Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Army of India 1799-1826, 1 clasp, Assye (D. O’Neill, 74th Foot.) short hyphen reverse, officially impressed naming, very minor edge bruises, otherwise nearly extremely fine and rare as a single clasp £5000-6000

Provenance: Hyde Greg Collection, Sotheby, May 1887; Whitaker Collection 1890; J. B. Hayward & Son, June 1975.

Approximately 87 clasps for Assye were issued to European recipients, all but 11 in combination with other clasps. Only 19 medals were issued to the 74th Foot, just five of these with the single clasp for Assye.

Daniel O’Neill was born in Aughallow, County Tyrone and was by trade a weaver. His military service was quite brief, totalling some three years and ten months only. O’Neill was invalided to England on the 31st August 1804 and admitted to Chelsea on the 14th March 1805. He was discharged in consequence of ‘a disabled left leg’, but the cause of the disability is not given. At the time of his Chelsea admission he is recorded as being 22 years of age (Hayward’s Gazette, June 1975 refers).

O’Neill was related to Charles J, O’Neill, 16th Lancers, who received the Army of India medal with the clasp for Bhurtpore, and subsequent medals for service in India, and whose medals were also in the Whitaker Collection.