An American Silver Salver, Joseph Richardson Sr., Philadelphia, circa 1760

shaped circular with shell and scroll rim above shaped and partly fluted border, the center engraved with contemporary interlace cypher FRR, raised on three pad feet

Francis and Rebecca (Warner) Rawle, Fairmont Park, PA
Philip H. Hammerslough

Exhibition of American Silver and Art Treasures, London, 1960.

American Silver Collected by Philip H. Hammerslough, 1958, vol 1, p 95.
Fales, Marthy Gandy, Joseph Richardson and Family, Philadelphia Silversmiths, 1974, p. 110.

marks a little rubbed, otherwise very 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 initials are those of Francis and Rebecca (Warner) Rawle, who married in 1756.  Francis Rawle was a dry goods merchant in the Philadelphia area.  In September 1760 he purchased 31 acres of land in Fairmont Park, PA on which the family's home, Laurel Hill, was built.   It is unlikely that the construction of Laurel Hill was completed at the time of Francis' untimely death.  On 7 June 1961 Francis accidentally shot and killed himself while hunting.  His widow, Rebecca, remarried two years later to Samuel Shoemaker.  Shoemaker was a successful businessman, and served as mayor of Philadelphia from 1769 to 1771.  During the Revolution, Shoemaker became a leader for the loyalist cause, and sent spies behind American lines to gather information.  He was declared guilty of treason in 1778 by the Pennsylvania Assembly.  Laurel Hill was confiscated and the family was not able to buy it back until 1784.  The home remained in the Rawle family until 1828.  Now known as the Randolph Mansion, Laurel Hill was restored and opened for public use by the Colonial Dames of America Chapter II in 1901.  The home is currently run and maintained by Women for Greater Philadelphia.

Francis was the son of Francis and Martha (Turner) Rawle.  The elder Francis Rawle (1663-1727) is recognized as one of the first great legal minds of this country.  In 1691 he was appointed as one of Philadelphia's first six alderman and later served in the Pennsylvania Constitutional Assembly and Council.  In 1725 Francis Rawle published "Ways and means for the inhabitants on the Delaware to become rich".  This controversial pamphlet was the first publication printed by Benjamin Franklin and predates the 1728 founding of Franklin's own business.  Francis Rawle is also credited for having proposed the idea of paper money to Franklin.  Highly impressed with this idea, Franklin applauded and promoted it as a method of stabilizing the economy of the growing nation.

Francis and Rebecca Rawle's son, William, followed into his grandfather's legal footprints.  William (1759-1836) studied law in both Philadelphia and at Middle Temple in London.  In 1783 he founded Rawle Law Offices shortly after he was admitted to the bar. The firm which is now known as Rawle & Henderson is recognized as the "oldest law office in continuous practice in America".   In 1787 William was elected to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Assembly, and four years later he was appointed by George Washington as the first U.S. Attorney for the District of Pennsylvania in 1791.  Washington also offered William the positions as federal judge of Pennsylvania and U.S. Attorney General, but William declined both positions, preferring to continue with his law practice.  In 1822 William was appointed the first chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, a position he held until his death.  In addition to his legal conquests, William Rawle served on many philanthropic committees.  He was a member of the American Philosophical Society and was a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and the Library Company pf Philadelphia.  William was also a founder of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and served as the Society's first president.  The Rawle family's papers and portraits are currently preserved and maintained by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.