AN EARLY 19TH CENTURY OLD SHEFFIELD PLATE TWIN-HANDLED TUREEN AND COVER
Estimate: £400 - £600
Auction: Silver & Objets de Vertu | Wednesday 4th March at 10am
Description
Of oval outline, gadrooned border, the handles of moulded form with acanthus detail, engraved armorial to body and cover, raised on four paw and foliate feet, the pull-off cover with similar gadrooned decoration and acanthus clasped handle
Dimensions
45cm across handles
Footnote
Heraldry:
The Marital Arms of Biddulph and Myddleton
Arms: Quarterly 1st and 4th Vert an eagle displayed argent armed and langued a canton argent1 (for Biddulph) 2nd and 3rd Argent on a bend vert three wolves’ heads erased of the field (for Myddleton) over all an escutcheon of pretence Quarterly 1st Argent on a bend vert three wolves’ heads erased of the field (for Myddleton) 2nd Vert a chevron between three wolves’ heads erased argent (for Ridid Blaidd) 3rd Azure a wolf passant argent (for Blaidd Rhydd) 4th Gules on a bend or three lions passant sable (for Wynnesbury) 5th Argent two Cornish choughs in pale sable beaked and legged gules (for Bowdler) 6th (……?) (for ……?) 7th Sable a chevron between three owls argent (for Broughton?) 8th (……?) (for ……?)
These armorial bearings undoubtedly commemorate the marriage during the widowhood of Charlotte Biddulph [née Myddleton] (born 1770 died 1843), of Chirk Castle in the County of Denbighshire. They were most probably engraved upon the tureen and cover some time after husband’s death in 1814 and her own in 1843. Charlotte was the eldest daughter and eventual co-heiress3 of Richard Myddleton, of Chirk Castle aforesaid and his first wife, Elizabeth Rushout. She married Robert Biddulph (born March 1761 died 30th August 1814), of Cofton Hall in the County of Worcestershire at her residence in Hill Street, Mayfair in the County of Middlesex by Archbishop of Canterbury’s Special Licence on the 24th December 1801. Robert was the eldest son of Michael Biddulph, of Ledbury in the County of Herefordshire and of Cofton Hall aforesaid and his wife, Penelope Dandridge. He appears to have made his fortune as a merchant in Bengal before returning to England in 1795. For a year (1796 – 97), Robert served as the Recorder of Denbigh. Thereafter, he pursued a career in the House of Commons at Westminster as a Member of Parliament for the following constituencies: Herefordshire (1796 – 1800 and 1801 – 02) and the Denbigh Boroughs (1806 – 12). In 1802, he resumed the office of Recorder of Denbigh (which held until his death in 1814) as well as becoming a Common Councillor for the Borough of Denbigh. During the following year (1803), Robert was appointed as the Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the Chirk Volunteers, the local militia unit.
Upon his father’s death in 1800, Robert succeeded to his family’s estates in the Counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The same year, he succeeded his uncle Francis Biddulph as partner in the family bank of Biddulph Cocks and Ridge.
Shortly after their marriage, Robert obtained a Royal Licence to adopt the additional surname of Myddleton as Robert Myddleton Biddulph on the 29th December 1801. This also allowed him the quarter the arms of Myddleton with those of Biddulph as blazoned above.