and this one was given to David Steirncrona, his Aide de Camp in 1825. The snuff box may once have been gilded but no gilding remains, nevertheless it is a desirable and rare object.  

Jean Bernadotte had a fascinating life which reads like a fictional novel. Born in1763 in Pau, France, he served a long career in the French Army during turbulent times working his way from a lowly rank through to being appointed Marshal Bernadotte by Napoleon with whom he had a strained relationship, one reason for which was his marriage in 1798 to Désirée Clary, sister-in-law to Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonaparte but more importantly the fiancée of Napoleon himself in 1795. He subsequently acquired the full name of Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte. Napoleon made him Prince of Pontecorvo on 5 June 1806, but he stopped using that title in 1810 when his service to France ended and he was elected the heir-presumptive to the childless King Charles XIII of Sweden. He reigned as King of Sweden and Norway from 5 February 1818 until his death in 1844. His legacy is now legendary and with connections to many of todays Royal Families in Europe.

David Henrik Stierncrona, born in Stockholm in 1786 , was a Swedish Count , Chamberlain and Lieutenant General. Army career started as a Cornet  in 1805, after which he became a lieutenant at the Life Guard. In 1810 he became a horse champion in the Life Guard. The same year he was appointed adjutant of King Charles XIII. In 1813, he was the third major at the Skåne Carabinier Regiment and Lieutenant Colonel in the Army . In the same year he was awarded the Military Award of Gold Medal of Honor. In 1816, Stierncrona became the first major at the Skåne Carabiner Regiment. In 1817 he became chief and head of the Skåne Karabinier regiment. In 1819 he advanced to the General Adjuster in the General Staff of the Army. In 1823, Stierncrona became a working member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Knights of Russian St. Anna's 2nd grade. In 1825 he became Major General and Head of the Third Cavalry Brigade and later that year he became adjutant/Aide-de-Camp of Bernadotte, Karl XIV Johan.

CAMPAIGN/TRAVELLING CASE OF PENINSULA WAR VETERAN MAJOR GENERAL SIR FREDERICK WILLIAM TRENCH CIRCA 1837 BY D & J DILLER OF 5 CHANDOS STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON.

A superb quality and important campaign/travelling case in solid flame mahogany with brass corners and strapping, inset miltary style handles and patterned escutcheon engraved with owners name Major General Sir Frederick Trench K.C.H. Original Bramah lock marked Bramah, 124 Piccadilly with rare original working key. Internally refitted but with old fold down section with original makers label behind. Original green baize to underside. A famous owner of this box who was a soldier in the Grenadier Guards seeing service in Sicily, Walcheren, the Peninsula and Holland, and later as a politician and amateur architect responsible for originating the design of the London Embankment. A historic and beautiful display item. Overall dimensions 12.75" long x 9.5" wide x 6" depth. Box has been refinished at some stage but has acquired a nice mellow patina - not shiny. All original brass work present. 

Additional information: 

Major General Sir Frederick William Trench was an ambitious projector of London improvements whilst serving as a Tory MP from 1807 until 1847. He proposed a monumental pyramid to celebrate the victory at Waterloo and he designed an embankment along the north side of the Thames from Charing Cross to Blackfriars in order to relieve traffic on the Strand and create an elegant promenade along the river. The idea met with fierce opposition and was quickly dropped when presented to Parliament in 1824. It was not until 5 years after his death that construction finally began in 1864.

Sir Frederick William Trench served in Sicily in 1806-1807, at Walcheren in 1809, in the Peninsula in 1811 and in Holland in 1814. 

First Regiment of Foot Guards (Grenadier Guards)

Ensign: 12 November 1803

Captain: 12 November 1807 

Major: 1 August 1811

Lieut-Colonel: 25 November 1813

Colonel: 27 May 1825

Major General: 10 January 1837

Lieut General: 9 November 1846

Grenadier Guards, Assistant Quartermaster General, Aide-de camp to the King.

RARE SET OF ENGRAVINGS DEPICTING NAVAL ACTIONS INVOLVING CAPTAIN LE TURC DURING THE FOURTH ANGLO DUTCH WAR OF 1780-1784.

