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Click here to subscribeA rare bowdating: circa 1800provenance: JapanWooden bow with edges bent toward the inside, covered with brown lacquer decorated with fish skin geometrical motifs, painted butterflies at the ends, remains of vegetal covering at the centre. Small defects and parts missing.dimensions: height 102 cm.
A cased Thomas center-fire revolverdating: third quarter of the 19th Centuryprovenance: EnglandRifled, blued, octagonal, 380 cal. barrel, stamped, with foresight, frame marked "THOMASS PATENT No. 779 No. 235", serial number "190", checkered wooden butt. In a wooden case lined with green cloth, complete with screwdriver and magazine. Rare.dimensions: length 27 cm.
A cased pair of Smith & Wesson New model n. 3 revolversdating: last quarter of the 19th Centuryprovenance: USAA pair of Smith & Wesson New Model n. 3 revolvers, 44 Russian caliber, with target sights, six inches barrels, in original fitted rosewood veneered case with "Boulle" brass decoration and red velvet relined, with all the original S&W reloading tools and with the rare bulletmould. Cleaning ramrod missing.The guns preserve more than 90% of original finish, with some spots, and about 100% of case hardening color on hammers and trigger guards. Both bores are in perfect condition.dimensions: length 30,5 cm.
A Martini system target rifledating: third quarter of the 19th Centuryprovenance: SwissRifled, octagonal, 6.36 cal. barrel, grooved at the center, with remains of blueing, rear-sight and precision foresight, serial number "3220"; Martini system breech, smooth frame marked "HAEMMERLI & HAUSCH LENZBOURG (SWISS)"; wooden butt and fore-end with checkered neck and palm-rest, set-trigger. Rare.dimensions: length 134 cm.
A rare 1814 model carbine for heavy cavalrydating: first quarter of the 19th Centuryprovenance: PiedmontSmooth, round, 17.5 mm cal. barrel; tang with model "1814"; flintlock with remains of the inscription "Manifattura di Torino", wooden stock with iron mounts, ramrod and hook. Stamps. In patina, never been cleaned or disassembled.dimensions: length 108.5 cm.
A rare Italian Navy percussion musketdating: third quarter of the 19th Centuryprovenance: FranceRound, rifled, 15 mm cal. barrel with stamps, at the tang the sight notch, at the nozzle the foresight and the clutvh for a bayonet; forward spring lock marked "F.x Escoffier Entrep.r M.re Imp.le de St. Etienne", with the date 1861 and the eagle of the First Empire, brass mounts with three numbered barrel brackets; walnut full stock with a round stamp from Piedmont featuring the collar badge of the Order of the Annunciation, dated December 1861.Rare musket, probably adopted by the Italian Navy which used to prefer English style in weapons; in fact, the caliber and design of this musket are unmistakably British.dimensions: length 117 cm.
A rare combined pistol and axe, model 1703dating: 18th Centuryprovenance: SwedenSmooth, two-stage, round and octagonal, 17 mm cal. barrel, with rings at the girdle and remains of a stamp at the base, with moulded muzzle; tang with sight notch; flintlock with slightly roundish plate, stamped; almost straight, wooden haft-stock with marks near the counter-plate, among them a cross within a circle and number "13", roundish pommel; iron mounts, the long tang and the base of the trigger guard functioning as straps; slightly convex-edged axe-blade with remains of blueing, slightly curved beak.dimensions: length 88 cm.
A rare 1891 model bayonetdating: first quarter of the 20th Centuryprovenance: Kingdom of ItalyStraight, single -and false-edged blade, grooved, with remains of marking at the base; grip and quillon (both stamped) consisting a single brass piece, iron button and tooth. Complete with leather scabbard with pocket.dimensions: length 42 cm.
A rare sworddating: 1900provenance: EuropeStraight, double-edged blade of hexagonal section, the first part is gilded and engraved with trophies and floral motifs on a blue background; gilt-brass, bas-relieved hilt, at the rain-guard is the effigy of a sword encircled by a laurel crown among angels, flags and lion`s heads; the quillons decorated with dog and lion, at the guard a medallion with a band of thunderbolts, the pommel in the shape of an eagle`s head, wooden grip covered with mother-of-pearl plates (small parts missing), at the front a shield with the monogram "F". Leather scabbard (damaged) with brass mounts.dimensions: length 96.5 cm.
