Pair Georgian Silver Salvers Sheffield 1817

The Marital Arms of the Families of Baskerville and Hancock

The arms as engraved upon this Pair of George III English Sterling Silver Salvers made by S. Younge & Company hallmarked Sheffield 1817 are those of the families of Baskerville and Hancock. These armorial bearings denote the marshalling of a marital coat showing the quartered arms of the husband over the entire surface of the shield, whilst the arms of the heiress wife are placed on a small shield (known as an escutcheon of pretence) centrally on the husband’s arms. These arms may be blazoned as follows:

Arms:                          Quarterly of ten 1st Argent a chevron gules between three hurts (for Baskerville) …… followed by nine other quarterings overall an escutcheon of pretence Sable a chevron argent between three plates each charged with a cock ...... (for Hancock)

Crest:                           A wolf’s head erased argent holding in its mouth a broken spear staff or head argent imbrued gules (for Baskerville)

Motto:                         ‘Spero ut fidelis’ [I hope as faithful] (for Baskerville)

These armorial bearings undoubtedly commemorate the marriage of Thomas Baskerville Mynors-Baskerville, of Clyro Court in the County of Herefordshire and Anne, daughter and heiress of John Hancock, of Marlborough in the County of Wiltshire. They were married in 1818 a year after the manufacture and hallmarking of this particular pair of salvers. Thomas Baskerville Mynors-Baskerville was born in April 1790, the son of Peter Rickards-Mynors and Meliora Powell (whose maternal grandfather through her mother, Philippa was Thomas Baskerville, of Aberelow Court whose wife was Meliora, was in turn the eldest daughter of Richard Baskerville, of Richardston). On the death of his cousin, Thomas Baskerville (the grandson of Richard Baskerville) in 1817, Thomas Baskerville Mynors (as he was styled then) succeeded to the family estates and assumed by Royal Licence, the surname and arms of Baskerville. So we may assume that this pair of salvers was purchased and engraved after this particular event. Thomas Baskerville Mynors-Baskerville was a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant and served as Member of Parliament for the County of Hereford. He also was High Sheriff of Wiltshire for the year 1827. After the death of his wife, Anne in 1832 (this marriage having no children), he married a second time on the 2nd March 1837, Elizabeth Mary, eldest daughter of the Rev. Powell Colchester Guise. This marriage produced six children (three sons and three daughters). Thomas Baskerville Mynors-Baskerville died on the 9th September 1864. He was succeeded in the family estates by his eldest son, Walter Thomas Mynors-Baskerville.