A MAGNIFICENT & SUPER RARE NAVAL GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL. (HEBRUS WITH L'ETOILE)

To: PTE. JAMES SHOTTIN. ROYAL MARINES.
'A UNIQUE NAME'

(HISTORY)


THE ACTION OF HMS HEBRUS WITH THE FRENCH SHIP L'ETOILE OFF ALDERNEY ON 26th MARCH 1814

On the morning of 26 March 1814, the British 18-pounder 36-gun frigate Hebrus, Captain Edmund Palmer, with frigates Sparrow and Hannibal fell in with two 40 gun French frigates L'Etoile and Sultane off the Isle de Bas, to the north-west steering for Saint-Malo, in thick weather the Hebrus gave chase. L'Etoile and Sultane were returning to France having already been seriously damaged by the ships of the Royal Navy off the Cape Verde Islands.
About midnight, on the 26th when they reached the Race of Alderney, the Hebrus began to gain on the L'Etoile and she was forced to round Point Jobourg almost within the wash of the breakers. Here, between one and two in the morning of the 27th, after a chase of 15 hours, Capt. Palmer brought the enemy to action. L'Etoile then suffered more than a hundred casualties in the ensuing encounter before surrendering.

As the action initially took place within range of an enemy costal battery it then fell to the HMS HEBRUS prize crew to get the shattered French warship out from under the heavy fire of the coastal battery and across the Channel to England. This difficult task was thankfully achieved and when the 44 gun French ship arrived at Plymouth on 29th Mar 1814 she became HMS Topaze.

THIS ACTION WAS THE VERY LAST FRIGATE-TO-FRIGATE ACTION OF THE NAPOLEONIC WAR AND AS SUCH THIS MEDAL HOLDS AN IMPORTANT PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL NAVY'S THEN 21 YEARS IN COMBAT AGAINST THE FRENCH.

Captain Palmer of HMS Hebrus however declined the knighthood which he was offered for the victory.

There were only 39 medals with this clasp awarded to claiming survivors of this action in 1848. Most men either didn't claim their medal or were already dead by the final claim date in 1848.

This rare clasp is now physically represented by just 12 other known extant examples either with locational identification or by their previous sales pedigree known. Out of the theoretically remaining medals there are no sales, auction of other appearance records for the other 26.

(THE ROYAL MARINES)
James Shotten was one of just seven Royal Marines in the HEBRUS who claimed their medals in 1848. Of those medals there are only four recorded survivors of which the current medal to James Shotten is the fourth to surface. This medal, which is Good EF is Officially Impressed to: JAMES SHOTTIN, rather than SHOTTEN, as per the printed roll. The 'e' on the cursive hand written medal roll does not show the open loop of an 'e'.

THIS RARE MEDAL IS NEW TO THE MARKET HAVING BEEN PURCHASED MANY YEARS AGO IN LIVERPOOL.


AS WITH ALL SUPER RARE & QUALITY MEDALS THIS MEDAL HAS SURGED IN VALUE IN RECENT YEARS.

OUR RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT ONLY TWO EXAMPLES OF MEDALS WITH THIS CLASP HAVE COME UP FOR SALE SINCE 2000.

Lot 109. CHRISTIES,
Medal to: James James .........................27th July 2000.......£1,250

Lot 60. ROBERT FINAN AUCTIONS.
Medal to: John Maddock....................... 12th June 2004......£7,600

The Fitzwilliam Museum Collection holds one example:
Medal to: Stephen Elliott.

In the interim ELEVEN YEARS the market for rare NGS medals has shown at least a *100% increase.
(*this figure based on auction hammer prices between 2004-2015)

SOLD
ENQUIRIES & PART EXCHANGES WELCOME.

We are particularly interested in other NGS & MGS medals, WATERLOO MEDALS and medals to The Royal Flying Corps & Royal Air Force. CALL US TODAY 01342-870926.