A superb document featuring a very large portion of the Second Great Seal of Elizabeth I – the Welsh Marches 1586 fine document in the name of Elizabeth I on a leaf of vellum dated 1586 being a special licence of livery granting William Compton his feudal lands on the Welsh Marches hitherto held by the Crown until he attained the age of his majority. Written in a neat secretarial hand in Latin in good condition throughout. Fine calligraphic introduction of the name of the Queen, and bearing a very large portion (about 75%) of the second Great Seal of Elizabeth I. Elizabeth’s second Great Seal was designed by the famous Tudor miniaturist Nicholas Hilliard who was goldsmith, carver and limner to the Queen. It is regarded as the most brilliant of all the English Royal seals and as such examples, which are rare, are avidly sought after by collectors. The seal, measuring approx 6 ins in diameter, features the Queen in Royal Robes as Sovereign of the Garter on the obverse with much symbolism, including her robes supported by hands issuing from clouds. On the reverse the Queen is shown holding the orb and sceptre, seated side saddle on a horse. This seal did not come into use until 1586 so that the example on the present document is clearly one of the first times it was issued. Walter Compton, William Compton’s father, acquired the Manor of Hartpury in Gloucestershire in 1551 and it remained in the Compton family until the end of the 19th c. Part of the Manor is now a University College and centre of sports excellence, particularly for equestrianism.
China – Slavery – An important document in the history of China. This, and the following lots, are documents which do not exist in China but have emanated from former Spanish colonies. The documents are immigration contracts for Chinese workers (not African slaves). Brought to Cuba on eight year contract to work alongside African slaves they represented the first formal Chinese immigration to Latin America. After eight years completion they were granted freedom and Cuban Citizenship and led to the creation of the largest Latin American Chinatown. The area of history is often referred to as “Middle passage of Chinese to Cuba” as Cuban Consular Agents would go to China to recruit with promise and deception of a better life. Most often Chinese Pirates would capture people and sell them to Cuba on eight year contracts to work in Sugar plantations and build railways. The highly skilled Chinese were very sought after, eventually creating a thriving Cuban Chinatown. The Governor of Hong Kong officially prevented slave boats from entering Hong Kong harbour in 1855. This coincided with the “British Passenger Act of 1855” prohibiting British controlled ports from loading Chinese coolies for non-British destinations. Ships immediately sailed to Macau where corrupt Portuguese guards forced coolies on board. Vargas & Company Macau was the coolie agent chartering American slave ships partnered with Torices, Ferran & Dupierris & Company of Cuba. Ships fitted as prisons and in 1854 a Royal decree issued by Spain and China to halt slave trade. An original contract document issued by the Government of Cuba for a Chinese slave worker brought from China to the island to work on the railway. Printed document with ms insertions, written in Spanish. The document outlines the duration of the contract, the nature of the work, the hours to be worked per day, and the payment – which is listed as ‘0’. Signed by the slave with Chinese characters to base and by a representative of the Cuban Government. The document also bears the embossed stamp of the railway company. This is an extremely rare document which has only recently come to light and brings to the fore an aspect of Chinese history which has been largely forgotten – where thousands of Chinese were shipped as slaves by the Spanish to work on engineering and agricultural projects.
American War of Independence ‘The manner in which the American Colonies declared themselves Independent of the King of England throughout the different Provinces on July 4 1776’.Rare print by Hamilton, showing a crowd receiving the news from a man reading the declaration of independence. A little dusty overall, but otherwise unblemished approx 14x8ins.
Ephemera – Royalty – George V rare copy of the official souvenir for the joint address to both Houses of Parliament of George V at Westminster Hall on May 9th 1935 on the occasion of his Silver Jubilee, green leather boards with gilt decoration on cover, and gravure plates showing scenes from the occasion.
