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1901 - EDWARD VII APPOINTS A LT-COLONEL OF THE IMPERIAL YEOMANRY
AS A COMPANION OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ORDER
ISSUED SHORTLY AFTER HIS CORONATION IN HIS FIRST YEAR OF REIGN
COUNTER SIGNED BY THE EARL OF MIDLETON, ST. JOHN BRODRICK, SECRETARY OF
STATE
Dated the 26th of September, 1901, In the First Year of Edward's Reign
Appointment to be a Companion of
Our Distinguished Service Order
Edward VII Stamped Signature
St. John Brodrick, 1st Earl Midleton
autographed signature
Edward VII as King of England &
St John Brodrick as Secretary of State
with the Department of War
Document
is stamp signed by Edward VII and personally signed "St.
John Brodrick" as The Principal Secretary of State having
the Department of War for the time being, partially printed
document with manuscript annotations, conferring a Companion
of the Most Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on Bertram
Firman, Esquire, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Imperial
Yeomanry, with embossed seal in fine condition. Most
documents from this period are offered with the stamped
signature of Edward. A very nice signed document from
England's most controversial Sovereign of the Twentieth
Century and his equally controversial Secretary of State.
Historical Note
William St John Fremantle Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton (1856-1942)
Commonly known as St
John Brodrick, the 1st Earl of Midelton came of a Surrey family
who in the 17th century, in the persons of Sir St. John Brodrick and Sir
Thomas Brodrick, obtained grants of land in the south of Ireland. Sir
St. John Brodrick settled at Midleton, between Cork and Youghal in 1641;
and his son Alan Brodrick (1660-1728), speaker of the Irish House of
Commons and lord chancellor of Ireland, was created Baron Brodrick in
1715 and Viscount Midleton in 1717 in the Irish peerage. In 1796 the
title of Baron Brodrick in the Peerage of Great Britain was created. The
English family seat at Peper Harow, near Godalming, Surrey, was designed
by Sir William Chambers. William Brodrick, 8th Viscount Midleton was a
conservative in politics, who for a few years had a seat in the House of
Commons, and who was responsible in the House of Lords for carrying the
Infants Protection Act. After being at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford,
and serving as president of the Oxford Union, Brodrick entered
Parliament as Conservative member for Surrey West in 1880. From 1886 to
1892 he was financial secretary to the war office; Under-Secretary of
State for War, 1895-1898; Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
1898-1900; Secretary of State for War, 1900-1903; and Secretary
of State for India, 1903-1905.
His sister, the Hon. Marian Cecilia Brodrick, married Sir James
Whitehead, who was to become the British Ambassador to Austria. Their
daughter Agathe was the first wife of Georg Ritter von Trapp; the story
of their children and his second wife, Maria von Trapp was the basis of
the musical The Sound of Music.
Document Specifications:
This is an authentic, official Royal
Notice of Appointment by King Edward VII on buff, heavy, wove paper and measuring
≈ 8¼"
wide x 13"
tall (210mm x 333mm). It is in Fine Condition and bears the
stamped signature of Edward, R.I. as King of
England on the top left of the first page and the autograph signature of
St. John Brodrick signing as the Secretary of State on the bottom right of the page.
It is dated the
26th of September, 1901, In the First Year of Edward's Reign as his
Coronation had just taken place in August.
Printed in calligraphic text
with handwritten particulars on one page only of a bifolium (single
larger sheet folded in half to form four sides or pages) with an
light blue paper over wax embossed seal. The condition of this very
early Edwardian Appointment is only fine as there are several tears at
the folds and heavy creasing, none affecting signatures. It is however
an authentic, original, official Royal Appointment that was executed in
the first year of Edward VII's reign, as such it is scarce.
Offered
by Berryhill & Sturgeon, Ltd.