An interesting George III sterling silver salver, London 1768 by John Parker and Edward Wakelin

of shaped circular form with a shaped cavetto edge and gadrooned rim, all upon three scroll feet. The field with a contemporaneous engraved coat of arms of eight quarterings charged with the cadency mark of a first son, impaled with a quartered coat of arms, reserved with foliage and crossed palm branches. The reverse engraved with initials G. H in cursive script. Fully marked to the reverse and with scratch weight 30 = 18.

Diameter – 31.8 cm / 12.5 inches

Weight – 906 grams / 29.13 ozt

The arms are for Campion quartering others including Courthope quartering Campion impaling Heathcote quartering Rayner.

For Henry Courthope Campion (1734-1811) of Combwell and Danny, Sussex who married Henrietta Heathcote (1737-1771) on the 11^th August 1768 at Saint James, Westminster.

Henry is the second but first surviving son of William Campion (1707-78) of Combwell and Danny, Sussex, and Elizabeth Patheriche (c.1702-1763), William was the son of Henry Campion of Combwell and Danny (d.1761) who married Barbara Courthope (1676-1755). Henrietta was the fourth daughter of Sir John Heathcote, 2nd Baronet (1689-1759) and Bridget White (d.1772), he the son of Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1st Baronet (1652-1733), Lord Mayor of London, and his wife Hester Rayner (c.1659-1714), daughter of Christopher Rayner.

Their son William John Campion (1770-1855) married on the 9^th January 1797 Jane Austen (1776-1857), daughter of Francis Motley Austen of Kipping (1747-1815), she second cousin to Jane Austen (1775-1817), the author.

Danny house is a prominent Elizabethan manor built in 1586 by the Goring family, bought by Peter Courthope in 1650, it passed through his daughter Barbara to the Campion family who made it their home by 1725. The house was taken over by Country Houses Association in 1956, and is now a retirement home. For further reading on the history of the house; Brent, D. & C. (2013), Danny House a Sussex mansion through seven centuries. Hampshire: Phillimore and Co.

The Heathcote family are noted as patrons of the Wakelin firm, her brother John Heathcote (c.1727-1795) of Conington Castle, co. Huntingdon commissioned a large 430 oz gilt toilet service from Parker and Wakelin on April 18^th 1767. (A pair of baskets sold Christie’s London, 17 Nov 2009, lot 276, £15,000 incl. premium). The quarterings for the Campion family as on this salver were published ‘Pedigree of the Campion Family’ by Everard Green (1907). The arms of Rayner on this salver have been incorrectly engraved as a cross and should be in saltire. The GH initials to the reverse are presumably for her other brother Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 3rd Baronet (c.1723-1785).

The Champion Cup and Danny Jewel

The Champion Cup, an important Henry VII “font” or flat cup of 1500 was purchased from the Campion family of Danny House, Sussex by the collector Henry Willett (1823 – 1905) and was subsequently bought by Lord Swathling, who lent it to the V&A between 1905 and 1924, when the Museum purchased it for £10,000 (M.249-1924). Also ‘The Danny Jewel’ a mid-16^th century pendant gold, enamel and narhwal tusk pendant also in the V&A (M.97-1917).