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    Excellent quality large Military Victorian silver table snuff box Leicestershire Tigers

    Reference: absn

    This exceptionally large and heavy Victorian silver table snuff box was made in London in 1861 by AB over JR and measures 4.25 inches at its longest by 3 inches at its widest and is 1.25 inches deep, it is quite plain in design with 2 bands of reeding to the sides, the top one forming the thumb piece to the front, it has cut corners and to the top is the raised figure of a tiger. It retains its original gilding to the inside and is fully and clearly hallmarked both in the base and to the lid with the makers mar, date letter and lion passant. This is a very large box and of superb quality, maybe a regimental piece having the tiger emblem and weighing a hefty 11.65 ounces or 362 grams and it is in excellent condition with no problems.

    The Badge of the Leicestershire Regiment

    The applied silver badge upon the lid of this Victorian English Sterling Silver Table Snuff Box by AB over JR hallmarked London 1861 is that of the Leicestershire Regiment or 17th Regiment of Foot It may be blazoned as follows:

    Upon a mount a tiger passant guardant

    The regiment that was to become the 17th Regiment of Foot, the Leicestershire Regiment and later the Royal Leicestershire Regiment was first formed in 1688. In the first 100 or so years of its existence it saw service both in England and Ireland, continental Europe, Canada, the West Indies and the American Colonies during the American War of Independence. After this the regiment was stationed in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. In 1782, the regiment became the 17th (Leicestershire) Regiment of Foot. It returned to England during the French Revolution and fought the French Revolutionary Army in North Holland in 1799 and later served in Minorca in the Mediterranean. In 1804 the regiment embarked for service in India. A stay that lasted over eighteen years during which the regiment saw much arduous service in the remote parts of India, fighting at Bundelkund in 1807, on the Sutlej in 1808, on the difficult frontier of Nepal against the fierce Gurkhas 1813-14, and in the trying operations for the relief of Nagpore in 1817. Such was their valuable service in India that the regiment after leaving India in 1823 was awarded in 1825 the "Royal Tiger" badge superscribed 'Hindoostan' as a lasting memorial to the exemplary conduct of the regiment during its service in India. Since this date the regiment was known by its nickname: 'The Tigers'.

    This snuff box was more than likely commissioned for the officer's mess either by the mess as a whole or, perhaps, by an individual officer who thereafter presented it to the mess. The tiger is shown without the motto 'Hindoostan' or any regimental title as this would have been superfluous within the mess.

    At the time of the commissioning of this snuff box, the regiment's 1st battalion was serving in Canada having arrived there in 1856, whilst the regiment's 2nd battalion was stationed in Ireland in 1861. The following year it joined the 1st battalion in Canada. Both battalions left Canada in 1865.

    In November 1946 in recognition of the fact that a battalion of the regiment had fought with distinction in every major theatre of the war, King George VI paid the regiment the great honour of making it a Royal Regiment, the regiment became thereafter the Royal Leicestershire Regiment.

    On 1 September 1964, the Royal Leicestershire Regiment was amalgamated into the Royal Anglian Regiment, with the 1st battalion of the former becoming the 4th (Leicestershire) Battalion of the new Large Regiment of Infantry.

    Excellent quality large Military Victorian silver table snuff box Leicestershire Tigers

    Excellent quality large Military Victorian silver table snuff box Leicestershire Tigers

    Excellent quality large Military Victorian silver table snuff box Leicestershire Tigers

    Excellent quality large Military Victorian silver table snuff box Leicestershire Tigers






    Price: £0



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