The Mount Edgcumbe Chargers. An exceptional pair of George III Chargers made in London in 1795 by John Wakelin & Robert Garrard.

The Chargers are of a large size and very good weight.  Each has a shaped circular form, with a gadrooned rim.  The border is engraved with a contemporary Armorial, with the Coronet above and a Motto engraved on a banner below.  The Arms are flanked by supporters.  The Chargers, when not being used, would have been placed on sideboards, at banquets and dinners, as a symbol of wealth and status.  They are both in excellent condition, not having seen much use over the years. They are both well marked and are of the finest quality.

Our heraldic advisor has traced the Crest and Coronet and they are those as used by George Edgcumbe (1720-1795).  Edgcumbe inherited the Barony of Mount Edgcumbe in 1761 and was promoted to Viscount Mount Edgcumbe and Valletort in 1781.  He was further elevated in the Peerage to the 1^st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe in 1789.  His portrait, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, is shown together with an image of Mount Edgcumbe in Cornwall.  

Edgcumbe had a successful naval career and was promoted to Rear Admiral in October 1762 and Admiral in 1778.  He inherited his brother’s Barony in May 1761, in addition to Mount Edgcumbe House.  In 1747, he was appointed Clerk of the Council of the Duchy of Lancaster, an office he retained until 1762.  He was appointed Treasurer of the Household in 1765, serving until 1766, and made a Privy Councillor on 26^th July.  In 1761 he married Emma Gilbert, the only daughter of John Gilbert, Archbishop of York.  Lord Mount Edgcumbe died in 1795 and was succeeded in his titles and estates by his only son Richard.  

The Company that was to become Wakelin & Garrard was founded by George Wickes (1698-1761) who entered his mark at Goldsmiths' Hall in 1722.  The Company moved to Panton Street, off Haymarket, in 1735, as a goldsmith and provider of jewellery and other luxury items to aristocratic patrons.  Wickes was an accomplished silversmith who gained the patronage of Frederick, Prince of Wales.  Two apprentices of Wickes, John Parker and Edward Wakelin, purchased the company following Wickes' retirement in 1760, replaced by John Wakelin and William Taylor in 1776.  Following the death of Taylor, Robert Garrard became a partner in 1792.  Garrard took sole control of the firm in 1802, being patronised by the Royal family.  In 1843 Queen Victoria appointed Garrard as the first ever official Crown Jeweller, leading to the production of numerous pieces of silverware and jewellery for the Royal family, as well as the upkeep of the Crown Jewels.

Diameter: 16 inches, 40 cm.

Weight: 121oz, the pair.