The Prince and the Plunder

A book on how Britain took one boy and piles of treasures from Ethiopia

Tag: Royal Engineers Museum

Napier’s leopard skin cape, ‘taken at Magdala’

Published June 18, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: An “Abyssinian warrior’s leopard skin cape” that was presented to Robert Napier, the commander of the British force.

Where: The Royal Engineers Museum, Prince Arthur Rd, Gillingham ME7 1UR

The catalogue entry publishes five pictures of what it describes as an “Abyssinian warrior’s leopard skin cape comprising of a central section which is highly decorated with gold cylindrical elements and stylised floral metal elements around the collar”. It says there is a silver badge attached that reads: “Taken at Magdala April 13th 1868. Presented to Lord Napier at Magdala by Her Majesty’s Government.”

Details
Object number: 1203.2.4
Dimensions: 920 mm, 400 mm

Posted In Armour & apparel | Military | The Plunder
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Napier’s shield, ‘taken at Magdala’

Published June 18, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: A shield from Magdala presented to Robert Napier, the commander of the British forces

Where: The Royal Engineers Museum, Prince Arthur Rd, Gillingham ME7 1UR

The catalogue entry reads: “Abyssinian shield, in decorated leather with silver mounts. The circular shield forms a convex shape with a silver finial at the end. There are a series of silver metal plates alternating with plain rectangular and shaped forms ending in a floral design. They are indispersed with smaller decorative elements. On the bottom rectangular plate is inscribed; “Taken at Magdala April 13th 1868. Presented to Lord Napier of Magdala by her Majesty’s Government.”

Details
Object number: 1203.1.6
Diameter: 600 mm

Posted In Military | Shields | The Plunder
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Bridle, saddle & stirrups *

Published June 18, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: Abyssinian bridle with bit, and saddle with stirrups

Where|:

Where: The Royal Engineers Museum, Prince Arthur Rd, Gillingham ME7 1UR

The catalogue entry reads: “Abyssinian bridle with bit, and saddle with stirrups, mementos of Lord Napier’s campaign there. The saddle is made of wood, covered in skin. The seat has a triangular post at the front, topped with a hemi-spherical hand support. The back is formed with a reclining back plate and the kin has been decorated with a repeated circular pattern. There are oven strips of leather, both in the back plates and the pommel. On either side are leather straps and buckles which fit around the horse’s body. The hole is made of contrasting light and dark leather.”

Details
Object number: 1203.1.5
Length: 440 mm
Width: 380 mm
Height: 390 mm

Posted In Horse tack | Military | The Plunder
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The emperor’s letter to Jaffa

Published February 26, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: A letter from Tewodros

Where: Previously Royal Engineers Museum in Gillingham, now unknown

A letter, described as “from Tewodros”, that was listed in the museum’s catalogue as recently as January, 2018, but the entry has since disappeared.

Here is the original catalogue entry, though the link is now dead:

Object number 4901.39

Letter written in two scripts – one probably Amharic and other Arabic – mounted on card, 14″x 10″, dated 1865. Letter from King? Tewodros to Jaffa, 13.3.1867

Posted In Letters | Manuscripts | Said to belong to Tewodros | The Plunder
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The sapper’s scroll

Published February 26, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: Scroll with ‘Sapper John Abbotts’ written on back

Where: The Royal Engineers Museum, Prince Arthur Rd, Gillingham ME7 1UR

The museum’s catalogue entry shows a 5 ft-long long narrow scroll with “five coloured drawn images depicting Christ and the apostles, an angel holding a knife in the right hand and a prayer object in the left”. There is also “a decorative image with a face in the top section of the scroll and a Coptic cross at the other end”.

On the back is written “7990 Sapper John Abbotts. 10th Company Royal Engineers. Abyssinian Field Force. Abyssinia // 13th April 1868”. That is the date of the last decisive battle when the British forces overran Magdala, found Tewodros dead and started looting the buildings.

From the catalogue entry
Object number: 4901.38
Material: parchment
Length: 1565 mm
Width: 75 mm

Posted In Manuscripts | Scrolls | The Plunder
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