Hunt & Roskell Silver Meat Plate, 1852

This is a superb quality silver meat serving platter. This large plate was made by the most important retailers of the latter half of the Victorian period. The striking shell and gadroon mount simply oozes high quality. The plate has an especially hefty feel and is a first rate quality item. It is in excellent condition with standard knife scratches to the front surface. The edges are engraved with a coat-of-arms to one side and a crest to the other. We also have in stock a matching pair of smaller platters - see link below.

Hunt & Roskell were the continuation of the firm set up by Paul Storr and their "by Appointment" status to Queen Victoria is proudly shown with the crown surmount to the "ISH" makers mark.

The armorial bearings on this meat plate are those of the family of Crawley impaling Wells and the crest depicts a crane proper holding in the talon a fleur-de-lys (for Crawley). The arms denote the marshalling of a marital coat showing the arms of the husband on the dexter and the arms of the wife on the sinister.

These armorial bearings commemorate the marriage of John Sambrooke Crawley (1823 - 1895) and Sarah Bridget Wells (1834 - 1924) on the 4th November 1852. The meat plate would either have been given as a wedding gift or commissioned by the couple soon after their marriage.

John was the eldest son of Samuel Crawley, MP, of Stockwood Park, near Luton in the County of Bedfordshire and his second wife, Maria Musgrave, daughter of Christopher Musgrave, of Kempton Park in the County of Middlesex; whilst Sarah was the third daughter of Frederick Octavius Wells, of the Bengal Civil Service, sometime Chief Justice of Agra and his wife, Maria Alicia, daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Richard Scott, sometime commanding officer of the 26th Battalion of the Bengal Sepoys.

Samuel Crawley was in the vanguard of agricultural improvement and freely endowed churches in and around Luton. Several Crawleys had served as High Sheriffs of Bedfordshire, including John’s father who was High Sheriff for the year 1817 - 18. His father also served as a Member of Parliament for Honiton (1818 – 1826) and for Bedford (1832 – 1837 and 1838 – 1841); whilst the Wells family descend from a family that was resident at Deptford in the County of Kent and had been shipbuilders for many generations having their yards at Deptford.

A full professionally written report describing the coat-of arms and the family backgrounds will be made available to the purchaser of this meat plate.