United Kingdom. A Military General Service Medal 1793-1814, to J. Lovett, Coldstream Guards

6 Clasps - BUSACO, FUENTES D'ONOR, CIUDAD RODRIGO, SALAMANCA, VITTORIA, St SEBASTIAN (J. LOVETT, COLDSTm GUARDS). In silver, naming is officially impressed in capitals, measuring 36.2 mm in diameter, scattered contact marks on the monarch's image, light contact overall, edge nicks, replacement ribbon, better than very fine. 

PROVENANCE: CHEYLESMORE 1930. GLEN. FEB 1953. John Lovett enlisted with the Coldstream Guards, 2nd Regiment on February 12th 1807 and saw service throughout the Napoleonic wars. He is indeed confirmed on the medal rolls for all 6 clasps. 

Footnote: The Military General Service Medal (MGSM) was a campaign medal approved in 1847 and issued to officers and men of the British Army in 1848. It was approved on June 1, 1847 as a retrospective award for various military actions from 1793 to 1814; a period encompassing the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Anglo-American War of 1812. Each battle or campaign covered by the medal was represented by a clasp on the ribbon, twenty-nine of which were sanctioned and the maximum awarded to one man was fifteen. The Duke of Richmond, who had fought at Waterloo, was chiefly responsible for the belated institution of the Military General Service Medal for all survivors of the campaigns between 1793 and 1814. He campaigned in Parliament and also enlisted the interest of Queen Victoria, who persuaded a reluctant Duke of Wellington that junior and non-commissioned officers and private soldiers deserved this recognition. Hitherto, only the Waterloo Medal had been awarded to all ranks, while senior officers could receive the Army Gold Medal for service in the Napoleonic Wars. The MGSM was only awarded to surviving claimants. A combination of factors, including general illiteracy and limited publicity for the new medal, meant that many did not apply for it, with only about ten per cent of those who served receiving the medal. While next of kin could not apply for a medal on behalf of a deceased relative, they did receive the medal in cases where the claimant had died between their application and actual award. A total of 26,089 medals were awarded.