Sir Richard Levigne

Lot 1101 1751 Commission document signed by King George II, having belonged to Captain Boughey Skey. This official Army Commission appoints Boughey Skey to the rank of Captain in Kennedy’s (i.e. the 43rd) Regiment of Foot of the British Army. The document was duly signed at top left by King George the Second, on May 2, 1751. During the 18th Century these official Army Commission documents were important pieces of personal identification and would have been carried by their owners while on active service. Captain Skey was born in England in 1728, joined the Army in 1747, and served with the 43rd Regiment throughout the Québec Campaign of 1759/1760 and he was wounded at the Battle of Sainte Foy on April 28, 1760. The standard reference work Historical Records of the Forty-Third Regiment (1868) by Sir Richard Levinge confirms the following information (relevant photocopies included in this lot): 2 May 1751 appointed to the rank of Captain in the 43rd Regt., 15 March 1761 appointed to the rank of Major in the 43rd Regt., Skey transferred to the 49th Regiment (with rank of Lt-Col) in 1768 and retired in 1769. The work states explicitly that Skey served during the Siege of Québec in 1759 and during the Expedition to the West Indies under Lieutenant General Robert Monckton in 1762. The 43rd (Kennedy’s) Regiment played an important role during the famous battle on the Plains of Abraham outside Québec City on September 13, 1759, during which British Commander-in-Chief General James Wolfe was killed in action. On that fateful day, the 43rd Regiment contributed 327 soldiers to the total Army strength of 4,829 men. The document is in very fine condition, with the normal folds. In all likelihood, Captain Boughey Skey was carrying this actual Commission document during the epic battle, thereby making it an artifact of great historical significance in the Canadian context. Rsv. $2,500. Estimate $5,000, sold for C$7,500.00 plus 17% buyer’s premium. See also Lot 1102 for letters received by Capt. Skey.