Lot Essay
On the death of William IV in 1837, the young Princess Victoria became Queen of England however, under Salic law a woman could not succeed to the throne of Hanover. Therefore the crown of Hanover passed to the eldest surviving son of George III, Ernst Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. Thus the thrones of England and Hanover were split after one hundred and twenty-four years. When the Duke of Cumberland left for Hanover he took with him a considerable quantity of Royal plate. Queen Victoria demanded its return. This was not forthcoming and on the death of Ernst Augustus in 1851, the throne passed to his son George Frederick, who was deposed in the Seven Weeks War in 1866. Miraculously, the Royal plate was saved from destruction when the Prussian troops sacked Herrenhausen, having been hidden in a vault in the grounds covered with lime and debris. The family, deprived of the title Kings of Havover, were henceforth known as Dukes of Brunswick and lived at Gmunden in Austria. In 1924 a significant portion of the Hanovarian plate was sold privately by the family. Much of the English silver was purchased by the Vienna dealer Gluckselig and subsequently exhibited and sold by the London dealers Crichton Brothers.