Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment. Officers’ Mess Plate

Silver plated napkin rings in the form of West African manillas, a form of currency particularly associated with the Portuguese trade. These heavy copper pieces are approximately 2¼ x 2½ ins [6 x 5.5 cm] and are likely to be original copper manillas engraved with the regimental badge on one face and with a number on the other before being silver plated. They may well have been introduced after one of the regiment’s periods of service in Africa. The regiment was formed from the former 33rd and 76th Regiments of Foot and began to use the title of their illustrious late 18th century commander in the mid 19th century. We attach two images of original manillas in the Pitt-Rivers collection in Oxford. The price is for the two but a single one could be bought for £45. We do have some others should anyone wish to set up his own mess. These two are numbered 31 and 37.  apr20/6