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These silver spoons were from a cutlery service bought by Assistant Surgeon Stewart Chisholm using prize money awarded to him for his service at the Battle of Waterloo.
Date
1817–1818
Made from
Silver
Museum reference
On display
Active Service, Gallery 6, National War Museum
Did you know?
Prize money from the Battle of Waterloo was shared out among the victorious allied armies.
The spoons are stamped with the family crest of Assistant Surgeon Stewart Chisholm, his initials and the words ‘Waterloo Prize Money’, showing his pride in the source of his expensive cutlery service. They were made in 1817 0r 1818 by Edinburgh goldsmiths Chalres Dalgleish.
As a 21-year-old assistant surgeon serving with the Ordnance Medical Department, Chisholm would have been entitled to sum of around £35, equivalent to nearly £1,500 in today’s terms.
Prize money was shared out among the victorious allied armies, from a huge cash indemnity which France was required to pay under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. The prize money was divided up according to rank. A general officer received over £1,250; a private soldier received £2.11s.4d.
In later life Chisholm saw active service again during the 1837 rebellions in Canada. He retired in 1858 as Senior Surgeon in the Royal Artillery and Deputy Inspector-General of Army Hospitals.