A very rare set of four engravings , circa 1782, showing a series of naval engagements between the Dutch and the British Royal Navy during the Fourth Anglo Dutch War of 1780-1784. This war was fought over a dispute between the British and the Dutch (together with a small French contingent) over the conduct and trading practices of the Dutch with Britain's enemies during the American Revolutionary War. These period Dutch engravings feature the exploits of Captain Le Turc against various British ships. It is thought that this is Pierre Le Turc and that he was a privateer who fought for the Dutch under a Letter of Marque type of arrangement. Apart from the actions depicted in these engravings, Le Turc had successes and failures including an action off West Bay in Dorset on 21st June 1782 when he commanded the Reuze against the Defiance commanded by Lieutenant Cadman.

The engravings are around 165mm x 255mm each mounted in old plain wood frames. Searches reveal that there are currently none of these engravings available anywhere on the internet, either individually or as a set. The only set found resides in the archives of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. An unusual set of engravings with an American Revolutionary War connection. Very good in old frames. Minor foxing. Each engraving has folds indicating they may once have been bound in a book. 

A HAND EMBROIDERED SILK SAMPLER OF THE REGIMENTAL COLOURS OF THE SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE REGIMENT

A very good example of a military sampler of the South Staffordshire Regimental Colours with embroidered silks, gold wire and appliqué work. This particular sampler was executed by a skilled hand and shows well above average standard of workmanship. Slight fading but still bright and in good condition with no rips or tears. Framed and glazed. Frame requires minor work.
Circa 1902 after the regiment returned from the Second Boer war. Overall size including frame, 27" x 24".     

The South Staffordshire Regiment was created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot and the 80th (Staffordshire Volunteers) Regiment of Foot. Sent to Egypt in 1882. Involved in defeating the Arab forces at Kirbekan. Regiment saw service also in First and Second Boer War.

An original pen, ink and watercolour, gouache painting, "The Change at the Golden Fleece, Thirsk". Painted and signed circa 1980 by Bevan Rider to illustrate his 1984 book on "The Story of the Royal Mail Coaches - A More Expeditious Conveyance", this watercolour is the original illustration which appears on page 100 in the chapter describing the London- Edinburgh Mail which stopped/staged at the Golden Fleece en route. The Golden Fleece still exists today - see their website for downloading a history of this coaching inn.

The painting measures approx 15 inches by 11 inches. It is in good condition but with some bumping and creasing at the corners, some pinholes at the edges (most likely from the artists drawing board). Painted on Watercolour Board. Requires mounting and framing but an attractive and unusual item for the  Mail Coach Pistol / Blunderbuss collector.

Following the cancellation of a major exhibition, this is a unique opportunity to acquire a full size laminated copy of   “A new map of Spain and Portugal: exhibiting the chains of mountains with their passes, the principal & cross roads, with other details requisite for the intelligence of Military Operations”  compiled by Jasper Nantiat, 1810.  

This laminated map combines the four Nantiat maps into one large map, 38" x 53". Excellent for either wargamers (laminated so will accept non permanent pen ink), historical reenactment, historical research or a collector of Napoleonic or Peninsula War items. It was produced at great cost and was destined to be displayed on a wall with paintings of each battle and their relative locations on the map. 
A fascinating and superb map. I cannot better the explanation of this map in the following link;- 

http://edu.lva.virginia.gov/dbva/items/show/218

An original pen, ink and watercolour, gouache painting, "Floods Near Newark". Painted and signed circa 1980 by Bevan Rider to illustrate his 1984 book on "The Story of the Royal Mail Coaches - A More Expeditious Conveyance", this watercolour is the original illustration which appears on page 95 in the chapter describing the London- Edinburgh Mail which frequently encountered flooding near Newark en route. The book recalls that the Newark bridge crossing was often liable to flooding resulting in the ‘up’ Mail Coach in midwinter having to negotiate these floods in darkness leaving the passengers cold and wet even if they took the precaution of standing on their seats with their backs arched against the roof! Sometimes the floods were just too deep resulting in the Mail Coach Guard having to wade in or swim, unhitch the leading horse, remove mails from the box and proceed on his own to the next stage. He would probably have taken his pistols or blunderbuss with him as well!    

The painting measures approx 15 inches by 11 inches. It is in good condition but with some bumping and creasing at the corners, some pinholes at the edges (most likely from the artists drawing board). Painted on a Watercolour Board. Requires mounting and framing but an attractive and unusual item for the  Mail Coach Pistol / Blunderbuss collector.