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1862 - QUEEN VICTORIA SIGNED APPOINTMENT TO
ROYAL ENGINEERS
Item Ref: BSL - Queen Victoria
signed Appt 1862
Victoria signs the Lieutenancy Appointment of John Hill, Gentleman
Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria (1819-1901)
Reigned as Queen 1837 - 1901
Longest Reigning Monarch of England
Albert Prince Consort
A Strong Bold Signature of a still grieving Queen Victoria. Her
loss of her friend and husband, Prince Albert, the previous December would
weigh on her for more than a dozen years. She continued to wear
black in his memory and many of her portraits in later years are shown with her wearing
her "Widow's Weeds". Despite her personal sadness and seclusion,
she did not neglect her official duties and is here seen signing the
Appointment of Lieutenant John Hill, Gentleman, to the Royal
Engineers. Also signing on behalf of the War Office is General the Right
Honourable Sir Edward Lugard, G.C.B.
General The Rt. Hon Sir Edward Lugard
G.C.B. 1810 - 1898
(Colonel the 31st Regiment 1862-1881)
Biographical Note
Born in
1810, the son of an Army Captain, Sir Edward took part in some of the
greatest military endeavours of the 19th century. He served in the
ultimately disastrous British invasion of Afghanistan and occupation of
Kabul. Having survived that campaign, he became Assistant Adjutant
General to the army which fought and defeated the Sikhs in the Sutlej
campaign of 1845-1846. Despite being wounded at the Battle of Moodkee,
he took part in the action at Aliwal only seven weeks later. In his
despatch, the legendary Major General Sir Harry Smith described
Lugard as “a cool, intrepid and trustworthy officer”. Promoted
again, he was Adjutant General for the Punjab (1848-1849), then Deputy
Adjutant General, Bombay (1854-1857)
In 1856 the British invaded Persia, and Sir Edward accompanied the
expeditionary force as Chief of Staff to Major General Sir James Outram.
Unlike the Kabul affair, it achieved its aims swiftly and with few
losses. In 1857 Sir Edward returned to India to the appointment of
Adjutant General. No sooner had he taken up this post than mutiny broke
out in the Army of Bengal, an event recorded by British historians as
the Great Sepoy Mutiny of 1857-1858. Sir Edward was given command of the
2nd Division of Infantry, and he led it in the fierce battles to rescue
the garrison at Lucknow.
In 1859, after nearly three decades of warfare in the east, Lugard
came home to a series of senior appointments in the War Office
(including that of Under-Secretary for War, 1861-1871). It was during
this time that he signed this Appointment. It was also in 1862 that he
became Colonel of the 31st Regiment of Foot, so it was fitting that
he should have been appointed to the same post for The East Surrey
Regiment upon its formation in 1881. He had retired in the previous year
to his home in Notting Hill, London, but continued to take an active
role in the affairs of his old regiment’s successor until his death,
still in command, in 1898. By then, he was eighty-eight years of age.
His combined service as Colonel of the old 31st Regiment, and
subsequently The East Surrey Regiment amounted to the remarkable total
of thirty-six years. A memorial to Sir Edward is in All Saints Parish
Church, Kingston-upon-Thames.
Document Specifications: Fine Royal Appointment, Signed by Victoria as Queen and Sir Edward Lugard as the Under Secretary for War. One page folio on thick stock paper measuring 16" wide x 12" tall (405mm x 303mm) and dated June 27th 1862. Embossed with the paper over wax Royal Seal and further embossed with a blue paper, cancel and cypher seal Revenue Stamp in the Amount of £1.10Sh. Very fine, bold dark signature of Victoria Regina. Three normal vertical file folds as expected and a few very minor stains none affecting printed document or signature. Docketed on the reverse as well as a complementary Revenue Paper Stamp Seal. A Very Fine example of a Royal Appointment Signed by her Majesty Queen Victoria.
Offered
by Berryhill & Sturgeon, Ltd. .................................
$ SOLD