In any art collection whose origins are diverse, there will inevitably be a "miscellaneous" section.
This section includes some of the very best works of art and historic objects in the archive, all of which have little in common other than the fact that their provenance usually includes, at some stage, the desire of a previous owner that they should come into the care of the Admiralty, the War Office or, more recently, the Ministry of Defence.
The collection encompasses a number of medals and badges. Among the best are a series of Admiralty Messengers' badges; this example is one of a set of four made between 1820 and 1827. Each badge is hallmarked and carries the London assay mark. Two of the badges have a pendent greyhound, made of silver.
The marker's mark is identical on all four badges, consisting of the letters "JA" in rectangular cartouche, which identifies them as the work of Joseph Angell. The Admiralty Messengers' badges identified the bearer and acted as a form of guarantee of despatch and delivery.
This Admiralty 'large' pattern badge displays the various royal emblems of different parts of the United Kingdom: the three lions of England in the first and fourth quarters, the lion of Scotland in the second and the harp of Ireland in the third.
It is surrounded by a garter bearing the motto "Honi soit qui mal y pense" ('Evil to him who evil thinks').