Westcountry Silver
In 1558, the Act of Supremacy made Elizabeth I Supreme Governor of the church. In
1559, the Act of Uniformity attempted to reconcile Protestants and Catholics and
return England to the Protestant faith. In further acts passed by Elizabeth, everyone
had to attend church on Sunday, each parish had to have a complete copy of the Bible
in English and each parish had to have a communion cup.
A pair of late 17th/early 18th century tazze possibly by John Dagge. Estimate: £1,000-£2,000.
This led to a large number of communion cups being produced over the following twenty
years. Of which two are to be included in our Fine Art Sale on the 11th July 2012
together with a collection of church silver. Our two examples are by the same
maker John Jones.
Jones was one of the most successful provincial goldsmiths. He was made a free man
at Exeter on the 9th September 1555, and two years later married Joan Yeedes at
St Petrocks in 1557. Ten years later he was made Bailiff and later became Churchwarden
of St Petrocks in 1570. Jones was buried at St Petrocks on 10th January 1583. His
best known apprentices were Johns Edes, Christopher Easton and William Bentley,
all noted spoon makers.
Our first communion cup has gilded decoration and is the more decorative of the
two, the cover which doubles as a paten is decorated with a Tudor rose, its decoration
is typical of its time. The ironic touch is that the cup was made for another church
but ended up at St Petrocks some three hundred years after Jone's burial, the base
having been inscribed "Entrusted to the Church Wardens of St Petrock by The parish
of St Kerrian, May,1884".
An Elizabeth I Exeter communion cup and paten with gilded decoration. Estimate:
£3,000-£5,000.
The second cup is similar in style, but plainer with no gilded decoration, and again
with Tudor rose decoration to the paten.
An Elizabeth I Exeter communion cup and paten later inscribed 'St Pauls, Exon
1758". Estimate: £3,000-£5,000.
Our final pieces of West Country silver is a bit more speculative. They are a pair
of tazze and used as patens at the communion service. They are struck three times
with the initials ID, but with no other marks, no lion passant or assay office marks.
Similar marks have been found on spoons and other church plate and we think it is
possible that the maker was John Dagge of Great Torrington.
John Dagge was born circa 1660 and was in business in Torrington by 1687. He supplied
church plate for the parishes of Merton and West Putford. He was Mayor of the town
six times and buried in Great Torrington on the 17th May 1740, during his sixth
term in office.
- Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood
- Fine Sale
- Silver Auction
- Elizabethan Silver
- John Dagge, Silversmith
- John Jones, Goldsmith
- Johns Edes, Goldsmith
- Christopher Easton, Goldsmith
- William Bentley, Goldsmith
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