eMedals is pleased to offer the Royal presentation Dirk set gifted by King Edward VII to Ernst Ludwig was the last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine on the event of his birth in 1908. The large dirk features a 270 mm long magnetic steel blade, with a sharp edge and having a very sharp tip. The blade spine is designed with a series of semi-circular notches, nine on one side and ten on the other, forming a continuous wave pattern when viewed from above. Just below the spine on both sides is a fuller running from the base to a point two-thirds of the way along the blade. The blade exhibits scattered surface wear and pitting on both sides. The red felt washer at the base of the blade remains intact. The reinforcing collar band is in silver, exhibiting a series of interlocking braids with rules on either side on the front, with a plain reverse. The traditional ebony handle is hand-carved wood, with a thatched pattern throughout, the front plate of the handle smooth with a silver crowned lion standing upon a crown insignia affixed. The cap on the pommel is silver, engraved with an interlocking weave pattern design and finished with a large round cairngorm stone, a type of smoky quartz rock crystal, the cairngorm stone free of chipping and exhibiting very little contact, the stone secured in place by eight prongs on the cap, the dirk measuring 410 mm in length.
The accompanying scabbard is emblazoned with three silver bands, each with an engraved ornate pattern on the front. The scabbard itself is wrapped in a pebbled black leather, exhibiting a small wear spot just below the middle band. The chape is also in silver, engraved with a similar ornate pattern as that used on the bands and is finished with a ball finial. All three bands and the chape have a plain reverse. The reverse of the upper band (locket) has a u-shaped bar, with the maker mark "R.W. FORSYTH Ltd EDINBURGH & GLASGOW" and "R.W.F." immediately below, and incorporates the Scottish thistle sterling standard mark, the City of Edinburgh coat-of-arms with heraldic castle mark (representing Edinburgh Castle) and is dated marked "C" (1909). The middle and lower bands protrude from the body, each topped by a silver semi-circular platform with a circular hole in the middle, the lower band missing one of its two pins that secure the platform in place, the middle band missing both its pins which allows the platform to come away from the body of the dirk when the knife is released. The upper platform houses a knife, the lower platform houses a fork, each utensil made of magnetic steel with an ebony handle in hand-carved wood in a thatched pattern. Both utensils have a protruding lever affixed to their collar bands, in order to release them from their respective housings. The cap on the pommel is silver on both the knife and the fork, each of which is engraved with an interlocking weave pattern design and finished with a small round cairngorm stone, each of which are secured in place by eight prongs on the cap. The locket has a very large opening in the throat for the placement of the dirk, the scabbard measuring 305 mm in length. The accompanying frog is in black leather with a cracked-look upper and raw underside, incorporating two sliders and a five holes for length adjustment, the strap designed to be fed through the magnetic D-shaped silvered metal buckle, the frog measuring 45 mm wide x 170 mm in length. Also included are two small dirks: The first dirk features a 95 mm long magnetic steel blade, with a sharp edge and having a very sharp tip. The blade spine is designed with a series of semi-circular notches, seven on both sides, forming a continuous wave pattern when viewed from above. Just below the spine on both sides is a fuller running from the base to a point two-thirds of the way along the blade. The blade exhibits scattered surface wear and pitting on both sides,along with missing its blade washer. The reinforcing collar band is in silver, exhibiting a series of interlocking braids with rules on either side on the front, with a plain reverse. The traditional ebony handle is hand-carved wood, with a thatched pattern throughout, the front plate of the handle smooth with a silver crowned lion standing upon a crown insignia affixed. The handle exhibits a crack and chipping between the insignia and the collar band. The cap on the pommel is silver, engraved with an interlocking weave pattern design and finished with a small oval cairngorm stone, the stone secured in place by eight prongs on the cap, the dirk measuring 183 mm in length. The accompanying scabbard is emblazoned with a silver locket, engraved in an ornate pattern on the front, the locket loose versus the body of the scabbard as the adhesive that was used has dried. The scabbard itself is wrapped in a pebbled black leather. The chape is also in silver, engraved with a similar ornate pattern as that used on the locket and is finished with a ball finial. Both the locket and the chape have a plain reverse. The reverse of locket is maker marked "R.W. FORSYTH Ltd EDINBURGH & GLASGOW" and "R.W.F." immediately above, and incorporates the Scottish thistle sterling standard mark, the City of Edinburgh coat-of-arms with heraldic castle mark (Edinburgh Castle) and is dated marked "C" (1909), the scabbard measuring 113 mm in length.
