A silver-gilt replica of the Ardagh chalice, Frederick Elkington, London, 1879

the hemispherical body engraved at the rim, Presented to Sir Thomas George Fermor Hesketh Bart of Rufford on his marriage 23 December, 1880 by the Tenantry on his Lancashire Estates

The 9th Century Ardagh chalice, now in the National Museum of Ireland, one of the greatest Irish treasures, was discovered as part of the Ardagh hoard when a small boy was digging for potatoes in 1847. It originally served as a ministerial chalice taken to the communicants. The fame of the Ardagh chalice in the late 19th Century and 20th Century inspired numerous copies and variations such as the one offered here.