George III Silver Cake Basket London 1802

The Arms of George Keith Elphinstone, Baron Keith   

 

The armorial bearings as engraved upon this George III Silver Cake Basket by William Fountain, hallmarked London 1802 are those of George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Baron Keith.  They may be blazoned as follows:

 

 Arms:              Quarterly 1st and 4th Argent a chevron sable between three boars’ heads erased gules armed of the first (for Elphinstone) 2nd and 3rd grand quarter 1st and 4^th Gules a chevron within a double tressure flory counterflory argent (for Fleming) and 2nd and 3^rd Azure three frases argent (for Fraser)   

 

                        The shield is ensigned with a Baron’s coronet and encircled by the circlet of the Order of the Bath* pendant therefrom the badge of the order. *Motto of the Order of the Bath ‘Tria juncta in uno’ [Three joined as one], this is in allusion to the union of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland.

 Motto:             Cause causit [Cause caused it]

 Supporters:     Dexter – A savage proper wreathed head and middle with oak leaves vert in his exterior hand a club resting on his right shoulder on his breast a shield azure charged with three fleurs-de-lis or at his feet an anchor sable

 

                        Sinister – A stag proper attired and unguled or collared azure the collar charged with three cinquefoils argent and pendant therefrom a shield of the last with a chief gules charged with three pallets or resting the dexter hind foot resting on an anchor sable

 

 

George Keith Elphinstone (born 7th January 1745-6) was the 3rd son of Charles, the 10th Lord Elphinstone and Clementina daughter and eventually sole heir of the 6th Earl of Wigtoun. George Keith became a naval officer of high reputation, an Admiral of the Blue and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. On the 16th March 1797 he was created Baron Keith in the Peerage of Ireland with special remainder to his daughter, Margaret. He was further created Baron Keith in the Peerage of Great Britain on the 5th December 1801. Some two years later he received yet another peerage (in the Peerage of Great Britain) as Baron Keith, on the 17th September 1803 but once again with a special remainder to his daughter Margaret. On the 1st June 1814 he was advanced to a viscountcy in the Peerage of Great Britain as Viscount Keith. He married firstly on the 9th April 1787, Jane, daughter of and co-heir of William Mercer, of Aldin in the County of Perthshire. She died on the 12th December 1789. Lord Keith married for a second time on the 10th January 1808, Hester Maria (who died 31st March 1857) daughter and co-heir of Henry Thrale. From this marriage came one daughter, Georgiana Auguste Henrietta.

 

Lord Keith died on the 10th March 1823 when the Viscountcy of Keith created in 1814 and the Barony of Keith created in 1801 fell into extinction, but the other two baronies of Keith of 1797 and 1803 devolved on his elder daughter, Margaret by virtue of the special remainders written into their respective Letters Patent of Creation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.