The second dirk features a 95 mm long magnetic steel blade, with a sharp edge and having a very sharp tip. The blade spine is designed with a series of semi-circular notches, seven on one side and eight on the other, forming a continuous wave pattern when viewed from above. Just below the spine on both sides is a fuller running from the base to a point two-thirds of the way along the blade. The blade exhibits scattered surface wear and pitting on both sides. The red felt washer at the base of the blade remains intact. The reinforcing collar band is in silver, exhibiting two pairs of rules on the front, with a plain reverse. The traditional ebony handle is hand-carved wood, with a thatched pattern throughout, the handle exhibiting a crack that runs length-wise from the collar band to the pommel. The cap on the pommel is silver, engraved with two pairs of rules on the front, with a plain reverse and is finished with a small oval silver plate topped by a silver ball, the dirk measuring 187 mm in length. The accompanying scabbard is emblazoned with a silver locket in the shape of a shield, engraved with a pair of rules along the outer edge. The scabbard itself is wrapped in a pebbled black leather. The chape is also in silver, engraved with a pair of rules at both ends. Both the locket and the chape have a plain reverse. The reverse of the locket is maker marked "R.W. FORSYTH Ltd EDINBURGH & GLASGOW" and "R.W.F." immediately below, and incorporates the City of Glasgow coat-of-arms consisting of an oak tree with robin, bell and salmon mark, the British lion sterling standard mark and is dated marked "L" (1908), the scabbard measuring 108 mm in length.
All three dirks and the frog are housed in a wooden presentation case, the lid with a brass plate affixed which is inscribed "PRESENTED BY / KING EDWARD VII / TO THE / PRINCE OF HESS". There is a push release on the front side panel and when pressed, opens the case to reveal its contents. The inside lid is lined in green satin, padded and is maker marked in gold-coloured ink "Established 1872 / R.W. Forsyth Ltd / EDINBURGH & GLASGOW". The base is designed with a divider running length-wise one-third of the way from the back edge. The wider section towards the front of the case houses the larger dirk and the frog, the narrower section towards the back of the case is divided into two smaller sections which houses the two smaller dirks. There are securing blocks placed at either end in both sections. Both sections are lined in the same green satin as that used on the inside lid, however, the lining has experienced soiling and extensive age wear, as evidenced by the exposing of the wooden divider between the two main sections, along with the block at the one end of the larger section that exposes the underlying cotton padding. The case is dual-hinged in brass, each hinge secured in place via four screws.
Ernst Ludwig (1868-1937) was the last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. Ludwig, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine (1908-1968), was the younger son from his second marriage. Ernst Ludwig (or Ernest Louis) was a grandson of Queen Victoria. When he was nine years old, several of his family members, including him, contracted diphtheria. Ernst Ludwig lost a sister and his mother to the illness. Afterwards, he and his siblings lived mostly in Great Britain, being cared for by their grandmother, Queen Victoria. In 1894, Ernst Ludwig married his cousin, another grandchild of Queen Victoria, Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, nicknamed “Ducky”. The Queen had been very invested in the idea of her two grandchildren getting married, and it was largely due to her influence that the marriage was arranged. Unfortunately, Ernst Ludwig and Princess Victoria were not a good match and the marriage suffered. In 1895, their daughter Elisabeth was born, who would die at the young age of eight from typhoid fever. In 1900, Princess Victoria had a stillborn son. The couple officially divorced in 1901 after the death of Queen Victoria, who had refused to allow a divorce before.
After the death of his daughter in 1903, Ernst Ludwig concentrated much of his energy and finances on being a patron of the arts. He married his second wife, Eleonore zu Solms-Hohensolms-Lich in 1905. In 1906, she gave birth to Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, who died with most of his family in a plane crash near Ostend, Belgium, in 1937. The second son was born in 1908, Ludwig, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine, named after his father.
Ernst Ludwig lost his title after the end of the First War with the end of the monarchy in Germany, when he was forced to abdicate.
Ludwig, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine, called “Lu”, studied archeology and art history. After university, he became attaché at the German embassy in London. Ludwig met his future wife in Bavaria, Margaret Campbell Geddes, the daughter of British diplomat Sir Auckland Campbell Geddes. They got engaged in 1936. The wedding had already been scheduled, but was pushed back due to the death of Ludwig’s father, Ernst Ludwig, in October of 1937. On their way to the wedding ceremony, Ludwig’s mother, his brother Georg Donatus, his brother’s wife, and their two sons perished in a plane crash near Ostend, Belgium. His brother’s 14 months old daughter Johanna had been left to stay at home. Ludwig and Margaret adopted her, but she died at the age of three from meningitis. Ludwig and Margaret had no children of their own. Ludwig, like his father, was a patron of the arts. He and his wife also raised money for charitable organisations, especially after the Second War, and helped in the rebuilding of the city of Darmstadt. Ludwig was a close friend of British composer Benjamin Britten.