A silver snuff box and military medals presented to a man who fought under the Duke of Wellington centuries ago have sold for thousands of pounds at auction in Oxfordshire.
Memories of the 1807-1814 Peninsular Napoleonic Wars emerged thanks to the discovery of the silver military presentation snuff box and medals awarded to Sgt-Major William Livsey whose descendants live in Banbury.
The snuff box, which featured a miniature Peninsular War cannon, went under the hammer at Banbury’s Hanson Holloway’s Ross saleroom. It smashed its £800-£1,000 guide to achieve £1,900. It bears the inscription, ‘Presented August 29th 1856 to Sgt-Major William Livsey, by the Officers and Men of The West Essex Yeomanry Artillery for his meritorious services in bringing that Corps to its present efficiency’.
The same auction included two medals presented to Sergeant Major William Livsey, Royal Artillery, dated 1793-1814. One bore five clasps marking the serviceman’s participation in the Pensinsular conflict in Tolouse, Orthes, Pyrennes, Vittoria and Albuhera. It was offered together with a Long Service/Good Conduct medal and copies of Livsey’s service records. The medals hammered at £1,500. The two items sold to a private UK buyer. The total paid, with buyer’s premium, was £4,683.
The 167-year-old snuff box and medals have been treasured through the generations by Sgt-Major Livsey’s Oxfordshire descendants. However, the family decided the time had come to part with the military heirlooms.
The snuff box, hallmarked Birmingham 1853 with maker’s mark Yapp and Woodward, was sold together with a 1967 cutting from the Oxford Times explaining its provenance. The article featured Sidney Farrow, a former janitor at Oxford’s Museum of the History of Science who inherited the snuff box in the 1920s. Sgt-Major Livsey, who signed up for the Royal Artillery at the age of 18 in 1808, was his great grandfather.
Jasper Marsh, auctioneer at Hanson Holloway’s Ross, said: “It was a superb result for wonderful historical discoveries made on our doorstep in Banbury. We have been reminded of the gallantry of a man who proudly served our country two centuries ago under Wellington, a renowned military leader.
“Historical treasures like this are part of Britain’s heritage. We’re delighted the lots have been acquired by the same buyer. We very much hope they will continue to stay together.”
The Peninsular War was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal and the UK against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars.
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), was among the commanders who won and ended the Napoleonic Wars when the Seventh Coalition defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The Dublin-born Anglo-Irish statesman, soldier and British Tory politician was a leading military and political figure in 19th century Britain, serving twice as UK prime minister.
Auction: The silver snuff box, lot 186, and medals, lot 185, sold on Saturday, October 7 in Hanson Holloway’s Ross Fine Art and Antiques Auction, Banbury, Oxfordshire.
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