Beschreibung:

The Unique and Important Last Will And Testament of Trafalgar Captain William Gordon Rutherford (1764-1818) of H.M.S. Swiftsure for Which He Received the Magnificent 100 Pound Sword from the Patriotic Fund at Lloyds. This unique last will and testament of the only British captain at Trafalgar born in America at Wilmington, North Carolina in 1764 is of the most compelling historical significance to the collector of Lloyds Patriotic swords or Napoleonica. The will is written in a masterful hand with the usual artistic flourishes used by notaries (lawyers) of the period in brown ink and repeatedly mentions Captain Rutherford’s “Trafalgar medal and sword” stating that “I bequeath to such son my Trafalgar Medal and sword and if I should have no sons…” The heroic captain did not have any sons and his cased Patriotic sword was bequeathed to his nephew upon his death as per the will’s instructions. The will repeatedly mentions the medal and sword as they were of the utmost importance and value to the captain. In 1800 the pay for a British post captain of a First Rate ship of the line such as the Swiftsure was less than 400 pounds a year so a 100 pound sword represented more than a quarter of Rutherford’s annual salary. Many captains chose a cash award rather than a Lloyds sword or a Lloyds silver vase in consequence. A portrait of Captain Rutherford in full dress uniform and cradling his beloved sword is on display at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. The document remains in fine completely legible condition and would substantially enhance not only the monetary value but more importantly the historical value of the Rutherford sword. Regardless Rutherford’s will delight any collector of arms and relics from the Age of Fighting Sale. Captain Rutherford’s superb 100 pound Lloyds sword sold at James D. Julia’s March 2017 auction as lot 1231, for the world record price of $270,250.