A rare example of the Great Seal of Elizabeth II – Ephemera – Royalty – a rare example of the Great Seal of Elizabeth II, contained in its original red morocco bound skippet featuring the Royal Coat of Arms in gilt to lid and with the original gold and burgundy cord, cut short and terminated in red wax. The seal itself is executed in red wax and features a portrait of the enthroned Queen holding the orb and sceptre to obverse and the Queen on horseback to reverse – this traditional image of the Monarch on the Great Seal of England has been used throughout history, with its origins dating back to the time of the early Medieval Kings. This is an example of the first Great Seal of Elizabeth II – as with her predecessor of the same name, a second Great Seal has been produced which is now in use today. The seal measures approx 6 inches in diameter and is in mint condition. Examples of the Great Seal of the present Monarch, unlike documents signed by the Queen, are rarely offered for sale. The present example has a somewhat curious history. According to a letter from Sir Denis Dobson, Clerk of the Crown in Chancery of the House of Lords which accompanies it, this was originally affixed to a Royal Letters Patent which was ‘prepared for an eventuality which did not subsequently arise, resulting in the document being discarded but the Seal preserved for award by the Lord Chancellor at his discretion to any person recognised as having achieved due merit in the Service of the Crown...’
The Proclamation of Elizabeth II as Queen Royalty – Elizabeth II an original printed Proclamation for the Accession of Elizabeth II to be Queen dated February 6th 1952, printed on a large sheet of paper approx 30x22ins, in near mint condition. The Document is in the name of the ‘Lords Spiritual and Temporal’ assisted ‘with these of His late Majesty’s Privy Council’ and announces the death of George VI and the accession of ‘the High and Mighty Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary’ in the traditional language of such documents which has not changed for centuries. The document is surmounted by the Royal Coat of Arms, and lists some 200 names of people who would have signed the original manuscript proclamation. Included in this list are Sir Winston Churchill, David Maxwell Fyfe (chief prosecutor at the Nuremburg Trials), Clement Atlee, Anthony Eden and Aneurin Bevan as well as a large number of Royal Courtiers. A rare document. Although printed and of the present reign, documents of this nature rarely appear on the market. By their very nature they were produced for use at the time and many copies of this document would have been destroyed either at the time or in the intervening years. The present example was obtained at the time and has not been seen in public since.
Royalty – The Proclamation of the Queen’s Coronation – Elizabeth II an original printed proclamation dated June 6th 1952 issued in the name of the Queen announcing the date of her Coronation, printed on a large sheet of paper approx 40x30in, in good condition. The document uses the language as determined for such proclamations which has been used in this country for centuries, and lists the people who will perform the various duties required by the ceremony, headed by Prince Philip. The document is surmounted by the Royal Coat of Arms. A rare document. Although printed and of the present reign, documents of this nature rarely appear on the market. By their very nature they were produced for use at the time and many copies of this document would have been destroyed either at the time or in the intervening years. The present example was obtained at the time and has not been seen in public since.
Ephemera – Northumberland – coal mining disaster Full Particulars of the fearful Colliery Accident by which 204 miners were buried alive, with a copy of the Queen’s letter sympathising with the bereaved. London, W S Fortey, ‘Steam Printer & Publisher’. No date but 1862 8vo, 8pp, pages browned as per usual, woodcut illustration to front showing a winter scene [and having no bearing whatsoever on the content of the pamphlet!]. Appears complete, and with the back page devoted to the Llanerch Colliery Explosion in Wales in which 160 people were killed. Good condition. Rare. The accident happened at Hartley Pit in Northumberland and was caused by the shattering of a beam engine used to pump water from the single shaft mine. The loss of life was huge even by Victorian standards and as indicated, Queen Victoria sent a personal message to the bereaved families.
A rare publication on Methodism Methodists A Vindication of the people called Methodists in answer to a report from the clergy of a district in the Diocese of Lincoln in a letter to Thomas Thompson Esq Banker, in Hull, by Joseph Benson, a Preacher among the Methodists. London, G Story 1800. Original crude paper covers stitched, 42pp 8vo, some fraying to edges but interior contents appear good. A rare publication.
