I offer for sale a wonderful British Victorian P.1845 Presentation Sword, girded on two “Knights of the Shire” respectively, (two very prominent Members of the House of Parliament – Queen Victoria’s government) in July 1865.
The first recipient was the Right Honourable - Lord Henry Frederick Thynne (portrait available on request), who had entered the House of Commons in 1859 as a member of Parliament for South Wiltshire. He was presented with the sword on 19th July 1965. Henry Thynne was a Victorian Conservative Politician, who served under Benjamin Disraeli as Treasurer of the Household, between 1875 and 1880. In 1876 Lord Thynne was admitted to the Privy Counsel as a privy counsellor to HM Queen Victoria and a made Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire.
Lord Thynne was the second son of Henry Thynne – 3rd Marquess of Bath, and his wife the Honourable Harriet Baring, daughter of Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton. John Thynne, 4th Marquess of Bath, was his elder brother. Apart from his political career Lord Thynne was also a Major in the Wiltshire Yeomanry Cavalry. He died in January 1904 aged 71 years.
The second recipient of this sword was the Right Honourable Lord Charles William Brudenell-Bruce, styled simply as “Lord Charles Bruce” (portrait available on request), who was a soldier (Captain in the 1st Life Guards) and a Liberal Party Politician. He served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household under Prime Minister - William Ewart Gladstone between 1880 and 1885.
Bruce sat as Member of Parliament for North Wiltshire from 1865 to 1874, and for Marlborough from 1878 to 1885. In 1880 he was sworn to the Privy Council and appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household under Prime Minister William Gladstone, a post he held until the Liberal government fell in 1885.
He was also an honorary Major in the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry.
Bruce was the son of Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Marquess of Ailesbury, by his second wife – Maria Elizabeth Tollemache, daughter of the honourable Charles Tollemache, of Harrington, Northamptonshire. George Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Marquess of Ailesbury, and Ernest Brudenell-Bruce, 3rd Marquess of Ailesbury, were his elder half-brothers.
Bruce married Augusta Georgiana Sophia Seymour, daughter of Frederick Charles William Seymour and granddaughter of Lord Hugh Seymour, on 2nd February 1860. They had no children. He died in April 1897 aged 62 years.
The final name engraved on the scabbard throat is that of Thomas Henry Allen Poynder – High Sheriff of Wiltshire(?)
And back to details of the sword:
On looking closely at the brass Proof slug at the ricasso of the 32 ½ inch long Pattern 1845 blade It is pretty worn away but might possibly be that of Edward Thurkle (Senior)? Of 104 High Holborn, London, there is what is left of a cloverleaf motif just visible. Otherwise the blade is unsigned. The blade is decorated with swags of Acanthus leaves, swirling floral decoration, and a crowned royal cypher for Queen Victoria, identical on both sides of the blade. Just really towards the blade tip are small areas of black oxidization from where the blade has lay in it’s scabbard for years, others dotted here and there. Otherwise the blade is in undamaged condition, a lot of polish left and is absolutely firm in the hilt, no movement whatsoever.
Suffice to say that the ‘Gothic’ gilt brass hilt is in lovely almost ‘as new’ condition and the fold-down guard is like new, lovely and firm and works very well.
The original black leather scabbard is lovely, it looks very neo-classical ‘Regency’ in style and the leather and stitching is in lovely condition. It is fitted with a gilt brass throat, with as stated above, gives the names of the two Presentees (Members of Parliament under Disraeli and Gladstone respectively) and the name of the High Sheriff – presenting this sword in July of 1865. There is a secondary suspension mount and a long chape (fair bit of gliding left on each mount). Only the throat mount is slightly loose.