A SET OF FOUR WILLIAM AND MARY SILVER CANDLESTICKS, MAKER'S MARK DB, A MULLET ABOVE, A CRESCENT INVERTED BELOW, ASCRIBED TO DANIEL BEVERLEY, LONDON, 1691 |

on raised octagonal bases, each engraved with a contemporary coat-of-arms in a lozenge-shaped shield on one side and the later initials AR in monogram on the other, below embossed curved lobes and flutes, columnar stems rising to fixed octagonal nozzles

Mrs. Francis Pedley of Washingley Hall, Huntingdonshire.
Archibald, 5th Earl of Rosebery (1847-1929), purchased on 17 December 1886 from
Lambert & Co., 10-12 Coventry Street, London, W.
Sotheby's, London, 11 February 1999, lot 34

All fully marked around the stems, rubbed but legible. All sit flat on an even surface. The AR cypher is later in date. Some wear to the fluting as typical of age, especially the tops. Good condition with wear commensurate with age.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The arms are those of Pedley of Tetworth and Abbotsley impaling Apreece (formerly Ap Rhys) of Washingley Hall, all of Huntingdonshire, for Frances, daughter of Robert Apreece and widow of Nicholas Pedley (1656-1684). The latter, eldest son of Sir Nicholas Pedley, Kt. (1615-1685) by Lucy, daughter of Sir Robert Bernard, 1st. Bt. (1601-1666), was educated at Queen’s College, Cambridge where he matriculated in 1669 before being admitted to Lincoln’s Inn the following year. Mr. and Mrs. Pedley’s daughter, Anne (1675-1750) married Philip Sherard, 2nd Earl of Harborough (1680-1750) by whom she had six sons and eight daughters.  The maker's mark on these sticks has been ascribed to Dallington Ayres by David M. Mitchell, Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London, London, 2017, p. 268. The author further notes that one of Ayres's apprentices was Phillip Rollos.

Lambert's invoice (photocopy included) to the Earl of Rosebery dated 17 December 1886 describes these sticks as '4 very fine old English Silver Table Candlesticks Times James II, £126,' together with a letter from Lambert's to the Earl, which reads, '. . . we can place the four old English Candlesticks of James II date 1691 at your Lordship's disposal; the price is £126 which is a very low price for candlesticks of such an ancient date.'

The firm of Lambert & Co., retail goldsmith, silversmiths and jewellers of Coventry Street, Leicester Square, was established about 1803 by Francis Lambert (1780?-1741). As well as selling a wide range of new silver, Lambert’s became well known for its stock of antique and reproduction plate. In 1905, for instance, the 5th Earl of Rosebery purchased from Lambert’s a pair of Britannia standard silver in late 17th century style: ‘large square flat bases edged with gdrooning. . . baluster stems.’ (Sotheby’s, Mentmore, 23 May 1977, lot 1704) Lambert & Co. closed its Coventry Street premises in 1916 to be absorbed by Harman & Co. Ltd. The new firm, styled Harman & Lambert, had a shop in Old Bond Street, which closed about 1970.