Duke of Wellington Fob Seal Pendant Carnelian Gold

Alas for William IV, he would only be king for seven years, a short reign by any standards. A plus for him, though, as he was never supposed to be king, but outlived his two older brothers, neither of whom ‘left issue’ as they say. He did some interesting things, though and was even the last King to appoint a Prime Minister to Parliament, against their collective will. He too died ‘issue-less’ and his niece, Queen Victoria would take the throne, rising to rule over a British Empire over which the sun never set.

William was often accused to being in the pocket of one Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Wellington, who was a soldier and and a statesmen, was perhaps best known for his defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, but also for serving as Prime Minister twice. He and William knew each other well and when Parliament tried to pass the Reform Bill of 1832, the King asked Wellington to form a new government, a task at which Wellington ultimately failed. A famous cartoon from this time was released showing Wellington with whip in hand and hand on hat with the phrase ‘The Man Wot (who) Drove the Sovereign’, implying that Wellington had great power over the politics of the King.

This fabulous watch fob pendant holds a piece of bright orange Carnelian which is carved with a copy of the now-famous cartoon; and depicts Wellington dressed a coach driver surrounded by the words ‘The Man Wot Drove the Sovereign’. The fob is a good size, not a small one, it measures 29.2 mm height and the face of it is 22.2 x 16.7 mm, it was probably made during this time of civil unrest in about 1832 and the case is of 9 karat gold with a rosy hue. This wonderful piece of history was hand crafted in England and weighs 11.3 grams.

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