A George III eighteen carat gold-mounted walking cane Maker's mark...
A George III eighteen carat gold-mounted walking cane
Maker's mark WB, London, 1767
The Malacca cane with gold cap chased with scrolls and floral sprays, engraved with the coat of arms of Mercer of Aldie, 120cm long
William Mercer of Aldie and Meikleour (d. 1790) was a colonel in the Scots Brigade in the service of the United Provinces in the Netherlands. He was promoted four times by the Council of State of the United Provinces: in 1749 he was made capitaine-commandant, an honorary rank; in 1757, he was promoted to capitaine in the Grenadiers company of the 1st Scots Battalion, and in 1769 to capitaine-commandant; finally, in 1777, he was made Honorary Colonel. Mercer's name appears on a list of 13th December 1782 of officers in the infantry regiment under the command of Major-General Houstoun, who were released from service or integrated into the Dutch army. During Mercer's time, the brigade was headquartered in Maastricht and Tournai.
William Mercer married Margaret Murray, the daughter of William Murray of Pitkaithley, in 1762, and had one surviving daughter, Jean, who married George Keith Elphinstone, Admiral Viscount Keith. Jean Mercer's granddaughter, Emily, rebuilt Meikleour House (which overlooks the river Tay on land the Mercers have owned for over 800 years) in the style of a French chateau to honour her father, Count Charles de Flahaut, an aide-de-camp to Napoleon and the natural son of the French statesman Talleyrand.
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A George III eighteen carat gold-mounted walking cane
Maker's mark WB, London, 1767
The Malacca cane with gold cap chased with scrolls and floral sprays, engraved with the coat of arms of Mercer of Aldie, 120cm long
William Mercer of Aldie and Meikleour (d. 1790) was a colonel in the Scots Brigade in the service of the United Provinces in the Netherlands. He was promoted four times by the Council of State of the United Provinces: in 1749 he was made capitaine-commandant, an honorary rank; in 1757, he was promoted to capitaine in the Grenadiers company of the 1st Scots Battalion, and in 1769 to capitaine-commandant; finally, in 1777, he was made Honorary Colonel. Mercer's name appears on a list of 13th December 1782 of officers in the infantry regiment under the command of Major-General Houstoun, who were released from service or integrated into the Dutch army. During Mercer's time, the brigade was headquartered in Maastricht and Tournai.
William Mercer married Margaret Murray, the daughter of William Murray of Pitkaithley, in 1762, and had one surviving daughter, Jean, who married George Keith Elphinstone, Admiral Viscount Keith. Jean Mercer's granddaughter, Emily, rebuilt Meikleour House (which overlooks the river Tay on land the Mercers have owned for over 800 years) in the style of a French chateau to honour her father, Count Charles de Flahaut, an aide-de-camp to Napoleon and the natural son of the French statesman Talleyrand.
