A set of three Queen Anne silver-gilt casters, Louis Cuny, London, 1708

Probably purchased by John Trevor, M.P. (circa 1637-1717) of Brynkinalt Hall, Denbighshire;

The Trevor Family Trust, Brynkinalt Estate;

Acquired by present owner directly from the above, 2016.

The arms are those of Trevor of Brynkinalt Hall, Denbighshire, probably for Sir John Trevor, M.P. (circa 1637-1717)

SIR JOHN TREVOR

Sir John was one of those clever if slightly slippery figures who made his way via the law into politics in the late 17th century, enriching and establishing the family in London society. As his biographer Katheryn Ellis wrote, his guile in devious intelligence had ensured his success but had also given him a rather unscrupulous reputation. By the end of the century he had been Speaker of the House of Commons twice until finally unseated when the scale of his pecuniary advancement through bribery was revealed. Even so, he retained other significant positions, not least Master of the Rolls. The financial gains made through his office led to the acquisition of two London houses, one in the city in St Clement's Lane and the other in Knightsbridge on a site which still bears his name, Trevor Square. Here he was able to indulge in the latest fashions in furniture and works of art - lacquered and gilded furniture, silver-gilt and silver. As speaker, Sir John would have been entitled to the usual allocation of 4,000 ounces of silver plate from the Jewel Office. By tradition the principal part of this would have been in the form of a large cistern, probably weighing some 1,500 ounces. A copy of the warrant issued under Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset (1638 - 1706), Lord Chamberlain to William and Mary survives. As was the custom, Sir John's allocation of speaker's plate was almost certainly returned to the Jewel Office by him or his heirs at the end of his reign. However, the quality of the silver gifted by the crown would have encouraged Sir John and his heirs to buy and/ or commission silver in that same vein. At his death he was able to leave property to his sons including the family house, Brynkinalt, and £60,000, a not inconsiderable sum for the day. His four sons all died without issue meaning that his estate passed to his daughter Anne who had married Michael Hill of Hillsborough in Ireland. (Now the seat of Her Majesty outside Belfast). It was to be her second son Arthur who was to further enrich the collection in the mid-18th century.For further silver from Brynkinalt Hall, see the silver-gilt cup and cover, Simon Pantin, London, 1708, engraved with the arms of Trevor in a lozenge-shaped shield for a female member of the family (Sotheby's, London, 19 January 2017, lot 336.