A George II silver cream jug, London circa 1750 by John Pollock (this mark reg. 26th June 1739)

A George II silver cream jug, London circa 1750 by John Pollock (this mark reg. 26^th June 1739)

Of inverted baluster form upon a spreading circular foot, the everted lip with shaped rim leading to an acanthus capped C scroll handle. The body with tightly worked chased decoration of flower bouquets against a textured ground with rocaille C scrolls reserved with fish scales, the front with an asymmetrical rocaille C scroll cartouche engraved with an impaled coat of arms held within a widow’s lozenge reserved with C scrolls and rocaille work. The spreading foot and everted neck also with chased rocaille work and C scrolls. Marked underneath with makers mark four times, also engraved underneath with scratch weight 8=9.

Height – 13 cm / 5.1 inches

Weight – 194 grams / 6.24 ozt

The arms are for Bankes impaling Morgan

for Robert Bankes (1699 - 1748) and Catherine Morgan (b.1698) of Winstanley Hall, near Wigan in the County of Lancashire, who were married on the 20^th January 1729.

Robert was the fourth but eldest surviving son of Thomas Bankes (1659-1728), of Winstanley Hall and his wife, Anne Cholmondeley (c.1655), the daughter of Thomas Cholmondeley, (1627 - 1702) MP of Vale Royal in the County of Cheshire and his first wife, Jane Tollemache (c.1631 - 1666) the daughter of Sir Lionel Tollemache, 2nd Bt (1591-1640). Catherine was the only daughter of Edward Morgan (b.1669), of Golden Grove in the County of Flintshire and his wife, Frances Bankes (1670-1745).

Robert was educated at Peover and Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1718). High Sheriff of Lancashire, 1742. Fellow of the Royal Society, 1736-46. He inherited Winstanley hall from his father in 1728. The banks family left Winstanley hall in the 1960’s and it was eventually sold in the early 21^st century.

The term ‘duty dodgers’ is applied to pieces that were not sent for assay during the period 1720-58 whereby a steep tax was placed on silverware. The present example where by the makers mark is struck four times over in various directions to simulate the four marks required for assay at the time is the most innocuous of the methods deployed by duty dodgers and is found on multiple pieces by Paul de Lamerie who was known as a regular participant in tax dodging. Silversmiths had other, more nefarious, methods of escaping this tax which may involve transposing marks from small articles to large or by overstriking on marks cut out of much older pieces.