Posts Tagged ‘The Black Watch’

Ram's Head Snuff Mull - 42nd Royal Highland Regiment of Foot

So many of the 1500 photographs I took in the UK for our recently released book, “Crimean Memories: Artefacts of the Crimean War,” were unusual, with interesting histories, but this snuff mull is one of my absolute favorites. It is a silver mounted ram’s head snuff mull, which had a home in the Officer’s Mess of the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment of Foot until the Crimean War.

The Crimean War took place between 1854 and 1856, primarily on the Crimean Peninsula in today’s Ukraine. Imperial Russia had for some time been exhibiting expansionist ambitions which were threatening established trade routes to India. Under what was perceived as a veiled attempt to further these ambitions, Russia invaded parts of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). Britain, France, and eventually Sardinia joined Turkey and declared war on Imperial Russia.

The 42nd Royal Highland Regiment of Foot, more commonly known as The Black Watch, landed at Kalamita Bay in the Crimea in September1854, as part of the Highland Brigade, 1st Division, of the English Army of the East. Their battle honours include Alma, and the Siege of Sevastopol.

The snuff mull in this photograph is the head shoulders and horns of a ram, and is about two feet square. It currently rests in a fine case in The Black Watch Museum, Perth, Scotland, where we found it. It was originally in the 42nd Regiment Officers’ Mess, and contained snuff in the round silver jeweled tray on its top between the horns. There was a ritual-like ceremony attached to the snuff use that each officer was bound by mess tradition to follow.

According to the Black Watch Museum records, this particular mull was brought to the Crimea by the Highland officers to be used in their mess, but upon arrival, they found no source for proper snuff. Thus, the commanding officer used the snuff mull as an inkpot. On close examination you can see the ink stains inside the round tray on top of the mull.

After the war, the mull was lost. It literally disappeared for 75 years. It was found under odd, but interesting circumstances. There is now a silver plate added on the front of the snuff mull which reads: “This Black Watch snuff mull was discovered in a saleroom by H.M. Queen Mary who presented it to the Black Watch in 1932.”

Thus, this superb artefact found its way to its rightful home, and I found an amazing story to attach to my photograph of this noble creature. There’s something endearing about the way he is looking at you – almost as though he’s looking across the ages.

This artifact was photographed courtesy of The Black Watch Museum, Perth, Scotland.