The Monghyr Mutiny Medal is a possible early campaign medal of the British East India Company. Robert Clive is known to have decorated a number of sepoys for their service in the Monghyr Mutiny. A campaign medal is listed in some sources as having been awarded, and both the National Army and Victoria and Albert Museums hold a medal depicting Minerva, which they attribute to this action. Other sources dispute this and identify the Minerva medal as being awarded by a Freemasons lodge in Leipzig. If awarded, the medal would have been the earliest of those issued by the company in India.
Monghyr Mutiny Medal
Obverse and reverse of the Minerva medal, identified by some sources as the Monghyr Mutiny Medal
The Monghyr Mutiny, which took place in 1766, was a mass resignation of white officers of the East India Company's Bengal Army, over the withdrawal of the batta allowance. The mutiny was quelled without bloodshed by Robert Clive, who was then Governor of Bengal, with a few loyal officers and a number of Indian sepoy troops. He is known to have commended the sepoys for their good behaviour and to have decorated a number of their officers and non-commissioned officers. The entire force also received two-months double pay.[1]
Medaledit
A Monghyr Mutiny campaign medal is listed in Steward (1915) as having been awarded by the East India Company in 1766.[2] The National Army Museum holds a silver medal that it states is "believed to have been issued on the recommendation of Robert, Lord Clive, to the Indian officers of two Indian battalions who succeeded in quelling a mutiny among the European troops at Monghyr in Bengal, in June 1766".[3] The Victoria and Albert Museum also holds one of these medals and describes it as having been given as a reward for service during the "batta disputes". It notes the medal is silvered by electrotyping and that the obverse shows Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom, seated by some palm trees. The reverse shows laurel branches, the Latin inscription "non nisi digno" (only for the worthy)[4] and the year "MDCCLXVI" (1766).[5] The means of wearing the medal are not known but other early medals of the East India Company were worn suspended around the neck by means of a yellow cord.[6]
Chakravorty (1995) states that this was the "earliest medal issued by the Company on the Indian soil", while Clark (2016) notes that it was only awarded to Indian soldiers.[7][8] The next known medal issued by the company is the Deccan Medal awarded in 1784.[9]
However, doubts have been raised with regards to this medal. The Freemasons' Quarterly Review of 1846 lists a medal struck by the Minerva zu den drei Palmen [de] (Minerva with the three palms) lodge of Leipzig. This medal had "Minerva sitting under three palms" on the obverse and the same wreathed date and motto as the museum examples on the reverse.[10] The British Numismatic Society identified the medal as that of the Minerva Lodge of the Freemasons in 1927.[11] The United Service Institution of India noted in 1929 that the motto and depiction of Minerva make the medal better suited to a non-military application and that it "may be discarded as a military decoration". They also noted that it does not resemble any other medal ever issued by the East India Company and is not mentioned in its official records.[12]
Chakravorty, B. (1995). Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners. Allied Publishers. ISBN978-81-7023-516-3.
Clark, Samuel (2016). Distributing Status: The Evolution of State Honours in Western Europe. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. ISBN978-0-7735-9857-7.
Das, Chand N. (1984). Traditions and Customs of the Indian Armed Forces. Vision Books.
The Freemasons' Quarterly Review (1846). The Freemason's Lexicon. Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper, Paternoster-Row.
British Numismatic Society (1927). British Numismatic Journal.
Steward, W. Augustus (1915). War Medals and Their History(Google Books). London: Stanley Paul and Company. pp. 9–17. ISBN978-1-4086-9712-2. OCLC 459070961.
Strachey, Sir Henry (1773). Narrative of the Mutiny of the Officers of the Army in Bengal, in the Year 1766. Becket.
United Service Institution of India (1929). Journal of the United Service Institution of India.
