Documents

Lot 3677    Session 11 (9:30am Thursday)    Documents

Estimate $150
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $180

WILLIAM WICKHAM (SPYMASTER) PRESENTATION CERTIFICATE, as Minister Plenipotentiary & Commissioner-General of His Majesty's Britain and the Imperial Armies, Royal and Allies, to a senior commander of the Regiment des Dragons d'Enghien du Corps de Conde recognizing his 'Distinction, Bravery and Leadership qualities' and awarding a pension of two shillings of English silver per day to the value of one florin six kreutzers in silver of the Empire and also a guarantee of safe conduct and the aid and support of such armies; measuring 37x23cm the fold-over printed and handwritten document occupies the first page and it has the English Royal Arms at the top above the name of William Wickham and has been recorded on 31 July 1801 at Gralz by the Aide to the Commissioner-General and is signed personally by Wm Wickham beside his wax seal; also a bestowal document dated 1828 from the Minister of War for the award of a Chevalier in the Order of Saint-Louis to the same family name. The first document with one small hole, possibly a spike hole at the lower left and some toning around edges, several folds, otherwise in remarkable condition for a document of this period, good very fine and very scarce, the other document very fine. (2)

The recipient of the above main document was an officer in the Dragoons of Enghien of the Corps of Conde. Louis de Bourbon Conde, Duke of Enghien was a rallying point for the overthrow of the French government. He indicated his desire to work under the British flag and called the French 'his most cruel enemy'. William Wickham had set up spy networks and was advising d'Enghien on the developments of his counter revolution schemes and the two maintained written communications in their efforts to overthrow the French Government. It is understandable that the document issued by William Wickham should afford the recipient protection because officers in the Army of Conde had been threatened with 'nothing better than the rope and the sword' if they entered France.

William Wickham, Spymaster, has had numerous books written about his role in trying to bring down the French revolutionary government and restore the Bourbons to rule France. Wickham was born at Cottingsley, Yorkshire, England on 11 November 1761 into a well-to-do family. After completing his schooling at Harrow and Christ Church he studied for a law degree at Geneva, Switzerland, graduating in 1786. In 1788 he married a Swiss citizen, Eleonora Madeleine Bertrand, whose father was professor of mathematics at the University of Geneva. He then entered the British diplomatic service and because of his familiarity with Switzerland he was sent there in 1794 as assistant to the British Ambassador and one year later was promoted to that position.

As the Ambassador to Switzerland his primary role was that of spymaster and he established a network in Switzerland and France with the object of planning invasions of France by French Royalists or any other foreign powers that might be able to restore the French monarchy of Louis XVIII who was living in exile.

To achieve his goals, the British Government endowed Wickham with an enormous amount of money, much of this directed to the revolutionary French General Charles Pichegru whom Wickham was trying to woo over so that all of his troops could be placed into the ranks of Louis Joseph, Prince of Conde who maintained an army on the Rhine. When French spies learned of Wickham's spy network France pressured the Swiss Government to remove him so Wickham resigned and returned to England where he was appointed Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department in 1798. However, he returned to Switzerland in 1799 and resumed his spy network for another three years, this time against Emperor Napoleon I. Pressure was once more placed on the Swiss Government so again Wickham resigned and this time returned to England for good.

In 1802 he was appointed to the Privy Council and named Chief Secretary for Ireland, a post he held until 1804. He also served terms as a Member of Parliament from 1802 to 1807. He died on 22 October 1840.

With research.