A Pair of George II Silver Square Salvers, Paul de Lamerie, London, 1734

John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford G.C.B. (1772-1860) and by descent in the family until sold

Christie's London, 9 June 2005, lot 27

Inventory of Plate and Jewels belonging to George Byng, July 1847, Mess rs Garrard & Co., Panton Street, Haymarket, London, '2 Large square waiters oz. 69.10'.

The salvers were owned by the Byng family, Earls of Strafford and previously bore the family crests. They were part of the collection of Rt. Hon. John Byng, G.C.B., G.H.C., Field Marshall in the Army (1772-1860), created 1st Earl of Strafford in 1847. He began his military career in 1793 as an ensign in the 'Duke of Wellington's Regiment' and rapidly climbed the chain of command, becoming lieutenant-colonel in 1800. He saw action in the Battles of Copenhagen in 1807 and Waterloo in 1815. He inherited Wrotham Park, Hertfordshire, following the death of his brother George (1764-1847), the same year in which he was raised in the peerage as Viscount Enfield and Earl of Strafford.