Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...

 acquired many titles and honours

Arms, titles, honours and styles of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century. His military career culminated at the Battle of Waterloo, where, along with von Blücher, he defeated the forces of...

 including the rank of field marshal or equivalent in eight nation's armies. Each one of these nations provided him with a baton

Baton (symbol)

The ceremonial baton is a short, thick stick, carried by select high-ranking military officers as a uniform article. The baton is distinguished from the swagger stick in being thicker and less functional . Unlike a staff of office, a baton is not rested on the ground...

 as a symbol of his rank. The surviving batons are on display at Apsley House

Apsley House

Apsley House, also known as Number One, London, is the former London residence of the Dukes of Wellington. It stands alone at Hyde Park Corner, on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, facing south towards the busy traffic interchange and Wellington Arch...

 the former London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 residence of the Dukes of Wellington.

Military rank

At Wellington's funeral his military ranks were described as:

• Field Marshal and Commander-in-Chief of Her [Britannic] Majesty's Forces
• Field Marshal of the Austrian Army
• Field Marshal of the Hanoverian Army
• Field Marshal of the Army of the Netherlands
• Marshal-General of the Portuguese Army
• Field Marshal of the Prussian Army
• Field Marshal of the Russian Army
• Captain-General of the Spanish Army

Wellington's lying in state

At Wellington's lying in state, his batons of military rank were placed along side the coffin on 8 velvet cushions on 8 pedestals on gold lion supporters. The pedestals were more than two feet in height, each bearing the shield and banners of their respective nations. On two additional similar pedestals were placed Wellington's standard and guidon. The batons were described thus:

Display

For many years the batons were all on display at Apsley House however on 9 December 1965 there was a robbery in which three items were stolen one of which was the Russian Marshal's Baton. It has not been recovered.

The seven remaining field marsh batons along with two more British batons (one presented to the Duke in 1821 by George IV) are on permanent display at Apsley House

Apsley House

Apsley House, also known as Number One, London, is the former London residence of the Dukes of Wellington. It stands alone at Hyde Park Corner, on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, facing south towards the busy traffic interchange and Wellington Arch...

:

English baton (1813)

The 1813 baton is described as English and not British because engraved on the are the following words:
The English baton was presented the future Duke of Wellington for his military successes, but more specifically because after his victory at Vittoria he presented the captured Marshal's baton of Jean-Baptiste Jourdan

Jean-Baptiste Jourdan

Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Comte Jourdan , enlisted as a private in the French royal army and rose to command armies during the French Revolutionary Wars. Emperor Napoleon I of France named him a Marshal of France in 1804 and he also fought in the Napoleonic Wars. After 1815, he became reconciled...

 to George, the Prince Regent

George IV of the United Kingdom

George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...

 (at the time Prince Regent as his father George III was deemed to mentally ill to govern). The Prince Regent wrote to Wellington "You have sent me among your trophies of unrivalled fame the staff of a French marshal, and I send you in return that or England."

Russian batton

As mentioned above the Duke's Russian baton was stolen in 1965. "During the reign of Alexander I (1801-1825), only four Russian Generals and the Duke of Wellington received the coveted baton". A Russian baton circa 1878 (six were issued under Alexander II (1855-1881)) sold for $903,500 in a New York auction in 2004.

Further reading

has a representation of the 8 field marshal batons which can be found duplicated at
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