Scale: 1:48. A plan showing the head, head-rails and top of the trail-board with the figurehead for Minden (1810), a 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker. The replacement figurehead was due to being immediately astern of HMS Telavera when the latter was destroyed by fire in 1840. Minden’s figurehead was damaged and needed replacing. Minden was refitting at Plymouth Dockyard for a hospital ship for the East Indies at the time.

The figurehead is a bust of a male warrior facing forward. He is wearing a rounded helmet with chainmail collar (‘camail’ or ‘aventail’) fitted at the bottom to protect the neck and shoulders. The trail-board includes a round shield overlaying a quiver of arrows, bow, spear, axe and sword. The lower cheek of the trail-board ends in stylised foliage separating the bust from the war trophies.

As Pulvertaft indicates in his book ‘Figureheads of the royal Navy’ (p.164) this design reflects the earlier Romano-Germanic battle of Idistaviso, sometimes known as the first battle of Minden, in AD 16. The ship actually commemorates the Battle of Minden in 1759 during the Seven Years’ War, a famous victory for the British and Prussian armies under the leadership of Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, over the French.

Signed by Thomas F Hawkes [Master Shipwright, Plymouth Dockyard, 1837-1843]. The plan includes Admiralty Letter Book number 5824. The design was approved and initialled by William Symonds [Surveyor of the Navy, 1832-1860].