Fashion 1839 The Art of Dress or Guide to the Toilette with directions for adapting the various parts of the female costumer to the complexion and figure, hints on cosmetics &c, embellished with engravings from designs by Frank Howard Esq, London Charles Tilt, Fleet Street 1839. Boards a little loose, minor foxing to some pages, appears complete with hand coloured plates. Rare. We have only been able to trace two copies on the market at the moment.
Roads 1771 a new and accurate description of all the direct and principal cross Roads in Great Britain...by Daniel Paterson, 1771, bound together with A Travelling Dictionary or Alphabetical Tables of the distance of all the principal cities, borough market and sea port towns in Great Britain from each other.... by Daniel Paterson 1772. Original calf boards, top cover loose by easily repaired in our estimation. A rare and sought after work on Britain’s roads – later editions carried route maps, but this early edition was without maps.
Judaica – The Eighth Crusade – uncensored disclosures of a British Staff Officer. A classic of Nazi/Fascist anti-Semitic propaganda. This copy with the rare printed paper band to front cover: ‘...England is the victim of her own hypocrisy and her own duplicity; in trying to compass the downfall of others, Britain has merely succeeded in playing into the hands of the Jews...’ Also bearing an inscription from a German giving the copy as a gift dated Hamburg October 1939 and with a further inscription, possibly by the recipient ‘Rot – kept as a sample of what these extremists may do...’ [unfortunately for the world, they did].
WWII – Hitler – Mein Kampf – Signed by Hitler weeks before his death – Jubilee Edition good copy of the 1939 Jubilee Edition produced to celebrate Hitler’s 50th birthday. Blue morocco boards, with gilt sword device and title to front cover. Bearing the signature of Adolf Hitler to inside cover, with the remarkable date of March 5th 1945. Hitler lived out of the last few months of his life in the Berlin bunker, making only very rare appearances in public. Material bearing his signature during those last days is consequently of extreme rarity. The present copy is of the Jubilee Edition of Mein Kampf which was sumptuously produced to celebrate Hitler’s 50th birthday in April 1939. This edition is itself rare. The lot is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity issued by Don Boyle, of Third Reich World War II, of 481 Main Street, Taylor, Pennsylvania. Note: the illustration on our website for this item is a composite to show the signature and inscription in detail.
A remarkable record of the ATS in WWII – the official log book of the 41st Dorset shire ‘C’ Company Group 8 ATS, detailing its activities from formation on December 5th 1939 to its disbandment on October 14th 1940, written in a neat hand by the log keeper who signs as Volunteer D Ball. The log is augmented with a wealth of photographs of the members of the Company, both as individuals and also in group shots, official documents, letters, press cuttings, and original poetry. A fine record of a front line unit of the ATS chronicling its activities before disbandment, when members were dispersed throughout the British Army. The ATS was hurriedly formed in the wake of the outbreak of war, and this particular unit had the vital task of providing logistical support in one of the most at-risk zones of the south coast under the constant threat of imminent invasion by the Nazis. A rare surviving record of an often forgotten aspect of WWII.
WWII – A rare archive of a British woman agent – Captain Evelyn Cogdon small archive including photographs, correspondence, signed menus, official letters of promotion, a photograph of allied parachutists and various other documents all relating to Cogdon – a Captain attached to the Inter-Services Research Bureau [ie the Special Operations Executive]. Evelyn Cogdon had the cover of a driver in the Women’s Transport Service, but in her secret role she commanded up to 150 service women at English country houses who were in radio contact with Allied agents behind enemy lines and organisations such as the French Resistance. She served at Grendon Hall – a base also linked to the legendary British women agents Odette and Violette Szabo – and also had links with highly important radio stations at Thame Park, Oxon, and Poundon House, Bucks. It is also entirely plausible that she was also involved in Bletchley Park, which was nearby. The photographs in this archive show her with her colleagues, and the correspondence relates to her special training for work of a ‘confidential nature’. The archive also contains letters to Cogdon from her former colleagues written after the war, and in part these bear out the frustration of some of this highly talented and brave women when they returned to mundane domesticity after the war. There is also a remarkably trite letter written from the Women’s Transport Service in 1946 pointing out that this brave woman who carried out heaven knows what acts of courage throughout the war was not really entitled to her full allocation of clothing coupons because of some regulation or other – how typically British ! Archives relating to high level agents are naturally scarce on the market and this is a particular important source of information.
