Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A very fine and rare early Victorian embroidered Garter by Charles Webb of Old Bond Street, London

The Most Noble Order of the Garter, K.G., Knight’s Garter, of corded blue silk edged with plain gold wire borders, the motto embroidered in Roman letters, the tab end heavily embroidered and fitted with gold buckle with polished steel pin, contained in its original circular brown leather case, the interior silk-lined lid with retailer’s paper label ‘WEBB Manufacturer of Army & Navy Equipments 23, Old Bond St. London’ with Royal Arms above, circa 1838-57, the base of the case inscribed in ink in a bold hand ‘Gauche’, overall length 52cm, some very slight wear, otherwise good very fine and an attractive piece £1500-2000

Charles Webb, doing business at 23 Old Bond Street as a ‘Manufacturer of Army & Navy Equipments’, was given a Royal Appointment in 1838 and from that year until 1857 he described himself on his invoices and larger labels as a ‘Military Warehouse, Gold Embroiderer & Laceman to the Army & Court’. From 1858 until 1869 he became Webb & Co.

At this period the practise of wearing ‘infomal’ Garters embroidered with gold thread was commonplace at Court, when the accepted style of a gentleman’s clothing included knee breeches. They were generally purchased by Knights from firms supplying gold and silver lace goods and full dress uniforms of all descriptions. In later years, with fewer Court appearances, Knights adopted the general practise of wearing the investiture Garter received from the Sovereign. The inscription ‘Gauche’, the French word for ‘left’, on the base of the case would indicate that this was worn by a French-speaking Knight who needed to be reminded on which leg it should be worn. An accompanying discussion paper explores the possible appointments to the Order at this period, by the process of elimination, who might fit this description, viz, Louis Philippe I, King of the French, who received the Order while on a State visit to Queen Victoria in October 1844, and who passed his last years in exile in England until his death in 1850; the other two possibilities being Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, later King of Italy, and Napoleon III, both of whom were given the Order in 1855 when they were allied with Great Britain in the Crimean War.