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Auction: 24002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 26

Military General Service 1793-1814, 4 clasps, Albuhera, Vittoria, Orthes, Toulouse (R. Scriven, Serjeant, 13th Light Dragoons.), several edge knocks, otherwise very fine

Provenance:
Sotheby's, 1906.
Spink, 1983 & 1986.

Richard Scriven was christened in Fairford, Gloucestershire on 6 May 1778 and attested with the 13th Light Dragoons at age 21 after working as a breeches maker. He was promoted to Corporal in October 1802, to Serjeant in June 1804, and later joined Captain Doherty's troop upon disembarking at Lisbon in April 1810. The Regiment was engaged in many battles and skirmishes of the Peninsular War, including the controversial charge at Campo Mayor on 28 March 1811. Serving in Brigadier General Long's cavalry, the unit routed the 26th Dragoons and pursued them nearly all the way to Badajoz. Unfortunately in the absence of their anticipated support, they were forced to abandon their captured guns. That support however had not been sent as the unit was falsely believed to have been captured. The next month in April, they surprised at their Olivenza outpost by the French, who took two officers and fifty men prisoner. Later that month, the Regiment participated in a charge at Los Santos where they broke over 500 French cavalry and took over a hundred prisoners.

During the Battle of Albuera, they were stationed at the narrow Albuera Bridge and later helped to cover Cole's southern advance. The Regiment managed to suffer but a single casualty at what is known as the war's bloodiest battle. They later played a minor role at the Battle of Usagre during Marshal Beresford's pursuit of French General Soult, but were prominently engaged at Arroyo Dos Molinos in November 1811, where they participated in Long's cavalry charge which broke the French cavalry and resulted in the taking of two hundred prisoners and the capture of three artillery guns. They experienced less success at Membrillo the following month, where the French 88th Ligne formed into a square and repelled five charges by the unit, who were together with the 2nd Hussars KGL. However, they enjoyed more luck at the Battle of Ribera in July 1812 where they were successful in what became the final cavalry engagement south of the Guadiana River during the war. At the Battle of Vittoria in June 1813, the Regiment suffered but a single casualty and aided in the effort of driving King Joseph Bonaparte's army out of Spain. Ther again saw action at the crossing of the Saison in February 1814 and at the Battle of Orthes later that month, during which they routed the French cavalry and Captain Doherty, the commanding officer of Scriven's troop, killed the French commanding officer. At St. Gaudens on 22 March 1814, the unit again broke the French cavalry and took over a hundred prisoners. Scriven's final engagement of the war was at the Battle of Toulouse in April 1814, for which the Regiment was present but did not take part in the action.

Scriven was promoted Troop Serjeant-Major on 2 March 1815, and did not accompany his unit to Waterloo. He was discharged at Manchester on 24 March 1819 in consequence of 'being nearly worn out and unfit for service in India', understandable after Scriven's intense involvement in the Peninsula. His conduct was cited as being 'very good at home and abroad' and he was later appointed to Alderney as a Barrack Serjeant on 22 July 1819, and served as a Barrack Serjeant for 34 years. He seems to have lived the remainder of his life in Canterbury, where he died on 3 July 1965; sold together with copied research.

There is also a Robert Scriven, a private of the 13th Light Dragoons, to whom there appears to be no relation.


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Sold for
£1,600

Starting price
£800