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Talk:Archibald Arnott

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Might I just add the following information:

1} The snuffbox was a personal gift. There were many occasions when Arnott was alone with the emperor and it was personally engraved with an 'N' scratched with a penknife by the emperor himself. I have a picture of the said snuffbox, but its whereabouts is unknown (probably in a private collection in the U.S.) Other than the snuffbox, Arnott was given a lock of Napoleon's hair, a handkerchief and a pair of duelling pistols (now in the Small Arms Museum, Warminster, Wiltshire)

2) He was born in Kirkonnel Hall, Ecclefechan in 1772, 5th son of George and Janet Arnott. [1]

3) After the death of Napoleon, Arnott was awarded the sum of 12000 fr Wellington's Lieutenant, Napoleon's Gaoler 2004 with a gift of £500 from the British Govenrment [2]

Jearnott (talk) 19:23, 16 January 2014 (UTC)James Arnott 16/1/2014[reply]

The orginal version of this article sounds very complete, and all of the evidence I have been able to find supports the following evidence:


1) Dr. Arnott owned a snuffbox which is now a very valuble artifcat of the Emperor's life. I think he actually aquired or stole it, since the Emperor willed even small items to various servants, but mostly to prince Eugene, which were to be taken care by Marchand, his valet. So how he got the snuffbox is anyone's guess!

2) Arnott was a Scottish doctor resident in the village of Ecclefechan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland where he died (1822). The orginal version, which I basically rewrote, suggests that he was born there, but I couldn't find evidence, but it is an undisputed fact that he died and is buried there. Some sources call him English, but I think they mean "British."

3) I do have a question of weather Arnott was actually given [1] a gift of Napoleons by the Emepror, since it is not mentioned in his will... nor are any such trifiling funds, with N.B. giving fantastic amounts of money to generals, and other figures from the Grandee Armee and to his relatives. No sum less than 50,000 livres are given to anyone in the will, let alone a large (a lifetime wages for a working man!), but by no means grand gift of 600 Napoleons.

V. Joe 23:17, 1 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

  1. ^ House of Arnott (1917)
  2. ^ British Medical Journal 1975