January 01, 1970
monghyr, mutiny, medal, possible, early, campaign, medal, british, east, india, company, robert, clive, known, have, decorated, number, sepoys, their, service, monghyr, mutiny, campaign, medal, listed, some, sources, having, been, awarded, both, national, army. The Monghyr Mutiny Medal is a possible early campaign medal of the British East India Company Robert Clive is known to have decorated a number of sepoys for their service in the Monghyr Mutiny A campaign medal is listed in some sources as having been awarded and both the National Army and Victoria and Albert Museums hold a medal depicting Minerva which they attribute to this action Other sources dispute this and identify the Minerva medal as being awarded by a Freemasons lodge in Leipzig If awarded the medal would have been the earliest of those issued by the company in India Monghyr Mutiny MedalObverse and reverse of the Minerva medal identified by some sources as the Monghyr Mutiny MedalTypeCampaign medalAwarded forCampaign servicePresented bythe East India Company EIC EligibilityNative EIC forcesCampaign s Monghyr MutinyClaspsNoneStatusUnclear if ever awardedEstablished1766Suspension cord for other early EIC medals Contents 1 Background 2 Medal 3 References 4 BibliographyBackground editThe Monghyr Mutiny which took place in 1766 was a mass resignation of white officers of the East India Company s Bengal Army over the withdrawal of the batta allowance The mutiny was quelled without bloodshed by Robert Clive who was then Governor of Bengal with a few loyal officers and a number of Indian sepoy troops He is known to have commended the sepoys for their good behaviour and to have decorated a number of their officers and non commissioned officers The entire force also received two months double pay 1 Medal editA Monghyr Mutiny campaign medal is listed in Steward 1915 as having been awarded by the East India Company in 1766 2 The National Army Museum holds a silver medal that it states is believed to have been issued on the recommendation of Robert Lord Clive to the Indian officers of two Indian battalions who succeeded in quelling a mutiny among the European troops at Monghyr in Bengal in June 1766 3 The Victoria and Albert Museum also holds one of these medals and describes it as having been given as a reward for service during the batta disputes It notes the medal is silvered by electrotyping and that the obverse shows Minerva Roman goddess of wisdom seated by some palm trees The reverse shows laurel branches the Latin inscription non nisi digno only for the worthy 4 and the year MDCCLXVI 1766 5 The means of wearing the medal are not known but other early medals of the East India Company were worn suspended around the neck by means of a yellow cord 6 Chakravorty 1995 states that this was the earliest medal issued by the Company on the Indian soil while Clark 2016 notes that it was only awarded to Indian soldiers 7 8 The next known medal issued by the company is the Deccan Medal awarded in 1784 9 However doubts have been raised with regards to this medal The Freemasons Quarterly Review of 1846 lists a medal struck by the Minerva zu den drei Palmen de Minerva with the three palms lodge of Leipzig This medal had Minerva sitting under three palms on the obverse and the same wreathed date and motto as the museum examples on the reverse 10 The British Numismatic Society identified the medal as that of the Minerva Lodge of the Freemasons in 1927 11 The United Service Institution of India noted in 1929 that the motto and depiction of Minerva make the medal better suited to a non military application and that it may be discarded as a military decoration They also noted that it does not resemble any other medal ever issued by the East India Company and is not mentioned in its official records 12 References edit Strachey 1773 p 34 Steward 1915 p 9 Silver medal commemorating the suppression of the Monghyr Mutiny 1766 Online Collection National Army Museum London Retrieved 4 August 2020 Cassell s New Latin English Dictionary 5th edition 1968 ISBN 0304929093 Medal V and A Collections 4 August 2020 Retrieved 4 August 2020 Das 1984 p 288 Chakravorty 1995 p 32 Clark 2016 p 319 United Service Institution of India 1929 p 457 The Freemasons Quarterly Review 1846 p 421 British Numismatic Society 1927 p 435 United Service Institution of India 1929 p 85Bibliography editChakravorty B 1995 Stories of Heroism PVC amp MVC Winners Allied Publishers ISBN 978 81 7023 516 3 Clark Samuel 2016 Distributing Status The Evolution of State Honours in Western Europe McGill Queen s Press MQUP ISBN 978 0 7735 9857 7 Das Chand N 1984 Traditions and Customs of the Indian Armed Forces Vision Books The Freemasons Quarterly Review 1846 The Freemason s Lexicon Sherwood Gilbert and Piper Paternoster Row British Numismatic Society 1927 British Numismatic Journal Steward W Augustus 1915 War Medals and Their History Google Books London Stanley Paul and Company pp 9 17 ISBN 978 1 4086 9712 2 OCLC 459070961 Strachey Sir Henry 1773 Narrative of the Mutiny of the Officers of the Army in Bengal in the Year 1766 Becket United Service Institution of India 1929 Journal of the United Service Institution of India Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Monghyr Mutiny Medal amp oldid 1073019547, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
