A suite of two Regency silver meat dishes and covers and two matching vegetable dishes and covers, Paul Storr, London, 1810-11

all on Sheffield-plated warming stands, with gadrooned, shell and foliate borders, the covers with lion-headed hoop handles and engraved on both sides with contemporary arms, the platters and dishes with crests and coronets.

Somerset, 2^nd Earl Belmore (1774-1841),
Presumably by descent and sold with other plate to Hennell's by the 7th Earl Belmore, c. 1950

good condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The arms are those of Lowry-Corry for Somerset, 2nd Earl Belmore (1774-1841).  He was the son of the 1st Earl Belmore and his first wife Margaret, daughter of the Earl of Carrick and granddaughter of the Earl of Shannon.  Somerset served as M.P. for County Tyrone from 1797 until he succeeded his father in 1802.  He married in 1800 his cousin Juliana, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Carrick.

Earl Belmore was heir to about 70,000 acres in Ireland and his father's great unfinished house at Castle Coole, built by James Wyatt in the 1790s for £57,000 (about £20 million today).  The earl finished the interiors in a rich Regency style, with occasional breaks as he outspent his purse.  When this happened in 1813, he travelled with his family to Egypt and inscribed his name on a number of the ancient monuments, including the Great Pyramid and the Temple of Dendur (now in The Metropolitan Museum of Art).  The redecorating of the house was mostly finished by 1821, when the Earl fitted out a bedroom in anticipation of George IV's visit to Ireland; he was not so gratified. 

From 1819 to his death in 1841 the Earl was Representative Peer for Ireland and Custos Rotularum for County Tyrone.  He served as Captain General and Governor in Chief of Jamaica between 1828 and 1831; Highgate House, his residence in St. Catherine, is property of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.  His great house descended in the family until 1951, when after the death duties required when the 5th and 6th Earls both died without issue within 18 months, the 7th Earl sold the house (but not the contents) to the National Trust.

The 2nd Earl ordered an extensive dinner service from Storr around 1812; eight wine labels were published by N.M. Penzer in Paul Storr: The Last of the Goldsmiths, pp. 150-51.  Parts of the service remain with the family, but the 7th Earl sold a selection of plate, probably including this suite, through Hennell's about 1950.