Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

22nd Foot Cheshire Regiment Order of Merit 1785, for 14 years good conduct, by L. Pingo, obv. Hercules crowning a Roman soldier, in exergue: ‘Order of Merit Estab. MDCCLXXXV’; rev. within a palm wreath, ‘Reward for Military Virtue from Lt. Col. Crosbie’’, with circumscription, ‘XXII or Cheshire Regiment’, 38mm., silver, unnamed, with steel clip and straight bar suspension, , Ref: Balmer R.245b; Tancred p.325 (1); Hastings Irwin p.250 (1); Payne p.201 (1), nearly extremely fine £60-80

The 22nd Regiment Order of Merit was instituted by Lieutenant-Colonel Crosbie in 1785 when stationed at Windsor. The medal was issued in silver-gilt, silver and bronze and is known additionally in bronze-gilt. King George III honoured the regiment by accepting one of these medals at a general parade. By the early 1800’s the medal had fallen into disuse. In 1820 the Order was re-established by Colonel Sir Hugh Gough.