Silver Centrepiece of the King’s German Legion

This silver centrepiece shows all the regiments of the King’s German Legion. It was presented to Major Ludlow Beamish who wrote a detailed history of the Legion after Waterloo. Artillery, cavalry and infantry are depicted around the base.

The soldiers stand around an oak tree, which is crowned with an oak wreath. These two symbols are traditionally associated with liberty across Germany. In pagan times oak trees were adorned with wreaths and worshipped. Beneath such trees in the Teutoberg Forest the ancient Germans fought and crushed the mighty Roman army.

An inscribed frieze around the cup shows the invasion of Hanover by France in the form of a Gallia with a cockerel. The figure of Germania sits weeping. Two German men leave Hanover via a British ship and are welcomed by Britannia who gives them arms to fight. Together with the British lion, they attack Gallia who cowers behind a shield adorned with a French eagle. The two Germans then return home carrying laurel crowned spears and are welcomed by Germania who is restored to her throne.

The cup lid has a laurel wreath around the centrepiece as a symbol of victory. Inside it is the Beamish family motto: ‘Virtus insignit audentes’ (virtue marks the bold). A rampant lion, a symbol of courage, crowns the lid.
The King’s German Legion was formed from Hanoverian soldiers who had fled their homeland after it was invaded and conquered by the French. King George III was the ruler of both the United Kingdom and Hanover. Consequently, Britain was the natural second home for these soldiers.

All three arms fought in the Peninsular and at Quatre Bras as well as at Waterloo. At Waterloo they held La Haye Sainte under Major Baring until they ran out of ammunition and suffered tremendous losses. They stood their ground on the Allied ridge and fought in the orchard at Hougoumont.