East India Company's Capture of Ceylon Medal, 1807

Capture of Ceylon Medal, 1807

Obverse, English inscription

 Capture of Ceylon Medal, 1807

Reverse, Persian inscription

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East India Company's Capture of Ceylon Medal, 1807

The island of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, was first taken over from its inhabitants by the Portuguese in 1505; the Dutch replaced them during the seventeenth century. In a campaign from 1795 to 1796 the British East India Company ousted Dutch rule and took the island over.
This medal was issued by the Company to a force of 123 Indian gunners from the Bengal Artillery who served in the campaign. It is unnamed, and the recipient's identity unknown. Lester Watson bought it from the dealer Gifford in 1927.