PAUL STORR. A very unusual George III Snuffer Tray and Scissors, both made in London in 1816, the snuffer tray by Paul Storr and the Scissors of Rebecca Rmes & Edward Barnard.

The Tray is modelled in a most unusual design and is oval in form, with raised fluted sides.  The cast rim is decorated with Rococo shells, flanked by acanthus foliage, and unusually anthemion motifs. The two scroll carrying handles are decorated with acanthus leaves and shells.  The centre is engraved with a contemporary Scottish double Crest with Mottos above.  The border is engraved with the script initials BC, with the Coronet of a Baroness above.  The snuffer scissors are some of the finest we have seen and are also decorated with raying shells, acanthus foliage and a Tudor Rose boss.  The side of the snuffing box is engraved with the same Scottish Crests as seen on the tray and the top with BC below a coronet of a Baroness, identical to the Tray.  Both pieces are very well marked and are in exceptional condition.

With regard to the Crests, these were as used by the Watson-Taylor family, whose seat was Erlestroke Park in Wiltshire, however they hailed from Scotland, hence the Scottish Crests with the Motto above.  They purchased this estate in the early 19th century, however George Watson-Taylor went bankrupt in 1832 and died in a debtor's sanctuary attached to Holyrood Abbey.  This would have been when his silver came onto the market and at some point was purchased by Baroness Angela Burdett-Coutts, and her cipher and Coronet is also engraved on both pieces.  We know that she added considerably to the silver bequeathed to her by Harriett, Duchess of St. Alban's and they both admired the work of Paul Storr.  The Snuffer Scissors are nearly always by a different maker to the tray, as the production of sprung tongs was a specialist process.

Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts, 1814-1906, was a nineteenth century philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and the former Sophia Coutts, daughter of the banker, Thomas Coutts.  In 1837, she became the wealthiest woman in England when she inherited her grandfather's fortune of nearly three million pounds, following the death of his second wife Harriet Mellon, who had enjoyed a life interest in the estate.  Angela joined the surnames of her father and grandfather, by Royal Licence, to become Burdett-Coutts.  Edward VII is reported to have described her as "After my mother (Queen Victoria), the most remarkable woman in the Kingdom".  She is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Snuffer Tray:

Length: 11.1 inches & Width: 5.5 inches

Scissors:

Length: 7 inches & Width, across the finger rings: 2.1 inches.

Total combined weight: 22oz.