The Prince and the Plunder

A book on how Britain took one boy and piles of treasures from Ethiopia

Category: Military

Soldier’s silver anklet

Published June 18, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: An anklet, with incised ornament, “worn by soldiers”, bought from Major Holland

Where: The Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd, Knightsbridge, London SW7 2RL

The catalogue entry reads: “Anklet. Silver with incised ornament, worn by soldiers. Abyssinian. Price £1.0.0. Purchased from Major Holland. Date of receipt from stores 26th April 1869…

“The vendor may have been Major Trevenen James Holland who, with a military colleague, Sir Henry Montague Hozier, provided the only official account of the expedition on the orders of the Secretary of State for War. Their Record of the Expedition to Abyssinia was published in two volumes in 1870.”

Museum number:
1731-1869

Posted In Armour & apparel | Military | The Plunder
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Shield covered in blue velvet, and silver gilt

Published June 18, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: A shield from the 18th or 19th century, covered in blue velvet with applied silver-gilt embossed and filigree mounts, with a commemorative brass plaque

Where: The Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd, Knightsbridge, London SW7 2RL

The catalogue entry reads: “This shield was taken by the Royal Naval Brigade serving with British troops at the siege of Magdala (Mek’dala) in 1868. It was placed on loan at the South Kensington museum (later renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum) by the Lords of the Admiralty in 1868.”

Museum number:
M.24:1, 2-2005

Posted In Military | Shields | The Plunder
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Napier’s shield, ‘taken at Magdala’

Published June 18, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: A shield from Magdala presented to Robert Napier, the commander of the British forces

Where: The Royal Engineers Museum, Prince Arthur Rd, Gillingham ME7 1UR

The catalogue entry reads: “Abyssinian shield, in decorated leather with silver mounts. The circular shield forms a convex shape with a silver finial at the end. There are a series of silver metal plates alternating with plain rectangular and shaped forms ending in a floral design. They are indispersed with smaller decorative elements. On the bottom rectangular plate is inscribed; “Taken at Magdala April 13th 1868. Presented to Lord Napier of Magdala by her Majesty’s Government.”

Details
Object number: 1203.1.6
Diameter: 600 mm

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A pair of spurs *

Published June 18, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: A pair of spurs “owned by Sir Charles Fraser and acquired by him in Abyssinia during the Abyssinian campaign, 1868”

Where: The National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4HT

The catalogue entry describes a “pair of spurs, 1868 (c); wrought iron ten pointed rowel mounted in a double bracket which attaches to a heel grip; the outside of the grips and the rowel mount are decorated with small swags and dots; owned by Sir Charles Fraser and acquired by him in Abyssinia during the Abyssinian campaign, 1868.

Museum accession number
Horse Furniture 1965-04-45-

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Shield with silver mounts

Published June 18, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: Hide shield with silver mounts, engraved: “N. H. Stewart Dragoon Guards Magdala April 13 1868”

Where: Unknown

Pictured on page 27 of the catalogue ‘Wars, Art, Racism & Slavery‘, published in 2009 by the collector and dealer Michael Graham-Stewart.

AbeBooks describes ‘Wars, Art, Racism & Slavery‘ as ‘A catalogue of Michael Graham-Stewart Slavery Collection which was purchased by the National Maritime Museum [National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London] in 2002, having been assembled by Graham-Stewart over a period of 14 years.” But there is no mention of the shield in the Greenwich museums’ online database.

Images of the shield and the central engraving are also on sale at Bridgeman Images.

A disc around the centre of the shield is engraved: “N. H. Stewart Dragoon Guards Magdala April 13 1868”.

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