KING GEORGE IV (GREAT BRITAIN) - DOCUMENT SIGNED 12/24/1820 CO-SIGNED BY: PRIME MINISTER HENRY JOHN TEMPLE (GREAT BRITAIN) - HFSID 35817

KING GEORGE IV and PRIME MINISTER HENRY JOHN TEMPLE (GREAT BRITAIN)
The King and his War Secretary sign off on a military pension during the first year of his reign
Document signed: "George R[ex]" as King of the United Kingdom in brown ink. Also, "Palmerston" as Secretary at War in brown ink. 1 page, 8x12½. Carlton Palace, London, England. December 24, 1820. Docketed on verso. In part: "Our Will and Pleasure is, and We do hereby authorized and direct, that out of such Monies as are in, or shall come to your Hands, for the Retired Pay and Allowances to the reduced Officers of Our Land Forces in that part of Our United Kingdom called Great Britain, you do  pay unto Noble Baltimore the Sum of five shillings and three pence a day for his Retired Full-Pay as a reduced Ensign of the 5th Royal Veteran Baltimore from the 25 Nov 1820 to the 24 Dec. 1820 inclusive, upon the same Affidavits or Certificates as are required in the case of other reduced Officers on retired Full-Pay: and for so doing, this, with the acquaintance of the said Ensign Noble Baltimore or of his Assign, together with the said Affidavits or Certificates, shall be your Warrant and Discharge". KING GEORGE IV (1762-1830, reigned from 1820) served as Regent of Great Britain from 1811, when his father, George III, was declared insane. As Prince of Wales he had very poor relationships both with his father, and with his wife, Princess Caroline of Brunswick, whom he forbade to attend his coronation and tried to divorce. As Regent, however, his choice of cabinet helped conclude the Napoleonic Wars (1815). War's end brought both peace and depression when government demand for supplies ceased. Prices fell and thousands became unemployed, instigating the first labor unions. He took steps to curb the depression with such acts as the Corn Law (1815). During his reign as King of Great Britain & Ireland (1820-1830), George IV's appreciation of the arts led to the development of Regent Street and Regent's Park and the restoration of Windsor Castle. He also initiated penal code reform and abolition of the death penalty (1822). George became increasingly unpopular, due in part to his lavish expenditures. His visit to Scotland in 1822 was the first by a British monarch since 1650. Prime Minister HENRY JOHN TEMPLE of Great Britain (1784-1865), popularly known as Lord Palmerston due to his Irish Peerage title as the 3rd Viscount Palmerston, was Britain's Secretary of State for War (1809-1828), Foreign Secretary (1830-1834, 1835-1841, 1846-1851) and Prime Minister (1855-1858, 1859-1865). He held office almost continuously for nearly half a century from 1807 until his death. Because he held an Irish peerage rather than an English one, he was able to sit in the House of Commons. Disliked by Queen Victoria and often abrasive in dealing with foreign governments - he held a lifelong antipathy to the United States - Palmerston was nevertheless effective in promoting British interests. Although he opposed slavery, Palmerston sympathized with the Confederacy on the grounds that a breakup of the United States would benefit Britain. Normal mailing folds. Toned. Worn and slightly soiled. Small tears along edges. Ink slightly smeared. Fragile. Otherwise, fine condition.