Physical Description -
The jewel itself is about 2 inches long by 1 3/4
inches wide, oval-shaped. Along the outside edge, there is a twisted ribbon
band of small clear stones - quartz? At the top and bottom of the ribbon band,
there are bows, also made with the same small stones, with a larger stone set
in the middle of the bow's knot. The jewels are visible only on the front; on
the back side there is only solid metal - pewter? At the top is a metal loop,
presumably for a chain, which is no longer with the jewel.
On the front of the jewel, the center oval field
is a dark blue material, probably enamel over the base metal. On top of the
enamel is the symbol of office for a Senior Warden, lightly inscribed around
the edges of the symbol, also set with a clear stone in the center of the
symbol's base. The symbol is the same size as the enamel field.
The back side of the jewel is lightly etched
around the perimeter of the oval. In its center is inscribed "Sir Peter Parker
Bart"; beneath it is inscribed "SGW" and beneath that, the date 1772. Outside
the cartouche is another inscription, added much later, that says "John
B.Coleman", with no office or date added.
Personal History - Sir Peter Parker,
First Baronet
Born 1721, probably in Ireland, as the third son
of Rear Admiral Christopher Parker, he continued the family tradition by
joining the Royal Navy. He was made lieutenant in 1743 and served in various
places in Europe and the West Indies until 1760, when he returned to Britain
and married Margaret Nugent about 1761. He was knighted on 10 June 1772.
In 1775 Parker was made commodore of the
Bristol and sailed with a small squadron to the Carolinas, where he
fought with General Henry Clinton at Charlestown and Sullivan's Island. After
suffering numerous casualties, Parker met Admiral Lord Howe in New York, and
campaigned there and in Rhode Island. In 1777 Parker was appointed
rear-admiral, and later also commander-in-chief of Jamaica, where he arrived
in 1778.
While in Jamaica, Parker appointed Horatio Nelson
as lieutenant on one of his flagships, then continued to advance him over the
next few years. Meanwhile, Parker himself became vice-admiral in 1779 and
continued to defend Jamaica until 1782, when he returned to England. He was
rewarded for his services with the baronetcy in 1783, and later promoted to
admiral in 1787, and admiral of the fleet in 1799. Parker was chief mourner at
Nelson's funeral in 1805. He also lost his wife in 1803, and his son
Christopher in 1805. Parker died in London in 1811, and is buried at St.
Margaret's, Westminster.
Parker was an active Freemason and served as
Grand Steward and Grand Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge of England in
1772, as well as the Provincial Grand Master of Jamaica in 1778. He was
appointed Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England in 1787, and held
that position until his death in 1811. In addition, he was a member of the
Royal Arch Masons (1772), and served as Grand Master Z (First Grand
Principal) in 1792 and 1793. Parker helped to establish the Royal Masonic
School for Girls and served as its treasurer for several years.
Personal History - John B. Coleman
John B. Coleman was born in
Hopkinsville, Kentucky, about 1821, the son of James O. and Lucy O. (nee
Hawkins) Coleman. He moved to St. Louis in the early 1840s, where he became a
pharmacist and later a physician. In 1850, he married Elizabeth Franklin, with
whom he had one son, William F. Coleman. He died in 1861 in St. Louis.
Coleman was a member of Missouri Lodge No. 1 in
St. Louis, and served as Junior Warden of that lodge in 1850. His brother
Stephen O. Coleman was a member of the same lodge, and another brother, Hardin
H. Coleman, was a member of the Hopkinsville Lodge No. 37 in Kentucky.
No information has yet been discovered as to how
Peter Parker's jewel came into John B. Coleman's possession.