Duchess of St Albans – A pair of George III sterling silver chambersticks, London 1814 by Charles Price

Each of circular form with gadrooned edge, the centre with a rising column with aperture for a wick trimmer, rounded capital, and removable circular sconce with gadrooned edge (one London 1807 by John Mewburn). The C scroll handle with saddle thumbpiece fitted with a conical snuffer, one London 1817 by Charles Fox I, the other, Birmingham circa 1820 by Matthew Boulton. The wells, sconces and Fox snuffer engraved with script initials HStA below a ducal coronet. Each fully marked underneath, part-marked to the sconces and snuffer, Birmingham snuffer fully marked. (2)

Length – 17.3 cm / 6.75 inches

Weight – 656 grams / 21.09 ozt

The ducal initials are for Harriet Beauclerk, née Mellon, 9th Duchess of St. Albans (1777-1837)

Harriet Beauclerk, née Mellon, Duchess of St. Albans (1777-1837) famous as a child actress, born into a traveling theatre troupe. She married firstly Thomas Coutts (1735-1822) the founder of the Royal Bank Coutts & Co. They were married secretly on January 18th 1815 following the death of his first wife under much opposition from Coutt’s three daughters; the Countess of Guilford, the Marchioness of Bute and Lady Burdett. They remarried on April 12th 1815 as the first ceremony was illegal. Upon his death in 1822 inheriting his whole fortune and share in the bank she became senior partner in Coutt’s & Co, taking an active role in decisions made in the business. The Morning Post recorded that “some time previous to his death he settled upon Mrs C the sum of £600,000 with the house in Stratton Street, all the plate, linen & c.- the service of plate is said to be the most valuable in any of the country- together with the house in Highgate, and all its appurtances...the whole makes her the richest widow in the United Kingdom.”

She married her second husband William Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk, 9th Duke of St. Albans on the 16th June 1827. In a letter to Sir Walter Scott, in reply to his congratulations on this marriage, Harriet wrote: “What a strange eventful life has mine been, from a poor little player child, with just food and clothes to cover me, dependent on a very precarious profession, without talent or a friend in the world – first the wife of the best, the most perfect being thatever breathed...and now the wife of a Duke! You must write my life...my true history written by the author of Waverley.”

She died on 6 August 1837 at her home in London, and was buried in the parish church at Redbourne, Lincolnshire, the St Albans family seat. She left her husband an allowance of £10,000 a year for his lifetime, along with the use of two properties in London. The bulk of her estate, worth around £1.8m, was left to Angela Burdett (1814 – 1906), the youngest of Thomas’s grandchildren. However, the terms of Harriot’s will were written to exclude Angela from partnership in the bank. Angela was barred from touching the capital sum, but was given complete and independent control of the income from it. She was also required to take the additional surname of Coutts. Lastly, in the event of her marrying a foreigner, the fortune would pass to another member of the family. This last condition was Harriot’s response to the earlier marriage of one of Thomas’s grandsons to a member of the Bonaparte family; she could not countenance the prospect of the bank passing into French hands. Through all these conditions, Harriot did her utmost to protect the bank’s future, safeguarding the Coutts inheritance, even from beyond the grave.

The majority of the Duchess of St Albans' silver was stored in a vaults in Coutts until 1914. There upon some 35,000 ounces of silver formed part of the Coutts Heirloom sale, 14th May 1914, and various sales until 1920. All elements of the service bare Harriet’s monogram and ducal coronet in prominent position rather than the Beauclerk crest, testimony perhaps to her position and strength of character of rising to some of the highest ranks in British society at the time.

Auction Record for St Albans Silver:

- A pair of meat dishes, of 1770 by Thomas Heming, sod Doyle, New York, 14 Oct 2015, lot 267 ($1,118 incl. prem)

- A warming stand of 1793 by John Köhler, sold Sotheby’s New York, 29^th November 2006 lot 85

- A matched pair of goblets, of 1805 by William Fountain, and 1806 by John Emes, sold Bonham’s New York, 22 October 2008, lot 2023 ($1,140 incl. prem)

- A bread basket of 1810 by Benjamin and James Smith, sold Christie’s London 1^st December 2015 Lot 675 (£3000 incl. prem)

- A bowl of 1812 by John and Edward Edwards, Sold Christies New York 21 October 2003, Lot 354 ($8,365 incl. prem)

- A kettle of 1812 by John and Edward Edwards sold these rooms, 25 March 2020, lot 579 (£1,875 incl. prem)

- A cheese cradle of 1812 by Robert Hennell III, sold Christie’s New York, 23 - 24 August 2016 lot 240 ($5,250)

