UK medals and papers related to favored servant of Queen Mary 1935-66

$350.00 CAD

| /

Mrs Rose Blanche Emily Picken, long-time servant to Queen Mary at Marlborough House.

Lot of three medals and their accompanying certificates with her name:

6th May 1935 Majesties’ Silver Jubilee Medal
12th May 1937 Majesties Coronation Medal
2nd June 1953 Majesty’s Coronation Medal
 

Also a 1953 Marlborough House signed Memorandum from Queen Mary’s Comptroller Lord Claud Hamilton to Mrs. Picken regarding payout of money (£482.1.6)  left to her in Queen Mary’s will.

And lastly a 1966 Buckingham Palace letter regarding payout of balance left (£13:14:7d) in her pension after Mrs. Picken’s death.

Since royal wills are not public, there is no way to know what the reason for the bequest was, assuming for long and faithful service. In today’s dollars it would be ~$10,000!

Creases. Letters have been folded. Medals nice condition, somewhat tarnished.

 

Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 1867 – 24 March 1953) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Empress of India as the wife of King-Emperor George V.

Marlborough House is a Grade I listed mansion in St James's, City of Westminster north of The Mall and east of St James's Palace.

In 1936 Marlborough House became the London residence of their son's widow, Queen Mary. Mary survived George by 17 years. In the grounds of the house remains her pet cemetery. A thatch-roofed rotating summer house built for her still is in place.

Lord Claud was the youngest son of James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn and was educated at Wellington College. In 1907, he joined the 3rd Battalion (Lothian Regiment) of the Scots Guards as a Second Lieutenant and transferred to the Grenadier Guards in 1909. In 1908, he was promoted to Captain and during World War I, was mentioned in despatches in 1914 for having "commanded a machine-gun for five days and nights without relief" and made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. In 1916, he was made an MVO and in 1918, an Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy and awarded the Croix de guerre. A year later, he was employed as an equerry to Edward, Prince of Wales and made a CMG in 1920 for services to The Prince on his overseas visits.

In 1921, Lord Claud was promoted as Deputy Master of the Household, made an Extra Equerry to King George V a year later and an Equerry in 1924. In 1932, he was promoted to a CVO and a GCVO in 1937. In 1936, he was one of the escorters of the gun carriage at the King's funeral and became Queen Mary's Comptroller, Treasurer and Extra Equerry that year. He served in these offices until her death in 1953, when he became an Extra Equerry to Elizabeth II until his own death in 1975 aged 85.

WIKIPEDIA


Next Previous