LOST LOVING CUP

Evening Star, Issue 20139, 2 April 1929, Page 6

LOST LOVING CUP

GEORGE IV. RELIC An interesting story of how a valuable loving cup com memo rating the coronation of George IV. was restored to the treasury of the Westminster Guildhall and the possession of the Middlesex Justices of the Peace was told recently-to a representative of the ‘ Daily Telegraph ’ by Mr AY. H. Fenton, j.P., who has been chiefly instrumental in its restoration.

On November 8, 1926, said Mr benton, I went to Christie’s, where my eye fell upon one ol the lots to ho put up for auction. It was a particularly handsome loving enp, and was described in tho catalogue as follows; “Silver gilt cup and cover, cased with laurel, oak, and palm leaves. 17i n high. Date ISOo. 91 ounces.” The cup on examination bore the following inscription :—-“To commemorate the Coronation of His Majesty King George IV. This cup was purchased by those magistrates who were assembled at the Sessions House to witness Ihe Procession on the 19th July. 1821.” The cover was inscribed: “Presented by tho Justices for the City of Westminster, Members of the Dinner Table on its dissolution to tho Justices lor the County of Middlesex, for use on their table.—] 844.”

“AA’hen I saw it,” continued Mr Fenton, “ I decided to buy it, and spoke to Sir Montague Sharpe, chairman of onr Middlesex Bench. He suggested a whip-ronml, and was very keen on our securing tho treasure. Actually I bought it at -TYs per mince, which works out about £l6l. and took it to Mr Hart, clerk of the AA’cstminster Guildhall.

‘I want you,” I said in Mr Hart, ‘to demand of me by what right I have possession of this property, which so clearly belongs to the magistracy o-f AV&tminsler, And to know how it came to go out of their possession.’ Obviously the cup had sonic interesting history.

-"Together we set to work 1 , arid found out. that the enp had been sent to Christie’s by Ihe executors of the late owner of the cup. who was tho daughter of one of the justices in whose care presumably the cup had at some time been placed. That being so, 1 look the view that anything bearing an inscription connecting it with a church or institution involved the question of authority in a proposed sale, and, to cut a long story short, the executors in question agreed to give up the cup on condition that we paid the commission o-f £l2 to Christie’s. “ So the Middlesex justices are once more in possession of a valuable relic, and, incidentally, have been able to secure a loving cup worth £l6l for £l2.