BARONET BADGE

[Graf]

Dear Members,

Recently i have obtained this nice Baronet Badge whch belonged to late Sir Thomas Cato Worsfold, 1st Baronet Since he had no children when he passed away in 1936 the Title was extinct

Sir Thomas Cato Worsfold, 1st Baronet DL JP(14 February 1861 – 11 July 1936) was a British baronet and politician. He gained anLLD from Trinity College, Dublin^[1] and in 1918 he was elected as a Coalition Conservative Member of Parliament for Mitcham. He resigned from the House of Commons on 13 February 1923 by appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds. The following year he was created a baronet, of The Hall Place in the Parish of Mitcham in the County of Surrey.

I am asking you for a help where I can get more information and/or documents regarding Sir Thomas Cato Worsfold, 1st Baronet

[Graf]

Reverse side of the Baronet Badge

Regards

Graf

[Chris Boonzaier]

He seems to have had a thing for Italian Virgins...

http://books.google.de/books/about/The_history_of_the_Vestal_virgins_of_Rom.html?id=auAoAAAAYAAJ&redir_esc=y

[Graf]

Hi Chris,

This is very interesting.

Meanwile I obtained this information :

Unfortunately our records only extend to extant Baronetcies. The College of Arms ( http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/ ) would have been involved in the granting of his arms ( http://www.4crests.com/worsfold-coat-of-arms.html )and may have further information. Sir Thomas would have had to purchase his badge, probably from The Royal Mint or from Spink & Son. Badges were introduced in 1929 and in those days the proposed charge for them was seven guineas!

Best wishes,

Perry Abbott

Cdr C P G Abbott OBE RN

Secretary SCB

[paul wood]

The giving of Baronacies goes back to 1629 but you are right the type you have (Baronet of the United Kingdom) was introduced in 1929 at the period you mention the badges would have been manufactured by the Royal Mint, I wonder was it given for services to ancient Italian virgins.

Paul

[peter monahan]

Wow! A politician and an historian. Well, "batting 5.0" is considered very very good in baseball. The badge is really lovely too. It's hard to beat good quality enamel work for sheer visual appeal. Nice find, Graf! :jumping:

Edited September 12, 2012 by peter monahan

[Graf]

Hi Paul,

Good point..I do not know ..it might be given for these services Here in Australia a Federal MP has used his MP Credit card for such services ..however he denies it is him ..Well when they give the awards he will miss..because it was not his "credit"

Hi Peter,

Thank you for the comments

Graf

[ukok]

Sir Thomas Cato Worsfold's earliest memory of Mitcham was of being frightened one bright summer day. Writing in Bidder's Old Mitcham, he recorded how he saw 'four or five sheeted ghosts rising and bending in a field. To complete the unearthly illusion each spectre was armed with a flashing knife!'

Unfortunately, he does not say where this took place. Neither does he tell us when, although he does state that he was a child at the time so, given that he was born c.1861, an approximate date can be worked out.

But Worsfold's experience turned out to have a down-to-earth explanation. The young lad's nanny explained to him that the phantoms were actually gardeners wearing 'folds of white muslin swathed about their heads' to protect themselves from their crop of squirting cucumbers. Severing these thumb-sized whitish-green fruits from their stalks ejected an acrid spray that could burn flesh and do terrible damage to a person's eyes.

[paul wood]

Nowadays If one walked across Mitcham at night one would encounter several hooded figures armed with knives. Things don't change.

Paul

[Lee Phillip Cato]

Hello Paul Sir Thomas Cato Baronet was my great great great uncle.

if you have any more invo I would love to hear from you my friend.

 

God-

bless Lee cato 

Edited November 4, 2016 by Lee Phillip Cato