Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Governor-General’s Uniform worn by the Rt. Hon. Sir George Stanley, G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., C.M.G., who served as Governor of Madras from 1929-34 and Acting Viceroy of India in 1934

Comprising a Court Dress coatee this in navy cloth lavishly decorated with panels of black velvet bearing gold wire leaf and sequin decoration, front, back, tails, collar, cuffs; all large size gilt buttons are present and feature the mounted post 1901 Royal Arms, these all by ‘Gaunt & Son Ltd. London’. Tailored by ‘Meyer & Mortimer 36 Conduit St. London’, for ‘Col. Hon. G. F. Stanley’, order number 9494, dated 1929. This garment would have been worn with ivory coloured wool breeches, long silk hose and court pumps.
A Dress coatee for other occasions, again of navy cloth, the collar, cuffs and ‘pockets’ (back & front) again decorated with black velvet panels bearing gold wire and sequin leaf decoration, the large size gilt buttons bear as a mount the Imperially crowned Garter enclosing the Royal Arms (Jennens & Co. London).
A pair of Dress trousers in navy blue cloth, the seams decorated with full length broad acorn and scallop pattern gold lace (6.4cm).
Nine stiffened white linen collars and a black crepe mourning arm band, four ivory silk ‘knots’ for attachment to the metal ‘collar’ as a G.C.S.I., the whole contained in a japanned metal named carrying trunk, the gilt lace panels are in excellent condition overall, there are only minute moth holes to the Court coatee, slightly more damage to the Dress coat and trousers, small areas of surface moth damage, the gold lace trouser seams in very good condition but part detached (lot) £1,400-£1,800

The Rt. Hon. Sir George Frederick Stanley was born on 14 October 1872, the sixth son of the 16th Earl of Derby, and was educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was commissioned into the Royal Horse Artillery in 1893, and served during the Boer War and later during the Great War, where he was twice Mentioned in Despatches and was appointed a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. He served as a Conservative MP for Preston from 1910 to 1922, and for Willesden East from 1924 to 1929, and held various junior ministerial appointments during his time in Parliament, being appointed a Privy Councillor 1927.

Stanley was appointed Governor of Madras in 1929, and was created a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire on his appointment. He briefly served as acting Viceroy of India in 1934, and was created a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India. He retired in November 1934, and died on 1 July 1938.

A portrait of the recipient, by Sir Oswald Birley, wearing this uniform together with the Mantle of the Order of the Star of India, is on display in the Madras Mueum.

Please note that this lot is not suitable for shipping, but can be hand delivered within mainland Britain by prior arrangement with Christopher Mellor-Hill.