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Eliza(beth) Godfrey

1st Earl of Clanbrassil and Viscount Limerick’s Epergne

Eliza(beth) Godfrey

1st Earl of Clanbrassil and Viscount Limerick’s Epergne

A George II silver epergne
London 1751
Maker’s mark of Eliza Godfrey

length 49.5cm, height 15.5cm, approx. weight 145oz.

central rectangular dish, canted corners, with fluted and gadroon decoration, engraved with an armorial, the underside with a scratch weight '148=14', on an oval base with four hanging aprons of ribbon and foliate scroll decoration, on four lead-capped scroll legs each with an unmarked scroll branch supporting an octagonal dish, with a crest and gadroon border, on four scroll feet, plus four unmarked removable finials for the legs.

For a similar epergne by Benjamin Godfrey, see: Christie's, King Street, Centuries of Style, 26 November 2014, lot 568.

James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Clanbrassil PC (14 August 1694 – 17 March 1758) was a British politician and peer. Hamilton was the son of James Hamilton and Hon. Anne Mordaunt, the daughter of The 1st Viscount Mordaunt. He first stood for elected office in Ireland, and sat as the Member of the Irish House of Commons for Dundalk between 1715 and 1719. On 13 May 1719, he was created Baron Clanboye and Viscount of the City of Limerick in the Peerage of Ireland.[1] As his titles were in the Irish peerage, he was not barred from election to the House of Commons of Great Britain and served as the MP for Wendover (1735–1741), Tavistock (1741–1747) and for Morpeth (1747–1754). On 14 April 1746, he was invested as a member of the Privy Council of Ireland. On 24 November 1756, he was created Earl of Clanbrassil, also in the Peerage of Ireland, and subsequently served as Governor of County Louth between 1756 and his death in 1758.[1]

He married Lady Harriet Bentinck, daughter of William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland and Jane Martha Temple, on 15 October 1728. Together they had two children, James and Anne, who married Robert Jocelyn, 1st Earl of Roden. He was succeeded by his only son, James Hamilton.

Nee Pantin. Married first to Abraham Buteaux whom she survived to carry on business as his widow until marriage the following year to Benjamin Godfrey. Mark entered, 29 June 1741, presumably on Benjamin's death. Address: Norris Street, Haymarket, where Heal records her till 1758. Described in her trade card as 'Goldsmith, Silversmith and Jeweller to His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland'. Her work, which has survived in considerable quantity, shows, as might be expected, strong Huguenot characteristics of design and fine execution.


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Eliza(beth) Godfrey