A heavy George III antique sterling silver soup tureen, London 1812 by William Bennett of oval bellied form with gadrooned rim interspaced with scrolls raised upon four lion paw feet with scallop shell and acanthus junctions, twin acanthus scroll and shell handles to either side. The stepped domed lid with fluted section surmounted by a serpent and acanthus scroll handle on an acanthus calyx. The lid engraved with duel crests of a demi-griffin segreant with a helmet between the paws and a griffins head erased, the main body with a cast and applied acanthus cartouche with engraved coat of arms of quarterings. Fully marked underneath and part-marked to the lid flange.  Length – 44 cm / 17.1 inches Weight – 5572 grams / 179.14 ozt The crests are for Cholmondeley and Campbell  The arms are for Cholmondeley impaling Campbell For George Horatio Cholmondeley, 2nd Marquess of Cholmondeley (1792 – 1870) who married his first wife Caroline Campbell (1795-1815) daughter of Lt- Gn, Sir Colin Campbell on the 20th October 1812.  Styled Viscount Malpas between 1792-1815, then Earl of Rocksavage between 1815-27, becoming the 2nd Marquess of Cholmondeley on the 10th April 1827. He was educated between 1804 and 1807 at Eton College.  He held the office of Member of Parliament (Tory) for Castle Rising between 1817 and 1821. He participated in the coronation of King George IV in 1821, as one of eight eldest sons of peers holding the king's train. The others were the Earl of Surrey, Marquess of Douro, Viscount Cranborne, Earl of Brecknock, Earl of Uxbridge, Earl of Rawdon, Viscount Ingestre and Lord Francis Conyngham. The ancient office of Lord Great Chamberlain is a Cholmondeley inheritance The family seats are Houghton Hall in Norfolk, and Cholmondeley Castle, near Malpas, Cheshire This tureen no doubt made for the marriage in 1812, however Lady Cholmondeley’s died in 1815 at age 20 at Cholmondeley House, Piccadilly, London.  A soup tureen of 1809 by Bennett of most similar form, with the same vacant acanthus cartouche but with lion masks replacing the shell and acanthus junctions was sold Christies, London, May 30-31st 2012, Lot 368.   Four entrée dishes of 1817 by Robert Garrard with the crest and a marquess' coronet for the 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley (1749-1827), the present lots’ father were sold from the Collection of HRH Princess Margret, Christies, London 14th June 2006 Lot 447.