Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine and rare Naval K.C.B. group of five awarded to Admiral Sir John Kingcome, Royal Navy

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, K.C.B. (Military) Knight Commander’s, set of insignia, comprising neck badge in 18-carat gold and enamels, hallmarked London 1864, with length of silk neck ribbon and original gold clasp for wearing, and breast star in silver with gold and enamelled appliqué centre, the reverse inscribed ‘R & S. Garrard & Co. Goldsmiths & Jewellers to the Crown, 25, Haymarket London’, and fitted with gold pin for wearing; Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Basque Roads 1809 (John Kingcombe.); Army of India 1799-1826, 1 clasp, Ava (Captn. J. Kingcome.) short hyphen reverse, officially impressed naming; China 1842 (John Kingcome, Captain, H.M.S. Belleisle.) original suspension; Baltic 1854-55, unnamed as issued, the first three campaign medals with light contact marks, otherwise very fine, the last good very fine and a rare group (6) £10,000-£14,000

John Kingcome was born at Revelstoke, Devon on 14 February 1794, and entered the Royal Navy on 28 May 1808, as 2nd Class Volunteer on board the Emerald 36, Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland, with whom he continued to serve as Midshipman on the Channel, Irish and Cape of Good Hope Stations until December 1813. He was in consequence present at the destruction of the French shipping in Aix Roads in April 1809 and had an opportunity of witnessing the capture of a large number of the enemy’s vessels, armed and otherwise.

On leaving Emerald he was received on board the Tigre 74, Captain John Halliday, stationed in the Channel, where he remained until again placed in May 1813 under the order of Captain Maitland, at that time commanding the Goliath 74, on the coast of North America.

In July 1814 he became Master’s Mate of the St Lawrence, bearing the broad pendant on Lake Ontario of Sir James Lucas Yeo, who nominated him 9 March 1815, Acting Lieutenant of the Princess Charlotte, Captain Richard O’Connor, an appointment which the Admiralty confirmed by commission dated 1 July in the same year.

In October 1815, after having served for some time with Captain Peter Sampson Hambly in the Star sloop, he obtained command of the Confiance schooner on Lake Huron, and from October 1816 until July 1817 he was again employed on Lake Ontario, in the Netley 10, Captain Fraser Brace.

His next appointment was 29 July 1822, to the Tees 26, Captains Thomas Coe and Fred Marryat, the former of whom on becoming Senior officer in India, appointed him to the command in 1824 of the Larne sloop at New South Wales. As he was at that time engaged in the Burmese war, he was not able to join her until 15 April 1825. Whilst serving in Larne he conveyed Lady Brisbane (wife of Commodore Sir James Brisbane) and her two daughters from Madras to Penang, and the Archdeacon Scott from Sydney to Van Diemen’s Land. Following this the ship visited New Zealand, Norfolk and Melville Islands, Batavia and Singapore.

Being superseded on his return to Madras in the following July, Lieutenant Kingcome was next appointed to the Pandora sloop, under Captain William Clarke Jervoise. From that vessel he removed in 1826 to the Warspite 76, bearing the broad pendant of Sir James Brisbane.

Attaining the rank of Commander on 8 January 1828, Captain Kingcome served in that capacity in the Coast Guard from 24 October 1835, until appointed on 18 June 1837 to the Wellesley 74, bearing the flag of Sir F. L. Maitland on the East India Station until 28 June 1838.

On 23 October 1841 he was appointed to the Belleisle troop-ship, in which he sailed for China and arrived there in time to witness the closing operations on the Yangtse-Kiang. He paid off the Belleisle at the close of 1843, but rejoined her on 24 March 1846 in command. Commanded the Royal William in February 1854 and was present during the operations in the Baltic in 1854-55.

He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1857, Commander-in-Chief Pacific in October 1862, Vice-Admiral in 1864, retired 1866, and was advanced to Admiral in 1869. He was appointed K.C.B. (Military) on 28 March 1865. Admiral Sir John Kingcome died at Windsor Villas, Plymouth, on 7 August 1871.

Sold with the following warrants of appointment and commissions:

Warrant of Appointment as K.C.B. together with various accompanying letters from the Herald’s Office, May 1865.
Commission as Lieutenant of the Carnatic, July 1815.
Commission as Commander of the Cephalus, January 1828.
Commission as Commander of the Wellesley, May 1828.
Commission as Commander of the Wellesley, June 1837 [upon re-commissioning].
Commission as Captain of the Belleisle, October 1841.
Commission as Captain of the Belleisle, March 1846 [upon re-commissioning].
Commission as Captain of the Simoom, February 1852.
Commission as Captain of the St George, May 1853.
Commission as Captain of the St George, November 1843 [upon re-commissioning].
Commission as Captain of the Royal William, February 1854.
Commission as Rear-Admiral, September 1857.
Declaration of Naval Assets upon his death.
An interesting Warrant of Appointment to his nephew, Commander George B. Williams, R.N., awarding him the ‘Royal Georgian Order of Polynesia’ from Pomare, The Queen of Tahiti, dated Tahiti August 4th, 1843 (at which time he was conducting a circumnavigation of the globe).