Pair of gold cufflinks, made by Fabergée,
in shape of the Imperial Russian Eagle set with diamonds and
sapphires.
How did these cufflinks come to
Harrogate?
These were given to Harrogate boy Nicholas Allen as a
confirmation present in 1910 from his godmother the Czarina of
Russia.
In May and June of 1894 Princess Alix of Hesse, a
granddaughter of Queen Victoria, visited Harrogate.
She stayed at Cathcart House on West Park, the home of Mr and
Mrs Allen.
On her arrival there she discovered that Mrs Allen had just
given birth to twins. She saw this as a lucky omen and
asked if she could be their Godmother.
She also requested that the girl should be called Alix, after
her, and the boy Nicholas, after the Cesarevitch of Russia to whom
she was engaged to be married.
The Princess attended the christening ceremony at St Peter's
Church and signed the baptismal certificates. She also bought, in
Harrogate, small token christening presents.
She continued to send presents to the twins, including these
cufflinks in 1910 and presents for their 21st birthdays in
1915.
.Sadly the relationship ended when the Bolsheviks executed the
Empress and the rest of her family in 1918.
Nicholas Allen's son Michael presented the cufflinks to
Harrogate Museums and Arts in 1994, along with some of the other
gifts his father received.