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Lot Essay
The inscription reads: The freedom of the City of Limerick presented to the Rt. Hon.ble Philip Viscount Royston, Ralph Westrop Esq. Mayor, Thomas Wilkinson Esq. Edmund Morony Esq. Sheriffs, 1803
The arms are those of Yorke as borne by Philip, Viscount Royston (1784-1808), first son and heir of the 3rd Earl of Hardwicke. At the age of 19 he had attained distinction as a scholar of classical literature, and at 22 he became M.P. for Reigate. Tragically, he was lost in a storm aboard the ship Agatha near Lubeck at the age of 24. It is not clear under what circumstances he was presented with this freedom box but it was likely a result of his father's position as Viceroy (Lord Lieutenant) of Ireland. The 3rd Earl's liberal anti-Catholic policies were popular and he was highly regarded by both the Irish and English as a "mild, tolerant, and honest" man who had "more advanced the strength of Government and its credit, than could be well conceived." (Complete Peerage)
The arms are those of Yorke as borne by Philip, Viscount Royston (1784-1808), first son and heir of the 3rd Earl of Hardwicke. At the age of 19 he had attained distinction as a scholar of classical literature, and at 22 he became M.P. for Reigate. Tragically, he was lost in a storm aboard the ship Agatha near Lubeck at the age of 24. It is not clear under what circumstances he was presented with this freedom box but it was likely a result of his father's position as Viceroy (Lord Lieutenant) of Ireland. The 3rd Earl's liberal anti-Catholic policies were popular and he was highly regarded by both the Irish and English as a "mild, tolerant, and honest" man who had "more advanced the strength of Government and its credit, than could be well conceived." (Complete Peerage)