WWII – rare French leaflet attacking Britain by listing various leading British people who are quoted as having made anti-French remarks in the past. Those included are Churchill (obviously), Nelson & Wellington (obviously) but there are also less obvious candidates such as Lord Byron, Oscar Wilde and Edward VII. Such is the nature of the leaflet that some are listed by crudely misspelt names such as ‘Elizabeth Browing’ and ‘Miss Parsons’ (who ?).
Ephemera – Austerity Poster 1930s rare poster issued in Britain during the 1930s issued by the United Democrats, with the headline ‘It’s No Use Just Being Sorry – You can End All This.’ The striking graphic illustrates the sort of anomalies taking place then during a period of austerity, which has uncanny echoes of exactly what is happening now-it attacks ‘Millions of Fish thrown back into the sea’ ‘Millions of Oranges thrown into the sea’ a farmer ‘arrested for growing too many acres of potatoes’ ‘instruments of production being broken up’ and ‘burning tens of thousands of slaughtered cattle and sheep’. In the centre is a poverty stricken family with the headline ‘We do not eat on Thursdays.’ Printed in black on white paper approx 44x36ins, in good condition.
Ephemera – Receipt fine receipt issued by J Innell, tea dealer, coffee roaster and general grocer in High Town, Ross [on Wye], dated 1852, and featuring a fine engraved vignette showing the shop with stage coach outside. Issued to ‘Mr Cornwall Lewis Committee’ for ‘16 refreshment tickets’, and bearing a copy of one of the tickets pinned to the receipt. The ticket is for ‘necessary refreshment to the value of four shillings’ for the Herefordshire Election of that year. A rare example. Together with a printed tax receipt issued in Cheltenham, no date but probably 19th c.
Ephemera – tobacco an early tobacco broker’s price list issued by Lushington Mayor, Brokes & Merchants, 33 Mark Lane in the City, London, dated 1798. A detailed printed bill listing different types of Virginia and Maryland tobacco, also sugar & coffee. Prices are added in ms. Approx 10x4ins, fine condition. Rare.
An extremely rare and highly sought after book – Travel and Exploration [Captain Cook] ‘A New Authentic and complete collection of Voyages Round the World undertaken and performed by Royal Authority, containing a new, authentic, entertaining full and complete history of Captain Cook’s first , second, third and last voyages...’ London, Alex Hogg [1784-86], complete in one volume, half of folding map missing and final few pages, but otherwise appears complete. Some slight staining and dusting affecting some of the plates, but otherwise plates and maps in strong condition, close tear to frontispiece portrait of Cook. Top cover detached. A copy in a fair condition of this extremely rare and sought after official record of Cook’s voyages around the world.
Cricket – Eton College – Boating & Cricket 1861 a rare copy of the Eton Register recording boating and cricket activity at the College for 1861, with teams listed and short reports on matches etc. We understand that this was published around the time of the first ‘Eton Chronicle’ but appears to be unknown. The document is of great interest from the lists of students taking part in the matches who doubtless went on to become the movers and shakers of the latter part of the 19th c.
English Civil War – an excessively rare printed handbill demonstrating the chaos which followed the fall of Richard Cromwell The Engagement and Remonstrance of the City of London, subscribed by 23500 hands, dated 1659. One side of a folio sheet, neatly laid to an album page, in good condition. A remarkable and excessively rare document. This was almost certainly secretly printed and recent research has ascribed it to the mercurial Sir Roger L’Estrange, who about this time was responsible for the production of what can be reasonably regarded as the world’s first newspapers. This is in effect a desperate plea from the Citizens of London to have the excessive numbers of troops and militia companies apart from those that properly belonged to the guard, removed from the City within 12 hours. It is estimated that this was issued in December 1659, at the very end of the brief rule of Richard Cromwell as Lord Protector when the country was in turmoil and in real danger of falling into marshal law. The troops had not been paid during the time of Richard’s rule and were understandably furious. In the political vacuum which hastened the end of Richard’s rule, thousands of troops had converged on the City of London and their presence was badly affecting trade. The chances of a military coup were imminent, and it was only the swift actions of George Monck who engineered the return of King Charles II that the crisis finally was stabilised.
