The Iconic and Excessively Rare Royal Humane Society Gold Medal and other related gifts and awards presented to the renowned Victorian heroine Grace Darling, who as a young lady of just 23 years old assisted her father in saving the lives of nine people during the wreck of the S.S. Forfarshire on Big Harcar Rock, close to the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland on 7 September 1838. Rowing out together in a simple ‘coble’ boat, the pair fought through the roughest seas, assisting numerous stricken passengers, and returning them to safety at Longstone. Such was her fame at the time, Queen Victoria herself, still then a young lady, sent Grace Darling a personal gift of £50 in admiration of her heroic conduct at sea, and The Times newspaper of 19 September 1838, made the statement that her actions formed ‘an instance of heroism on the part of a female unequalled perhaps, and certainly not surpassed, by any on record’. Her receiving of this exceptional medal marked two historic ‘firsts’ - the first issue of a Royal Humane Society gold award to a civilian for a specific act of life-saving at sea, and the very first official British gallantry medal awarded to a female recipient, comprising: Royal Humane Society, Large ‘Honorary’ Gold Medal, Type 2 (1837) by Pistrucci, for ‘successful rescue’, engraved to reverse ‘Grace Darling, VIT. OB. SERV. D. D. SOC. REG. HVM. 1838’ (The Royal Humane Society presented this gift for saving life), 123.01g, 51mm width, in modern fitted case, several small edge knocks and bruises and minor surface marks, otherwise good very fine, and extremely rare; together with associated items (see overleaf) (lot) Altogether an extremely rare and historically significant group of awards to arguably the single most famous life-saving figure of the 19th century, and one of the very earliest official and recognised gallantry awards issued to a lady (4) Included in the lot are: Ornate Gold Presentation Locket, by Fenton, with internal glazed centre containing six lockets of hair, set against a fine silk lining, with facing engraved inscription inside lid ‘To Miss Grace H. Darling, from a few Gentlemen of Arbroath, to mark their sense of her brave conduct on the 7th September, 1838.’ 38.25mm width, with suspension above, extremely fine; A Presentation Silver Ladies’ Tankard, by Robin Albin Cox, bearing hallmarks to base dated 1794, with ‘rococo revival’ outer embellishment, c.1838, engraved at centre with an ornate ‘D’ with the date ‘September 7th 1838’ below; this believed to be the ‘ornate silver mug’ given as a donation by the Lord and Lady Frederick FitzClarence; And a modern, privately-commissioned silver-gilt facsimile medal, cast after the above, hallmarked 1991.
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*The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Civil Division, Knight Commander’s breast star, in silver, gold and enamels, by William Neal for Widdowson & Veale, circa 1850-60, the backplate partially obscured by the addition of a glazed mount containing an unattributed lock of hair, 70mm, with gold brooch-pin, good extremely fine, in fitted case of issue. Ex Peter Maren Collection, Morton & Eden, 2 July 2013, lot 106 and Dix, Noonan & Webb, 1 December 2010, lot 404.
*A Scarce Sea Gallantry Medal for Foreign Services in silver awarded to Seaman Thomas Finnegan, of the American steamship Pennsylvania of Philadelphia, for his role in saving the lives of the crew of the British steamship Falcon of Glasgow, as it foundered in the North Atlantic on 16 November 1890, comprising: Sea Gallantry Medal (Foreign Services), V.R., small silver issue, For Gallantry and Humanity (Thomas Finnegan 16th November 1890.); tiny graffito after date on edge, extremely fine. The Philadelphia Newspaper ‘Western Mail’ published 29 November 1890 recorded the events as follows: ‘THE LOSS OF THE FALCON, Philadelphia, Friday – The steamship Pennsylvania arrived here yesterday with the crew of the steamship Falcon. Captain Williams, of the latter steamship, tells the following story of the wreck of his vessel. The Falcon, with the captain and crew of fifteen hands, sailed from New York for Queenstown on November 2. On the 15th the vessel was found to have sprung a serious leak. She also encountered severe gales, and heavy seas constantly washed over her, completely wrecking the forecastle and crushing the decks. An enormous sea completely smashed the engine-room skylight. Tons of water poured into the engine-room, drowning the fires. All attempts to start fresh fires failed. The ship’s lifeboats were washed away; the water kept gaining in the hold in spite of the contentious pumping; the steering gear was rendered useless, and the vessel wallowed a helpless hulk in the trough of the sea. The signals of distress burned made known the ship’s desperate condition to the crew of the Pennsylvania. After considerable difficulty all hands on the wrecked vessel were rescued. The Falcon was abandoned in latitude 52.12 north, and longitude 23.57. W.’ One gold medal was issued to the Second Officer of the Pennsylvania, with four silver medals and £2 gratuity issued to each of the seamen, all distributed by the Consul at Philadelphia. Offered with useful research. Ex Sotheby’s, 11 May 1989, lot 388
*Naval General Service, 1793-1840, single clasp, Trafalgar (George Toms); once lacquered, tiny reverse edge bruise, otherwise nearly extremely fine. Able Seaman George Toms was born c.1782 in Haverford West, Pembrokeshire, South Wales, and he served aboard H.M.S. Minotaur (74) during the Battle of Trafalgar. From the rear of Admiral Lord Nelson’s Weather Column, the slow-sailing Minotaur, under the command of Captain Charles Mansfield, arrived somewhat late into the action but immediately tore into the Spanish ship Neptuno (80) and saw to its capture. Later on in the battle, seeing that Nelson’ H.M.S. Victory was at risk of being overwhelmed by a counterattack from Rear-Admiral Dumanoir’s squadron, Mansfield steered the Minotaur between Victory and the attacking French ship and exchanged broadsides. H.M.S. Minotaur suffered 25 casualties, and after the battle, Captain Mansfield was rewarded with a Naval Gold Medal and a Lloyd’s sword for his gallantry. George Toms is confirmed as a unique name on the Naval General Service Medal Roll. Ex Glendining, May 1947; and Spink, September 1986.
*Russia, a Khodynka ‘Cup of Sorrows’, 1896: commemorative beaker in gilt and enamelled steel, as distributed to the public to mark the Coronation of Nicholas II and Alexandra in May 1896, height 103mm, several chips to enamel as usually seen and with typical minor manufacturing flaws, generally very fine. A catastrophic stampede amongst revellers celebrating the Coronation, caused partly by rumours that these commemorative beakers each contained a gold coin, led to 1,389 deaths at Khodynka Field, Moscow.
An Original Cannonball salvaged in 1934 from the wreck of the British 32-gun Frigate H.M.S. Lutine, mounted on a wooden plinth made from timber the same ship. The Lutine sunk off the Dutch coast on 9 October 1799, carrying a large shipment of gold, and the ship’s famous ‘Lutine Bell’, salvaged in 1858, still hangs in the rostrum of the underwriter’s room in Lloyd’s of London, and still tolls to this day on ceremonial occasions or in remembrance of major disasters, comprising: Cast iron cannonball or round shot, 110mm diameter, 5.20kg, in good condition, resting upon separate dark wood plinth, bearing the small plaque ‘Cannon Ball salved from H.M.S. “Lutine”, sunk in 1799. Mounted on “Lutine” wood’. Light surface corrosion to cannonball from salvage, but otherwise in good condition, minor splitting and old nail-holes to wooden plinth [collection only] (2)
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