Gwalior Star

 

The Gwalior Campaign 1843.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

The Gwalior Star was a British Empire campaign medal presented for service in the Gwalior Campaign against Maharaja Mahadji Rao Scindia. The medal was instituted in 1843 and was awarded to those who participated in action under the command of Sir Hugh Gough at the Battle of Maharajpoor and Major-General Grey at the Battle of Punniar - resulting in the British regaining control of Gwalior.

 

The medals were struck from bronze taken from the guns captured during the two battles.

 

 

This medal was struck in bronze with a silver centre and is of a six-pointed star design, 45mm wide and 52mm high.

 

The obverse of both versions of this medal has a silver centre bearing the name of the battle, either; ‘MAHARAJPOOR’, or; ‘PUNNIAR’ and the date; '29 DEC 1843'.

 

The reverse is plain except for a flst prong used to attach the star to clothing. However many were later converted to take a ribbon (attached via a metal ring or one of a variety of privately fitted suspenders) in order for the star to be worn in the same manner as other medals.

 

In some cases the medal was issued un-named. Where named, the recipient's details can be found engraved in script on the reverse.

 

 

 

The ribbon is 44mm wide and the watered rainbow colour common to most Honourable East India Company medals. It is red on the left edge fading into white, which changed to yellow in the centre, fading back to white, until finally changing to blue at the right edge.

 

 

None were authorised for this medal.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

 

* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.

 

 

This section contains information on:-

 

- The Gwalior Campaign.

- The Battle Of Maharajpore.

- The Battle Of Punniar.

- The Honourable East India Company.

- The Army Of The Honourable East India Company.

 

The Gwalior Campaign - The Gwalior Campaign was fought between British and Marathan forces in Gwalior in India, December 1843.

 

The Maratha Empire controlled much of central and northern India and had fallen to the British in 1818 giving the British control over almost all of the Indian subcontinent. The Maharaja of Gwalior had died and a young child appointed as the Maharaja with British support. However, Marathas in Gwalior saw the failed British campaign in Afghanistan as opportunity to regain independence and removed the young Maharaja. Lord Ellenborough, foreseeing the possibility of the Marathas in Gwalior making an attempt for independence had formed the Army of Exercise near Agra.

 

After attempts to negotiate failed, the British advanced in a two pronged attack. The British, under the command of Gen. Sir Hugh Gough clashed with Marathan forces, under the command of Maharaja Scindiah, in two battles on the same day; 29 December 1843.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Maharajpore - The Marathan army had 14 battalion, 1000 artillery men with 60 guns and 6 000 cavalry at Maharajpore. The British faced them with troops from the 40th Regiment of Foot with the 2nd and 16th Native Infantry Regiments forming the central column, the 39th Regiment of Foot with the 56th Native Infantry Regiment and a filed battery forming the left column and the 16th Lancers with two troops of horse artillery as well as other artillery forming the right column.

 

The centre column advanced to attack to where the believed the main enemy force was located. However, during the night the Marathans had moved and the British were surprised as they came under heavy fire from the Marathan artillery in their new positions. The central column then received the order to take the battery positions which they did under continuous heavy fire from shot, grape, canister and chain.

 

The guns were to the South-East Maharajpore with two battalions of Marathan troops for each battery and in Maharajpore with seven battalions for each battery and the British fought hand to hand with the Marathans, both sides taking heavy casualties, to clear the positions. The Marathans fought intensely and few escaped the battle. The British finally defeated the Marathans with 797 men killed, wounded or missing. The Marathans were estimated to have lost 3000 to 4000 men.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Battle Of Punniar - The Marathan at Punniar numbered about 12,000 men and occupied the high ground near Mangore. As the British army approached they immediately attacked the Marathan positions driving them from the hill.

 

After the defeat of the Marathan forces in Gwalior the British disbanded their army and established a force in the state that the government of Gwalior maintained. A British governor was appointed at Gwalior fort.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Honourable East India Company - The East India Company, originally chartered as the Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies, and more properly called the Honourable East India Company, was an English and later (from 1707) British joint-stock company formed for pursuing trade with the East Indies but which ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent, Qing Dynasty China, North-West Frontier Province and Balochistan.

 

Commonly associated with trade in basic commodities, which included cotton, silk, indigo dye, salt, saltpetre, tea and opium, the Company received a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth in 1600, making it the oldest among several similarly formed European East India Companies. Shares of the company were owned by wealthy merchants and aristocrats.

 

The government owned no shares and had only indirect control. The Company eventually came to rule large areas of India with its own private armies, exercising military power and assuming administrative functions. Company rule in India effectively began in 1757 after the Battle of Plassey and lasted until 1858 when, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Government of India Act 1858 led to the British Crown assuming direct control of India in the era of the new British Raj.

 

The company was dissolved in 1874 as a result of the East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act passed one year earlier, as the Government of India Act had by then rendered it vestigial, powerless and obsolete. Its functions had been fully absorbed into the official government machinery of British India and its private presidency armies had been nationalised by the British Crown.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Army Of The Honourable East India Company - The presidency armies were the armies of the three presidencies of the East India Company's rule in India, later the forces of the British Crown in India. The presidency armies were named after the presidencies: the Bengal Army, the Madras Army and the Bombay Army. Initially, only Europeans served as commissioned or non-commissioned officers. In time, Indian Army units were garrisoned from Peshawar in the north, to Sind in the west, and to Rangoon in the east.

 

The army was engaged in the wars to extend British control in India (the Mysore, Maratha and Sikh wars) and beyond (the Burma, Afghan, First and Second Opium Wars, and the Expedition to Abyssinia).

 

The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the Company until the Indian Rebellion of 1857, when the Crown took over the Company and its three armies. In 1895 the three presidency armies were merged into a united Indian Army.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.