Description:

TRAFALGAR HERO SIR WILLIAM HARGOOD RECEIVES A COAT OF ARMS
A most historic and attractive partly-printed D.S. on parchment, 1p. 19" x 18 1/4" (sight), [n.p.], March 30, 1815, a certificate creating a coat of arms for Admiral SIR WILLIAM HARGOOD (1762-1839), captain of the ship of the line HMS BELLEISLE, second in Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood's division during the Battle of Trafalgar. During this action, the Belleisle simultaneously engaged several French and Spanish ships before capturing the Spanish ship of the line ARGONAUTA, at the same time being completely dismasted and losing almost a quarter of her crew. In the document presented here, the Knight Garter, Principal King of Arms Sir Isaac Heard, and the King of Arms for southern England, George Harrison Clarenceaux, find that Hargood's claim to the arms of the Harcourt family cannot be substantiated, and proceed to describe the arms that they create for him and his brother in exchange, stated in formal heraldic terms. A large, hand painted sketch of these arms appears at upper left, showing a vertically divided blue and red shield with horizontal gold bars, with a gold Trafalgar medal at top, flanked by two anchors. The shield is topped by a knight's helm beneath the stern of a ship of the line, upon which perches a peacock. The Latin motto "Animi Spes Anchora" ("The Anchor of Hope") appears in a banner at bottom. The arms thereby honor both Hargood's naval career in general, and his heroism at Trafalgar specifically. The document is signed at bottom by Heard and Clarenceaux, with three additional hand-executed sets of arms at top. The document is matted in blue and mounted in a gilt frame, and shows a damp stain at lower left, not obscuring any of the text, else very good. From the collection of Valmore Forgett, Jr.

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August 1, 2018 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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