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Lot Essay
CHARLES, 2ND MARQUESS OF ROCKINGHAM
A prominent British statesman and Whig politician, he served twice as Prime Minister of Great Britain. He was noted for his dedication to principles of constitutional monarchy, parliamentary sovereignty, and a compassionate approach to governance. At Court he served as Lord of the Bedchamber to both King George II and King George III, and at the latter's coronation in 1761 he bore the sceptre.
Born in 1730, Charles Watson-Wentworth was the eldest son of Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham. He was educated at Westminster School and later at St. John's College, Cambridge. He inherited his father's title and estates in 1750, becoming the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham at the age of twenty. He took his seat in the House of Lords in May 1751, and made his maiden speech in March the following year. He quickly established himself as a principled and eloquent advocate for Whig principles. He opposed the harsh measures imposed by the British government on the American colonies, including the Stamp Act, and became a prominent supporter of the colonists' rights.
In 1765, Rockingham formed his first government as Prime Minister, with a focus on repealing the unpopular Stamp Act and promoting conciliation with the American colonies. His government also introduced significant domestic reforms, including the establishment of the Rockingham Whigs, a political faction that aimed to reduce the influence of the monarchy and promote parliamentary authority.
However, Rockingham's first term as Prime Minister was short-lived, lasting only 14 months. He returned to office in 1782, but his second term was also brief, as he died suddenly on 1 July 1782, at the age of 52. He was remembered for his high principles and also for his addiction to the sport of racing. He was perhaps the foremost patron of George Stubbs commissioning the great painting of his Arabian stallion Whistlejacket. He employed John Carr of York and James ‘Athenian’ Stuart to embellish Wentworth Woodhouse, the family seat built by his father, the 1st Marquess. This sale also includes his trophy won at Doncaster Races in 1778, lot 65.
As his marriage was without children, his titles became extinct and his vast estates devolved to his nephew William, 2nd Earl Fitzwilliam, whose mother was Anne, daughter of the 1st Marquess and Charles's sister. A set of four waiters also by Kandler, of the same year as the present lot, engraved with the Wentworth crest and en suite with the present salver, was sold by Sotheby's, London, 4 July 1989, lot 220.