Lady Valerie Meux and the Papal Medal

Lady Valerie Meux, of Theobald’s Park, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, the banjo-playing barmaid, the showgirl with a dubious reputation who married into the Meux Brewery fortune, would seem to be the most unlikely recipient of a Papal Medal

And yet it happened.

All because of looted ancient Abyssinian (now Ethiopia) religious manuscripts. It seems quite clear that these manuscripts were among many books and artefacts looted by victorious British troops following the Battle of Maqdala in April 1868, when British and Abyssinian forces clashed 390 miles from the Red Sea coast.

Lady Meux, in the spring of 1897, visited London antiquarian bookseller Mr. Bernard Quaritch in Piccadilly, where she saw these manuscripts - and wanted them. She telegraphed E. A. Wallis Budge Budge at the British Museum asking him to go the booksellers, examine the manuscripts, and to report back to her ‘without delay’.

Budge was impressed with the manuscripts. He thought them so important that he wanted the British Museum to buy them. But the Keeper of Oriental Manuscripts was unable to meet the price demanded by Mr. Quaritch. Lady Meux had no such money problems and so bought the manuscripts.

As soon as the manuscripts were delivered to Theobald’s Park, Lady Meux asked Budge to make a fuller examination of them, describe their contents in detail, so that she might come to some decision as to their publication. This was largest private collection of Maqdala manuscripts in private hands, other than those acquired by Queen Victoria.

The first to be published was The Lives of Maba Seyon and Gabra Krestos in 1898. The Miracles of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Life of Hannâ, And the Magical Prayers of A̕hĕta Mîkâêl followed in 1900. The books were printed in limited runs of 300, which Lady Meux distributed to scholars, libraries and friends.

She even sent a copy of The Miracles of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Pope Leo XII. In return, she received a bust of His Holiness and a blessing from His Eminence Cardinal Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro.

In April 1899, English Catholic priest Father Bernard Vaughan received a Papal medal on Lady Meux’s behalf through Cardinal Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro. 

Father Vaughan had been specially invited by the Commission of Cardinals to speak at the Marian Congress and was received in special audience by the Holy Father. He presented the Pope with two bound volumes of The Book of Paradise: Being the History and Sayings of the Monks  and Ascetics of the Egyptian Desert. This had been translated from the Sryiac by Budge.

In March 2017, this medal came up for sale at Cuttlestones Auctioneers and Valuers at its auction rooms in Penkridge, Staffordshire.

The medal was in an embossed red Morocco case, with blue lining, on which was printed in gold lettering: “This silver medal bearing the likeness of his Holiness was presented to Lady Meux by Pope Leo XIII through his Eminence Cardinal Rampolla April 1899.”

The medal had the profile of Pope Leo X below which is engraved 'BIANCHI' (white, in Italian) and the reverse having an image of what appears to be the Pope meeting Christ with 'BORGIANIS DIAETIS INCVLVM PRISTINVM RESTITVTIS' around the scene and the date MDCCCXCVIII (1898). The sale price estimated at £80-120 and the hammer went down at £120.

Lady Meux intended the original manuscripts should be returned to Ethiopia on her death. Her will was clear and unambiguous. “I give and bequeath to the Emperor Menelik of Abyssinia or his successor all my Abyssinian manuscripts known as ‘Lady Meux's Manuscripts’.” 

As soon as this provision became public, a campaign started to prevent the return of the manuscripts. An article in The Times, 7th February 1911, said: “Many persons interested in Oriental Christianity … will view with extreme regret the decision of Lady Meux to send her valuable MSS once and for all out of the country.”

The provision in the will was challenged and overturned, on the grounds that Emperor Menelek was dead when Valerie died. This was not true. Emperor Menilek did not die until December 1913. And, of course, it clearly ignored that fact that he had heirs.

The campaign to return the stolen treasures to Ethiopia continues today.