Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A rare C.B., capture of Java and Mahratta War group of three awarded to General John Eden, 22nd Light Dragoons, later Colonel of the 34th Foot

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, C.B. (Military) Companion’s breast badge in gold and enamels, hallmarked London 1815, maker’s mark ‘IN’ for John Northam, complete with wide swivel-ring gold straight suspension and gold ribbon buckle; Military General Service 1793-1814, 1 clasp, Java (J. Eden, Actg. Adjt. 22nd Lt. Dgns.); Army of India 1799-1826, 1 clasp, Maheidpoor (Lieut. J. Eden, 22nd Lt. Drags. A.D.C.) short hyphen reverse, officially impressed naming, light contact marks, otherwise good very fine or better (3) £5000-6000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Napoleonic War Medals formed by the late R.W. Gould, M.B.E..

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John Eden was born at Greenwich on 25 March 1789, and was nominated for the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, on 29 May 1805, aged 16. He, however, withdrew and accepted an appointment as a Bengal Infantry cadet and was subsequently gazetted Ensign in the 15th Native Infantry. He transferred to the 22nd Light Dragoons as an Ensign on 14 February 1807 and was promoted to Lieutenant the following August. He served as Brigade Major to the King’s Troops, Madras Establishment, from October 1807 to April 1808, and was appointed to the command of a wing of the Madras Cavalry during the mutiny in that army in 1808. He was appointed Aide de Camp to Lord Minto, Governor-General of India, in 1809, and was Brigade Major to a brigade of cavalry in the Field Force of the Mahratta Country, under Sir B. Close in 1809-10. He accompanied the 22nd Light Dragoons, as Adjutant, on the expedition to Java in 1811, and was present in the actions of the 10th and 26th of August which led to the capture of that island. He afterwards served as Brigade Major to Major-General Eden in 1812.

Eden served as Aide de Camp to Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Hislop during the Mahratta War of 1817-18, including the battle of Maheidpoor on 22 December 1817, during which battle he was commended for his ‘courage under fire’ in conveying orders from Hislop to his subordinate commanders. In December 1818 he was promoted to Captain in the 53rd Foot, his old regiment being disbanded in the following year. During 1820 he served as Acting Deputy Quarter-Master General to the King’s Troops in India. In June 1825 he was promoted to Major in the 15th Foot, which also served in India. He became Lieutenant-Colonel on half-pay in December 1830 and returned home to England. In 1832 he was appointed Deputy Adjutant General in Canada, where he served until July 1843. He was created a Companion of the Bath in March 1839, in recognition of his services in Canada, and in November 1846 was promoted to Colonel and appointed Assistant Adjutant General for North Britain. He became Deputy Adjutant General of Ireland in 1853 and, upon his promotion to Major-General in 1854, was appointed Commanding General of the Cork District.

In January 1860 he was nominated Colonel of the 34th Foot, which appointment he held until his death. He received promotion to Lieutenant-General in March 1861 and to General in August 1868. Latterly residing in Bath, General Eden died there on 6 October 1874 at the age of 85