Aust. Historical Medals

Lot 957    Session 4 (4.30pm Tuesday)    Aust. Historical Medals

Estimate $2,500
Bid at live.noble.com.au

CIGARETTE CASE/VESTA COMBINATION, sterling silver, to Captain W. Bligh descendant, hallmarked London 1900, maker JB/LW, (James Samuel Bell & Louis Willmott), with 15ct gold Ducal crown inset with five cabochon stones over a York Rose, inscribed on inside lid 'John Bligh Nutting / from / The Duke of Cornwall and York / As a Memento / of His visit to Queensland / 1901', housed in a Moroccan leather, silk and velvet lined case with 'Collingwood & Co / To The Royal Family / 46 Conduit St / London' in gold blocked letters on inside lid, together with a letter addressed to J.B.Nutting Esq, May 23rd 1901, handwritten on behalf of the Duke of Cornwall and York by his principal private secretary Arthur Bigge. Very fine and rare.

The accompanying letter reads; 'Dear Sir, The Duke of Cornwall and York desires me to write and tell you how very much he regrets that it is not possible for him to come and shoot with you. His Royal Highness had so much looked forward to a day's sport and to seeing something of the interior of the country. He also wishes me to thank you for all the trouble which you have taken in the matter. He feels sure that you will appreciate the circumstances under which he had to give up what would have been a very pleasant engagement. His Royal Highness is very sorry not to have seen you today and hopes you will accept the cigarette case bearing the badge of the York Rose which he sends you as a souvenir of his visit to Queensland. Yours truly, Arthur Bigge.' This letter and the accompanying envelope is written on black-bordered paper in mourning for Queen Victoria who had died earlier in the year. It uses the short-lived title, Duke of Cornwall and York that was carried for the remainder of the year when he was created Prince of Wales, (later King George V). Only two weeks prior to the writing of this letter, the Duke had opened Australia's first Commonwealth Parliament in Melbourne. It is possible that the Duke was unable to attend the shoot mentioned in the letter as he had been engaged the previous day laying the foundation stone for St John's Cathedral, Brisbane. Sir Arthur Bigge was principal private secretary to Queen Victoria from 1896 and continued his role with the Prince of Wales and later through his reign as George V. He was created Lord Stamfordham in 1911 and exercised great influence over the King's official life. The recipient of the letter, John Bligh Nutting was a direct descendant of Captain William Bligh and had been a police Inspector in Queensland since 1867. His obituary of 1927 listed him as an enthusiastic hunter who had maintained his own pack of hounds in Roma. It is this connection to hunting that prompted the gift of the cigarette case and accompanying letter.