Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Waterloo medal awarded to Lieutenant William Neilly, 40th Foot, who served throughout the Peninsula War and later went to Tasmania in command of the guard on the convict ship Princess Charlotte which arrived in Hobart in November 1824; he was appointed Captain in the 63rd Foot in 1831 and retired in 1834 to take up a land grant on the banks of the Tamar River, north of Launceston, where, with convict labour, he built a brick house which still stands today

Waterloo 1815 (Lieut. W. Neilly, 1st Batt. 40th Reg. Foot.) fitted with contemporary replacement silver bar suspension and ribbon buckle, contact marks, otherwise fine or better £7,500-£8,500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals formed by the late Ron Wright.

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Provenance: Noble Numismatics Sale 102, April 2013

William Neilly was born on 5 February 1791, at Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Ireland. He joined the army in 1808 and was commissioned an Ensign on 21 April 1809, in the 40th Foot. His unit left Ireland in May 1811 to join the 1st Battalion in Portugal where he served in many battles throughout the Peninsular War and received the Military General Service Medal with nine clasps for Cuidad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse. On 26 September 1811 he was appointed Lieutenant and was assigned a civilian servant.

After the end of the campaign in April 1814, the 40th marched to Bordeaux and then sailed for Cork on the ship Sultan. On 8 October 1814 the regiment set off for New Orleans but one of the transports was wrecked so the force returned to Ireland setting sail again about a month later and finally arriving at New Orleans via Barbados. In the aftermath of the disastrous attack on New Orleans, orders were given for the 40th to return to England, arriving via Havana at Portsmouth in May 1815. The regiment was immediately transported to Ostend, Belgium and then marched from Ghent on 16 June, reaching Waterloo on 18 June 1815.

Lieutenant Neilly was in Captain J. Lowry's Company which went into action at once at the crossroads by the farm of Mont St Jean. In a reference to the 1st Battalion at this historic battle, the 40th Regimental history states, ‘In this famous battle the battalion nobly maintained its high reputation, and stood like a rock against the pitiless iron storm, and the fierce assaults of Napoleon's horse and foot, till the time came when Lord Wellington, hat in hand, led forward the advances which, once and for all, swept the army of Napoleon from the Battlefield.’ Following the battle, Neilly was present at the Occupation of Paris and then the regiment moved to Cambrai, where he received his Waterloo Medal. The 40th afterwards moved to Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland, where, in November 1821 Neilly was appointed Adjutant. It was here, on 4 February 1823, one day before his 32nd birthday, that he married Jeanette Maria Higgins, from an army family as her brothers, John and Matthew, were both officers in the 7th Fusiliers. The following year Neilly and his wife embarked on 14 June 1824, bound for Australia on the convict ship Princess Charlotte, with William in command of a guard furnished by the 40th Foot. The convoy of twelve ships travelled via Rio de Janeiro arriving on 9 November 1824, at Hobart Town, Van Diemens Land, where the convicts were disembarked before proceeding to Sydney which they reached on 1 December 1824.

Lieutenant Neilly and his wife returned to Hobart Town on 7 February 1826, in the ship Laine. On 16 April 1828, under Government Order No. 21, he was appointed Ordnance Storekeeper to have charge of the General Stores of the Colony. Then, on 21 November 1828, he was appointed a Captain of Infantry without purchase and placed on the unattached list shortly before the 40th Regiment transferred to India. The unit was later to return to Australia in 1852 remaining until 1860. It had units in South Australia, Western Australia and the main body in Victoria where they suppressed the Eureka Rebellion of 1854.

In August 1831 Neilly was appointed as Captain to the 63rd Foot. In 1834 he retired from the Army and settled the family on his grant of land of 407 acres on the east bank of the Tamar River, about ten miles north of Launceston. He was also entitled to purchase 2,560 acres of land in the area at two pence per acre as he had spent 26 years in the army. His house on the property was built of bricks made locally by convicts and the building was constructed with the help of convict labour. He called the house ‘Rostella’ which was the name of the family house in Ireland where his wife Jeanette was raised. For the rest of his life William raised sheep, managed the family property and also served the community as a Commissioner of the Peace, having been appointed to this role by Government Notice No. 214, on 16 November 1837. He was also deeply involved in the local church, St Matthias Anglican Church at Windermere. He was a friend of De Matthias Gaunt who built the church in 1842 and as such William was a liberal subscriber to the construction of the church building and for many years served as a church warden.

William Neilly and his wife had eight children, six girls and two boys, all born in Tasmania, with the last four born at the family home, ‘Rostella’. He died at his home ‘Rostella’ on 5 February 1864, his 73rd birthday, and is buried in a family grave at Windermere churchyard cemetery, Dilston, Tasmania. His coffin was carried by four convict servants; one had been with him for twenty years and another for twenty five years. The marble headstone is much weathered but the inscription is still perfectly legible and reads, ‘Sacred to the memory of William Neilly Esq J.P. formerly Captain of H.M. X.L.th and LX 3rd regiments who departed this life at Rostella 5th Feb. 1864 A.D. aged 74 years. Also his wife Jeanette Neilly who died at Brighton Victoria 7th Sep. 1881 aged 73 years. Also Emma Louise 4th daughter of the above who departed this life 8th June 1854 A.D. in her 20th year. Henry Neilly of Rostella born 21st February 1841 died 15th March 1870. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Blessed are they who die in the Lord.’

Sold with research including A4 colour photographs of his grave, headstone and the picturesque church graveyard.