Arm badge, London, 1792-1793
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1792-1793
Arm badge in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number M.749-1926), made in London, dated 1792-1793. The museum's brief description reads: Silver, English (London), 1792-3; maker's mark the initials 'I.R.', unidentified. Museum description: Silver-gilt, chased and embossed with the arms of George Annesley and his wife Anne. Convex, oval badge with wreath border, the back set with four hooks. Arms of Annesley, crest a 'moor's head' wreathed about the temples; supporters: a Roman soldier and a 'Moorish' archer. Motto: 'Virtus amore'. The museum records it as Silver-gilt, measuring Length 5.1 in; Width 3.625 in. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This silver arm badge is embossed with the coat of arms of George Annesley, the heir of Earl Mountmorris (created 1793) and Anne Courtenay, his wife. Anne was the daughter of William, viscount Courtenay. Silver arm badges were worn by members of the military, by Thames watermen, by members of private fire services and were given as prizes in river races and regattas. George and Anne's marriage was not a happy one - according to the Morning Chronicle in May 1796 he obtained £2,000 damages from John Bellenden Gawler for criminal conversation (adultery) with his wife. Gawler had aggravated his offence by threatening, if Annesley sought legal redress, to charge him with a crime ‘as false as it was horrid, and thus drive him from human society’.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- silver
- Dimensions
- Length 5.1 in; Width 3.625 in
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Silver-gilt
- Place recorded
- London
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- I • R; Arms; Town mark: London
Identification
- Museum object name
- Arm badge
- Museum object number
- M.749-1926
- Museum system number
- O104046
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.