Reign of Queen Anne, an Officer’s First Pattern ‘Uniform’ Gorget 1702-07.
An excessively rare example in gilt brass correctly constructed on a wire frame and thus setting the standard for all successive patterns in the British Army. Of very large proportions (132mm x 150mm), the majority of the ornament is engraved with the Stewart period Royal Arms, military trophies including a cannon barrel, a drum, a keg of gunpowder, musical instruments and flags. The Arms are quartered, England and France in the first and fourth, Scotland second and Ireland third. The ‘A R’ cypher is shown above the crown and again on two of the flags, one age crack to the upper left edge, the fine original gilt ‘wash’ rubbed but evident around the bases of the rim, otherwise good condition and excessively rare £5,000-£7,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Jack Webb Collection of Medals and Militaria.

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This example is similar but of better quality than the one in the Tower Armouries, illustrated and described by the late Captain H. Oakes-Jones, MBE, SAHR Journal, Volume 1 No. 6 December 1922.

Queen Anne (1665-1714), the second daughter of King James II & VII and his first wife, Anne Hyde, succeeded to the throne upon the death of her brother-in-law King William III in 1702. The Nassau escutcheon was promptly removed from the Royal Arms. Though married to Prince George of Denmark (1686), she ruled as a ‘single monarch, Queen of England, Scotland, Ireland’ until 1707 when following the ‘Acts of Union’ she ruled as ‘Queen of Great Britain & Ireland’. The Royal Arms were changed following the Union but as to whether a change appeared in the officers’ gorgets is uncertain.