A pair of early 19^th century Indian colonial silver entrée dishes upon warming stands, Calcutta dated 1813 by Hamilton and Co

Each of rectangular form with rounded corners and gadrooned rims. The pull off lids surmounted by a detachable reeded and shell loop handles with screw thread leading to terraces of scallop shell capped C scrolls with laurel branches. The bases raised upon four bun form feet with chased lobes fitted with turned horn undersides, the spirally twisted scroll twin handles fitted with a baluster turned horn centre. The lids engraved either side with an impaled coat of arms with motto below Festina Lente, all surmounted by a crest of a horse trippant, the warming bases engraved to each side with the crest and motto only. Each engraved to the lids to one end with a presentation inscription reading “A marriage gift to Archibald Trotter 1813 from his attached friend Thomas John Dashwood of the Bengal civil service who died 17^th June 1836. 1863”. The lid, dish, and side of base each engraved with a 1 or a 2 respectively. Marked underneath the warming stands and dish bases with H&Co, elephant, Roman capital A and a n incuse tally mark of a trefoil. (2)

Length – 37.5 cm / 14.8 inches

Weight – 5984 grams / 192.39 ozt

The crest is for Trotter

The arms are for Trotter impaling Chase

for Archibald Trotter (1789-1868) who married Laura Maria Chase (1792-1818) on the 22nd May 1813.

He the son of Robert Trotter of The Bush and Castlelaw (1749-1807) who in 1787 married his first cousin Ann Trotter (1759-1822) daughter of John Trotter of Kettleshields and Horton (1713-1790). Both Robert and Ann were the great-grand children of Sir Robert Stuart, Baronet (1643-1707). Laura the daughter of Thomas Chase (1762-1808) and Ann Rand (1759-1837) who were married in Madras 28 Sep 1787, Thomas was “Senior Merchant, Clerk of Justice, Clerk to the Commissioner of Stores, Coroner and French Translator” who was also a merchant of the firm Chase and Parry, see Hodgson, G. H. (1938), Thomas Parry Free Merchant Madras 17689-1824, Higginbothams: Madras, p.33 – 50.

The bestower Thomas John Dashwood (1792-1836) was the son of Thomas Dashwood (1749-1825), an East Indian companyman in charge of stationery supplies and Charlotte Louisa Auriol (1755-1838), the daughter of James Peter Auriol (1713-1779) Secretary of the Governing Council of Bengal for the East India Company. Thomas John the grandson of Sir James Dashwood, 2nd Baronet (1715-1779) with his paternal aunts being Elizabeth Montagu Duchess of Manchester (1741-1832) and Anne Stewart, Countess of Galloway (c.1743-1830).

Jeremy Taylor Collection