- A set of four salts of 1813, sold Christies New York 19th April 2002 lot 346 ($207,500 incl. prem)

- A pair of soup tureens of 1814 by Robert Hennell, sold Sotheby’s, New York April 2006, lot 115

- Four snuffers tray of 1813/14 by Paul Storr, sold Sotheby’s New York, 27 April 1990, lot 341

- An argyle of 1814 by Thomas Robins, sold Christie’s New York 20 April 2000 lot 210

- A set of four wine coasters of 1815 by Paul Storr, Christie's New York, 15^th April 1997, lot 281

- A set of 12 dinner plates of 1815/18 by Paul Storr, sold Sotheby’s New York, 21 Oct 1998, lot 217

- A pair of twin light candelabra, London 1816 by William Pitts, sold Sothebys, New York, 15 April 2016, Lot 194 ($22,500 incl. prem)

- A pair of snuffers trays of 1816 by Paul Storr, sold Christie’s, New York 30^th June 2015 Lot 69 ($9,375 incl. prem)

- A chamberstick of Sheffield 1816 by Smith, Tate, Holt & Tate, sold Sotheby’s New York, 19 Oct 1995, lot 357

- A beer jug of 1817 by Charles Price, sold Sotheby’s, New York April 2006, lot 116

- A pair of sauce tureens of 1817, sold Christie’s, New York, 20^th October 1997 lot 217

- A set of four entrée dishes of 1817 by Paul Storr sold Sotheby’s, New York, 14 April 1999, lot 217 (possibly the same as those below Christies 2012)

- A set of four entrée dishes of 1817 by Paul Storr numbered 5-8, sold Sotheby’s New York, 16 Oct 1996 lot 207

- A set of four entrée dishes of 1817 by Paul Storr, sold Christie’s New York 21st June 2012, lot 1116 ($134,500 inc. prem) then sold Sotheby's Paris, 14 Oct 2022, lot 881 (€50,400 incl. prem)

- A pair of breakfast dishes of 1817 by William Elliott, sold Christie’s London, 29 November 2016, lot 152 (£25,000 incl. prem)

- A set of 4 sauce boats, of 1817 by Paul Storr, sold Sotheby’s New York, 15 April 1997, lot 282

- A ewer of 1818 by John Edward Terry, sold Barry Lock collection Cheffins, 6 April 2023, lot 531 (£4000 hammer)

- A sauce tureen of 1817 by Benjamin Smith II and Benjamin Smith Jnr (III), sold Bonham’s New Bond Street, 21 Nov 2018, lot 62 (£13,750 incl. prem)

- A pair of dinner plates of 1818 by Paul Storr offered these rooms, 23 Oct 2018, lot 361 (with French guarantee mark, 12 the same with Shrubsole, New York)

- An entrée dish of 1820 by William Elliott, sold Christie’s 29^th November 2016, lot 151 (£17,500 incl. prem)

- A set of 18 dinner plate of 1820 by Philip Rundell, sold Christie’s New York, 11 April 2003, lot 226

- A tray of 1820 by Phillip Rundell, sold Sotheby’s New York, 18 Oct 2018, Lot 694 ($5,250 incl. prem)

- A pair of three-light figural candelabra of 1821 by Phillip Rundell, sold Sotheby’s, New York, 17th October 2008, lot 163 ($122,500 incl. prem)

- A pair of soup tureens and stands of 1821 by Phillip Rundell, sold Christies, London 7^th June 2011, Lot 353 (£193,250 inc. prem) then sold Sotheby's Paris, 14 Oct 2022, lot 895 (€168,300 incl. prem)

- A pair of wine coolers of 1823 by William Bateman sold Sotheby’s, New York, 4^th November 2011 lot 249

- A set of four wine coolers of 1825 by Paul Storr, offered Sotheby's London, 7 June 2007, lot 149

- A basket of 1827 by John Bridge, sold Sotheby’s New York, 20 Oct 2020, lot 14 ($17,640 incl. prem)

- A pair of wine coolers of 1829 by John Bridge, Sotheby’s Hong Kong 30 September 2016 lot 8

- A ewer and bowl of 1836 by William Bateman II sold Sotheby’s Olympia, 5 July 2006, lot 1 (£6240 incl. prem) then sold Barry Lock collection Cheffins, 6 April 2023, lot 533 (£5,500 hammer)

Also

A pair of Louis XVI dishes on stands made in Paris in 1785 and 1789 by Henri Auguste and Robert Joseph Auguste, the burners added by Paul Storr in 1811