Auction Catalogue

9 & 10 May 2018

Starting at 10:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

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Lot

№ 200

.

9 May 2018

Hammer Price:
£2,600

Military General Service 1793-1814, 4 clasps, Sahagun & Benevente, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse (W. Hooper, Serjeant, 7th Light Dragoons.) a few edge bruises and light contact marks, otherwise good very fine and scarce £2400-3000

Provenance: Sotheby 1910; Coutts Collection 1921; Hamilton-Smith Collection 1927; Glendining, March 1969; Dix Noonan Webb, April 2004.

Maximum clasp entitlement to the regiment, awarded to one officer and four men only.

William Hooper was born at Pershore, Worcestershire, and served in the Worcester Fencible Cavalry from March 1797 to April 1799. He enlisted for the 7th Light Dragoons at Worcester on 2 April 1801, aged 25 years, for unlimited service. After returning from the Corunna campaign in January 1809, having participated in the cavalry actions at Sahagun and Benevente in the previous month, Hooper was promoted to Sergeant in July 1809 and spent some time recruiting at Norwich.

His name appears on a contemporary recruiting poster for ‘The Old Saucy Seventh, or Queen’s Own Reg. of Lt. Dragoons,’ whereby ‘Each Young Hero on being approved, will receive the largest Bounty allowed by Government.

A few Young Lads, will be taken at Sixteen Years of Age, 5 Feet 2 Inches, but they must be active, and well limbed. Apply to Serjeant Hooper.

N.B. This Regiment is mounted on Blood Horses, and being lately returned from Spain, and the Horses Young, the Men will not be allowed to Hunt during next season, more than once a week.’

Serjeant Hooper served in Ireland during 1810-12, before returning to England in January 1813, where he embarked for France in September of that year. After participating in the battles of the Nive, Orthes and Toulouse, he returned to England in July 1814 before returning to Flanders in April 1815, where he subsequently took part in the battle of Waterloo. Hooper was finally discharged at Staines on 16 February 1819, on reduction of the regiment and due to having suffered very frequently from attacks of pneumonic inflammation.