Lot Essay
The large oval seal is inscribed Henry Lindesay, His servant, 1229 (1813-14 A.D.). The other five are inscribed Henry Lindesay-Bethune, His servant, 1250 (1834-35 A.D.).
Sir Henry Lindesay-Bethune (1787-1851), an officer in the Madras Artillery, accompanied Sir John Malcolm's mission to Persia in 1810 as one of the officers of the escort. After the departure of the mission he remained in Persia to train the Persian army. In 1821 he returned to Scotland where he adopted the name Bethune on succeeding to his grandfather's entailed estate.
In 1834 he was once again in Persia at the order of the British Government which was involved in the disputed succession on the death of Fath 'Ali Shah. He commanded the Persian army quelling the rebellion against Muhammad Shah. His extremely tall figure excited the curiosity of the Persians who held him as a hero, earning him the nickname of 'Rustem'. He made two subsequent visits to Persia, the last in 1851 when he died at Tabriz and was buried in the churchyard of the Armenians.
A Baronetcy was conferred on him in 1836, and he was de jure 9th Earl of Lindsay and 8th Viscount of Garnock. His son established his right to the title in 1878.
Dictionary of National Biography
Wright, Sir Denis: The English among the Persians during the Qajar Period (1787-1921), London 1977, pp.52-58
Sir Henry Lindesay-Bethune (1787-1851), an officer in the Madras Artillery, accompanied Sir John Malcolm's mission to Persia in 1810 as one of the officers of the escort. After the departure of the mission he remained in Persia to train the Persian army. In 1821 he returned to Scotland where he adopted the name Bethune on succeeding to his grandfather's entailed estate.
In 1834 he was once again in Persia at the order of the British Government which was involved in the disputed succession on the death of Fath 'Ali Shah. He commanded the Persian army quelling the rebellion against Muhammad Shah. His extremely tall figure excited the curiosity of the Persians who held him as a hero, earning him the nickname of 'Rustem'. He made two subsequent visits to Persia, the last in 1851 when he died at Tabriz and was buried in the churchyard of the Armenians.
A Baronetcy was conferred on him in 1836, and he was de jure 9th Earl of Lindsay and 8th Viscount of Garnock. His son established his right to the title in 1878.
Dictionary of National Biography
Wright, Sir Denis: The English among the Persians during the Qajar Period (1787-1921), London 1977, pp.52-58