Patriotic Fund Presentation Sword
Measurements: overall length 36” (91.4 cm)
Provenance: by descent through the family of the recipient
This sword was presented by the Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund to Captain Robert Torin for his role in defending an East India Company convoy of ships from a French squadron in 1804. Adorned with British and mythological symbols, this is one of the 16 swords presented to the captains of each ship in this convoy. Torin, captain of the Coutts, is credited with much of the strategic foresight responsible for the British victory.
Worth £50 at the time, these were the only such swords Lloyd’s ever presented to Merchant Navy officers and are the only ones of that value to have the ship’s name and date engraved on the scabbard. A braided tassel of silver thread completes this distinguished piece. The weapon is a blade of single-edged blued steel, of the type fitted to the British 1796 Pattern Light Cavalry sabre, and combines traditional British icons with evocative images from ancient mythology.
Decorative elements such as the rose, thistle and shamrock frame patriotic figures of Britannia and Hope, the crowned arms and cypher of George III, and an inscription describing the heroic efforts of Torin and his fellow sailors. Attached to a hilt of ormolu-accented carved ivory, this is a true tour-de-force of edged weapons. The scabbard is also an impeccable work of art. Crafted of gilt bronze lined with shagreen, it displays engraved and applied oval cartouches depicting various Labors of Hercules.
The Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund was founded in 1803 to assist the many casualties of the Napoleonic Wars and is one of the oldest military charities of its kind. The fund presented these swords to those who distinguished themselves with “successful exertions of value or merit,” and were only rewarded between 1803 and 1809. To find one of these amazing swords on the market is quite extraordinary.
On January 31, 1804, a convoy of 16 East India Company merchant ships and a number of smaller vessels under the command of Commodore Nathaniel Dance sailed from Canton for Europe. On February 14, they had reached the Strait of Malacca when four sails were spotted. This was a French squadron commanded by Admiral Linois that comprised the Marengo (74 guns) and three frigates.
By dawn the following day, the ships were only about three miles distant, with the British ships formed a line of battle. Dance ordered four of the largest ships to hoist ensigns, thus implying that they were warships. The British ships then headed for the Straits with the French in pursuit. Dance then ordered his lead ships to come about and there followed a brief exchange of fire. Convinced that he faced a superior force, Linois then withdrew.
The British losses were just one man killed and another wounded, but the action saved the convoy with its cargo of tea, silk and porcelain valued at over £8 million at the time, the equivalent of £600 million today. Dance and his fellow captains were highly praised for saving the convoy, which prevented both the East India Company and Lloyd’s of London from likely financial ruin.
They were all rewarded by various national and mercantile institutions and each captain received a sword of £50 value from The Patriotic Fund at Lloyd’s. These were the only Lloyd’s swords presented to Merchant Navy officers and are additionally unique in being the only swords of £50 value to have the ship’s name and the date engraved on the scabbard.
Of particular interest is the strategic foresight shown by Torin and a fellow captain prior to the voyage. Dance had consulted his captains as to the action they should take in the event of attack. Henry Meriton, commander of the Exeter, and Torin, had been in a similar situation off Brazil in 1800. In this instance they had masqueraded as British ships-of-the-line, the result being the capture of a French frigate, the only warship to have struck its colors to merchantmen.
Doubtless, this successful rouse led Dance to contrive the strategy of the even more significant action of 1804. Robert Torin took command of the Coutts circa 1796. Of further note is his acquaintance with the artist John Constable.
In fact, in 1803, Constable joined the ship from the Medway to Deal, the first leg of its voyage to China. On this brief journey Constable, completed around 130 sketches. Robert Torin died in 1823 at age sixty-four.
Source: Copyright © 2014 M.S. Rau Antiques
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