MARK OF JAMES SHRUDER, LONDON, 1744

THE 2ND EARL OF WARRINGTON'S SILVER COLLECTION
George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington, was an important patron of the leading Huguenot silversmiths of his day, and his meticulously well-documented and extensive silver collection provides us with a fascinating insight into not only the taste of the 2nd Earl but also of the use of silver in a great English country house of the first half of the 18th century.

On his succeeding his father in 1693, the 2nd Earl inherited immense debts caused in part by his father's profligacy and his spending in support of William of Orange and the Protestant campaign to depose King James II. As a consequence the Earl was compelled to make a strategic but unhappy marriage to Mary Oldbury, the daughter of a rich London merchant, which brought him a dowry of some £40,000 in 1702. During nearly twenty years of extensive improvements to the parkland at Dunham Massey, it was said that he planted over 100,000 trees. The 2nd Earl also devoted himself to amassing a vast silver collection and the rebuilding of his family seat, Dunham Massey.

The Earl of Warrington's silver is distinguished by its high quality, heavy gauge, and conservative taste, as the Earl mostly favoured the plain and massive fashions of the early 18th century. His near obsession with building the silver collection at Dunham Massey is underscored by the existence of a lengthy inventory written in his own hand, titled 'The Particular of my Plate & Its Weight.' The seventeen-page document, dated 30 April 1750 and amended by the Earl in 1754, records over 25,000 ounces of silver objects. Thanks to the Earl's passion for detail, we can differentiate between a 'hand bason', a 'bason to wash my mouth' and the 'trimming bason'. The present lot is described as 'A Trimming Bason 35:03. Ewer 21:18. Wash Ball Box 14:13, 71:14' .

The Earl's only child, Mary, married the 4th Earl of Stamford in 1736, and after Warrington's death in 1758, Dunham Massey passed to them and subsequently descended in the Grey family, Earls of Stamford.

A significant portion of the Warrington plate, including the present lot, was sold by their heirs at Christie's in two sales, on 20 April 1921, and 25 February 1931, however thanks to the tenacity of Roger Grey, 10th Earl of Stamford (1896-1976) much of the silver collection was reunited and displayed at Dunham Massey following his gift of the house and estate to the National Trust. For an exhaustive and scholarly study of Lord Warrington's plate see J. Lomax and J. Rothwell, Country House Silver from Dunham Massey, National Trust, 2006. For earlier biographical studies of Lord Warrington, see J. Hayward, 'The Earl of Warrington's Plate', Apollo, July 1978, and T. Schroder, 'George Booth and William Beckford: A Study In Patronage,' International Silver and Jewellery Fair Annual, 1989.

JAMES SCHRUDER
Little is known about the life of James Shruder, however, the silver dealer and researcher Peter Cameron has been able to add to the scant details of his life through a study of the few documents that survive. It is evident from the silver which bears his mark that his work was of a consistently high quality, ranging from plain pieces made for the 2nd Earl of Warrington cited below, to exuberantly rococo creations like the coffee pot and tea kettle made for Leake Okeover and his wife, the first in the Victoria and Albert Museum, the second in the Gans Collection, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Recent discoveries shed some light on Shruder's early career. In 1733, an apprenticeship binding was registered, revealing that James Shruder, described as a 'Chasser etc.' of St. Anne's Soho, took on an apprentice named Julian Crispin for the substantial sum of £423. This indicates that Shruder had been working in the parish of St. Anne's Soho for some years prior to registering his mark in 1737.

Shruder's close association with the renowned silversmith Paul de Lamerie is also documented. In 1751, Shruder was one of the three witnesses to Lamerie's will, and it has been suggested that he collaborated with Lamerie in creating some of the finest pieces produced in Lamerie's workshop, notably the Maynard sideboard dish of 1736, now in the Cahn collection. In addition to his professional achievements, Shruder's personal life is also revealed through historical records. In May 1733, just before registering the aforementioned apprenticeship, Shruder applied for a marriage licence to wed Anne Hubbart, a spinster of St. Anne's Soho, and the two were married on 2 June 1733, at All Hallows Barking by the Tower. Little is known about Anne Hubbart or her family, but it is speculated that she may have been the daughter of Thomas and Lydia Hubbard, baptised at St. James's Piccadilly in 1704. Over the course of their marriage, James and Anne Shruder had six children, all baptised at St. Anne’s Soho.

Shruder registered his first mark as a ‘largeworker’ with the Goldsmiths' Company on 1 August 1737, listing his address as Wardour Street. He subsequently registered two more marks in June 1739, after moving to Greek Street, where he advertised his business on a trade card as ‘Goldsmith at ye Golden Ewer in Greek-street Sohoe Makes & Sells all works of Plate Wrought & Plain, of ye Newest Fashion at the most Reasonable Rates.’ The card, bearing the names ‘J. Shruder Invt.’ and ‘J. Warburton Sculp.’, showcases Shruder's skill as a designer, Warburton being an engraver working from the ‘Kings Arms Grocers, in More Street, St. Anns, Soho.’

Shruder also faced challenges in his personal and professional life. Historical records indicate that he experienced losses and thefts, such as a stolen silver watch in September 1743, for which he offered a reward for its return, and a lost sapphire ring set with brilliants in March 1745. Additionally, his wife Ann was admitted to Bethlem Hospital in Moorfields in January 1741, just months after giving birth to their sixth child, and was discharged in November 1742.

He faced bankruptcy proceedings in June 1749. The petitioning creditor was George Hindmarsh, who had been supplying Shruder with waiters and salvers. Despite the bankruptcy, Shruder's business did not immediately come to an end, as works bearing his mark were produced as late as 1753, however, by the mid-1750s, Shruder had given up his silversmithing and moved to Great Marlborough Street, to manufacture papier-maché.

Shruder's interest in arts and culture was evident through his subscriptions towards the publication of poetry and music. In 1757, he subscribed towards the publication of Poems on Several Occasions by Samuel Boyce, and in 1750, he subscribed towards Twelve English Songs with their Symphonias by Thomas Chilcot. Additionally, Shruder was a Freemason and was appointed as Steward of the United Grand Lodge in 1753. He died in 1765 and was buried in St. Anne's Soho. He left no will and the administration of his estate was granted to his widow.

Works by Shruder from the Warrington Plate:

A three piece shaving set, 71 oz. gross, 1744
A circular toilet box, 20 oz. 6 dwt, 1745
A helmet shaped ewer, 60 oz. 18 dwt., 1741
A pair of snuffers and snuffer tray, 17 oz. 5 dwt, 1745
A pair of candlesticks, 38 oz. 18 dwt., 1743
A pair of candlesticks 17 oz. 5 dwt for one, 1744
A pair of candlesticks, 11oz. 12 dwt for one, 1743
A mug, 11 oz. 12 dwt., 1743
Two mouth basins, 16 oz. approx., 1742
A coffee table or salver, 164 oz. 1 dwt., 1741
A tea table or salver, 253 ox. 8 dwt.,1741, for his daughter.

George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington (1675-1758) and his daughter, by Michael Dahl (1656/9-1743), c. 1720-30. © National Trust Photographic Library / Bridgeman Images

View of Dunham Massey, by John Harris (1722-1759). © National Trust Photographic Library / Angelo Hornak / Bridgeman Images