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Descrizione dettagliata lotto
JOHN CHURCHILL, DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH AND KING WILLIAM III
As Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, Churchill played a large part in defeating the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, which helped secure Catholic King James II's accession to the throne. However, despite having been a loyal servant to the King and having been made Baron Churchill of Sandridge, with a seat in the House of Lords, as a devout Protestant, Churchill was one of the commanders who deserted the monarch in November 1688, after William of Orange and his forces had landed on the shores of Devon earlier in the month.
The new joint monarchs, King William and Queen Mary, recognised his role, making him Marquess of Marlborough, a member of the Privy Council and a Gentleman of the King's Bedchamber. In spite of persistent charges of Jacobitism, which later led to Churchill's fall from office and even imprisonment in the Tower of London, the King recognised his military skills and made him his deputy in the Southern Netherlands (now Belgium) just before the War of the Spanish Succession began in 1701. The present lot stands witness to Churchill's role as Ambassador Extraordinary to the States General.
In his article on the Althorp plate, Grimwade records the possible provenances for the bell. In the Jewel Office Day Book preserved at National Archives, Kew, the Delivery List for silver given to the Duke includes a bell as part of the weight of a standish/inkstand 'One Standish [inkstand] and bell &c. 52 oz. 10 dwts'. Whereas the Account List does not mention the presence of a bell, whilst listing the standish/inkstand at the same weight of 52 oz. 10 dwt.
The Account List additionally records a separate bell 'One silver bell wt. 12 oz. 3 dwt.'. The present weight of the present bell is 10 oz. 13 dwt. Grimwade commented that he felt it unlikely that such a small item should have lost 1½ ounces, unless the clapper had been renewed with one of lesser weight than the original.
As a result it seems probable that the present bell is that listed with the standish as part of the total weight of 52 oz. 10 dwt. We can therefore identify this as one further surviving item from the imposing issue made to the Duke of Marlborough as 'His Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary to the States General' in 1701 (see 'Silver at Althorp-I', The Connoisseur, October 1962).
Grimwade also observed that a further bell was included in the Indenture Plate issued to Marlborough, as Groom of the Stole to Queen Anne, in February 1703⁄4, but this weighed only 7 oz. 12 dwts, and would not have carried King William III's cypher. At Althorp is preserved A List of Plate to be taken from Blenheim and given to John Spencer dated 3rd August 1735, and this contains the item "Two of the Bells," clearly indicating that there were more than this number at Blenheim at that date.
As Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, Churchill played a large part in defeating the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, which helped secure Catholic King James II's accession to the throne. However, despite having been a loyal servant to the King and having been made Baron Churchill of Sandridge, with a seat in the House of Lords, as a devout Protestant, Churchill was one of the commanders who deserted the monarch in November 1688, after William of Orange and his forces had landed on the shores of Devon earlier in the month.
The new joint monarchs, King William and Queen Mary, recognised his role, making him Marquess of Marlborough, a member of the Privy Council and a Gentleman of the King's Bedchamber. In spite of persistent charges of Jacobitism, which later led to Churchill's fall from office and even imprisonment in the Tower of London, the King recognised his military skills and made him his deputy in the Southern Netherlands (now Belgium) just before the War of the Spanish Succession began in 1701. The present lot stands witness to Churchill's role as Ambassador Extraordinary to the States General.
In his article on the Althorp plate, Grimwade records the possible provenances for the bell. In the Jewel Office Day Book preserved at National Archives, Kew, the Delivery List for silver given to the Duke includes a bell as part of the weight of a standish/inkstand 'One Standish [inkstand] and bell &c. 52 oz. 10 dwts'. Whereas the Account List does not mention the presence of a bell, whilst listing the standish/inkstand at the same weight of 52 oz. 10 dwt.
The Account List additionally records a separate bell 'One silver bell wt. 12 oz. 3 dwt.'. The present weight of the present bell is 10 oz. 13 dwt. Grimwade commented that he felt it unlikely that such a small item should have lost 1½ ounces, unless the clapper had been renewed with one of lesser weight than the original.
As a result it seems probable that the present bell is that listed with the standish as part of the total weight of 52 oz. 10 dwt. We can therefore identify this as one further surviving item from the imposing issue made to the Duke of Marlborough as 'His Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary to the States General' in 1701 (see 'Silver at Althorp-I', The Connoisseur, October 1962).
Grimwade also observed that a further bell was included in the Indenture Plate issued to Marlborough, as Groom of the Stole to Queen Anne, in February 1703⁄4, but this weighed only 7 oz. 12 dwts, and would not have carried King William III's cypher. At Althorp is preserved A List of Plate to be taken from Blenheim and given to John Spencer dated 3rd August 1735, and this contains the item "Two of the Bells," clearly indicating that there were more than this number at Blenheim at that date.