[Brunel] The Thames Tunnel a fine example of the rare early 19th ‘peep show’ of the Thames Tunnel, by B Azulay, Perspective View Manufacturer, Counters 27, 41 and 62, Thames Tunnel. In original outerbox, a little soiled and slightly depressed but otherwise completely intact, and with printed label of explanation to rear. Hand colouring to decorative engraved illustration to box cover, by the noted engraver T Brandon, which depicts the visit by Queen Victoria to the tunnel workings in 1843. Interior contents appear completely intact, with bright vibrant hand colouring. The four pull-out pages of the peepshow are in remarkably good condition especially the cut out boats and ships at the top which appear complete and undamaged – a particularly rare feature in this type of ephemera which was of course very vulnerable to damage through constant use over the years. From the information on the box cover, this was produced by the firm which was considered the best of a number in this field, and it is particularly interesting that this was clearly bought inside the tunnel itself as the firm had three counters situated inside. The building of the Thames Tunnel, commenced by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel and finally completed after considerable difficulties by his son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, caused a sensation and led to the production of this ‘peep show’, which features a concertina arrangement of paper which when extended allows the viewer to see through to the end of the tunnel and get a perspective and remarkably realistic view. These were considerably popular in their day but such was the fragility of the paper that few examples exist today in such a good state of preservation.
The Drunken Parish Clerk of Alnwick – Northumberland – Alnwick delicious archive of documents, letters etc 1833 relating to the dismissal of Thomas Patterson, the Parish Clerk for being persistently drunk during divine service, and his replacement by the Church Authorities. The archive appears to cover the entire case, because Patterson fought his corner, eventually taking it to the High Court in order to keep his job. The archive includes legal papers drawn up for the case, official notices giving him the sack, letters – some of which describe his ‘abominable’ conduct (one at least at a funeral where he was dead drunk) etc etc. A rare and highly illuminating archive to say the least.
India – Relic of the Indian Mutiny – Original Portrait of King of Delhi with two framed Peepal leafs from the historic tree under which British Women and children were massacred at Delhi with a handwritten note on the reverse. A very rare collection of items relating to the Delhi massacre of British and Europeans in May 1857 under a Peepul tree in the Delhi Palace courtyard on the orders of the King of Delhi which started the Indian Mutiny. The miniature paintings are of the King of Delhi & the Jama Masjid Delhi. The 2 leaves in the frame are explained by the old handwritten note on the reverse reading: ‘Delhi 1858 Peepul leaves from the tree under which the King of Delhi massacred 40 of our country people (chiefly women).’ In 1857 the ageing King of Delhi Bhahadur Shah II was a mere pupet ruler under British protection who had no power and was only an emperor within the confines of his palace at Delhi’s Red Fort. When the Indian Mutiny began in May 1857 the native rebel sepoys reached Delhi and From beneath the windows of the King’s apartments in the palace they called on him to acknowledge and lead them. Bahadur Shah did nothing at this point (apparently treating the sepoys as ordinary petitioners) but others in the palace were quick to join the revolt. During the day the revolt spread. European officials and dependents Indian Christians and shop keepers within the city were killed some by sepoys and others by crowds of rioters. The news of these events finally tipped the sepoys stationed around Delhi into open rebellion. The next day Bahadur Shah held his first formal court for many years. It was attended by many excited or unruly sepoys. The King was alarmed by the turn events had taken but eventually accepted the sepoys’ allegiance and agreed to give his countenance to the rebellion. On 16 May up to 50 Europeans who had been held prisoner in the palace or had been discovered hiding in the city were killed by the King’s servants under a peepul tree in a courtyard outside the palace. The news of the events at Delhi spread rapidly provoking uprisings among sepoys and disturbances in many districts. Bahadur Shah Zafar was proclaimed the Emperor of the whole of India as the Mutiny gained momentum and the massacre of the British women and children beneath the peepul tree of the Palace courtyard acted as catalyst accelerating the uprising and eventual heavy handed reprisals by the mutiny – crushing forces of the British East India Company Army. As a whole a historical document and artefact of the Mutiny. Frame height 29.5cm width 23cm.
