What: Shield

Where: The Highlanders’ Museum, Ardersier, Inverness, Scotland IV2 7TD

Status: Clear link to Maqdala. Among other indicators, the shield is marked: “Taken at Magdala by the British Troops 13th April 1868”.

Provenance: The shield is included on the Highlanders’ Museum website, in a post titled: “Ethiopian Shield taken from the Battle of Maqdala”. That post identifies the shield as plunder and discusses attitudes to looting then and now.

The shield is clearly linked to Maqdala through the two engravings that say: “Taken at Magdala by the British Troops 13th April 1868” and “Lieutenant General Sir Patrick Grant GCB GC MG from W Arbuthnot”.

William Arbuthnot was a Scottish-born officer on the Abyssinian Expedition and Aide-de-Camp to its commander, Robert Napier. He made a significant collection of artefacts from Maqdala, including the Edinburgh tabot, the Westminster Abbey tabot and some horn beakers, later decorated in engraved silver.

There is a good chance this “Highlanders’ shield” is the one in this photo of Arbuthnot’s Abyssinian collection from the time.

Patrick Grant was a senior Indian Army officer who did not take part in the Abyssinian Expedition, but had close links with its commander, Robert Napier. Grant was born in Inverness-shire, went on to become the acting Commander-in-Chief in India during the 1857 “Indian Mutiny”, and was a pall-bearer at Napier’s funeral. Grant is described as a friend in Napier’s biography, which also says that, at one point, Napier saved Grant’s life.

More research is needed on the circumstances around Arbuthnot giving the shield to Grant. There are examples of pieces of Maqdala treasure being presented to senior figures, including then US President Ulysses S Grant, in a sharing of the spoils.

This shield is very similar to other sheilds linked to Maqdala and listed on this website.

Materials: Leather, Silver

Size: 55cm