British India – Ten early 19th c Lithographs of Burma – 1825. A rare set of ten lithographs of the Anglo-Burmese War from views taken at and near Rangoon, colour aquatints by George Hunt after J Moore. Engraved by G Hunt, published 1825. The First Anglo-Burmese War arose from friction between Arakan in Western Burma and British-held Chittagong to the north. After Burma`s defeat of the Kingdom of Arakan in 1784–1785, in 1823, Burmese forces again crossed the frontier and the British responded with a large seaborne expedition that took Rangoon without a fight in 1824. In Danuphyu, south of Ava, the Burmese general Maha Bandula was killed and his armies routed. The 1826 Treaty of Yandabo formally ended the First Anglo-Burmese War, the longest and the most expensive war in British India history. Fifteen thousand European and Indian soldiers died, together with an unknown number of Burmese army and civilian casualties. The campaign cost the British five million pounds sterling to 13 million pounds sterling that led to a severe economic crisis in British India in 1833. A rare set of prints of Burma.
India – Punjab – Maharajah Duleep Singh a fine and hitherto unknown albumen print of Duleep Singh showing him seated in deerstalker and tweeds as part of a Scottish hunting party, dated Thornham 1877. Also in the photograph are Hon A Henniker Major, Hon R L Melville, the Marquis of Ormonde, Lord Henniker, Hon A Henniker, Lord Homesdale, and J R Gladstone. The photograph, measuring approx 20x15cms, is mounted on a large album page and to its side is a neatly drawn ms table showing the results of the shoot at Thornham Hall that week – totalling more than 2,000 creatures killed. Original photographs of the last Maharajah of the Punjab are excessively rare and highly sought after.
A RARE MEDIEVAL STONE QUERN, the top carved with a recumbent hound curling around the central aperture with a triangular dog-tooth border below, the triform base with three panelled feet, probably circa 1200, 9.5" dia. X 11.25" high and a similar quern, probably French, 12th/13th century, 11" dia. X 10.75" high (2) These extremely rare querns may be compared to an almost identical example in the collection of the National Trust at Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire (National Trust Object Inventory No. 516569: "Quern Flour Mill carved with a sleeping fox dated 1200 - 1299). Bearing in mind the similarities in terms of design, decoration and materials, it would seem highly likely that the present hound querns and the fox quern found in the grounds at Anglesey Abbey were made by the same workshop. Previously known as Anglesey Priory, the Abbey was built by a community of Augustinian Canons, sometime during the reign of Henry I. Like many other Augustinian Houses it became a hospital. Academic opinion differs in the likely purpose of the querns. Bearing in mind their form and design, it is likely they were made for a high status individual and were probably intended for the ritualistic grinding of medicinal preparations, or salt, as they are, perhaps, too sophisticated to have been used for flour. This theory is supported by the presence of a fox on the Anglesey Abbey example, since a fox was often used in medieval manuscripts to portray a physician. It has also been suggested that the querns may have been intended to release a small volume of limestone into the preparation as it was believed to have a curative effect.
A rare George III provincial Irish silver basting spoon by Maurice Fitzgerald of Limerick, with old English feather edge and engraved monogram for H above WOB, marked “MFG Sterling MFG”. For reference see Bowen, John R. and O’Brien, Conor “A Celebration of Limerick’s Silver” some wear to engraved edges and overall, approx 3.5 ozt
A rare Chichester Old bank white five pound note, for Willm. Ridge, Chas. Ridge & Willm. Newland, marked £5, 2 June 1841, serial number L1951, signature of William Ridge low right, reverse with revenue seal and stamp from Dolphin Inn Chichester 20 December 1841, two cancellation perforations
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