Hunt & Roskell Plates, Viscount Powerscourt

These are an outstanding quality pair of silver second course dishes or soup plates made by the most important silver retailers of the Victorian period. These days the plates would be perfect as a pair of serving dishes. The central dish measures 7" across with a depth of almost 1". The quality of decoration is second to none with a superb wavy, reeded border interspersed with shells and a beaded ribbon. There is a very crisp, original coat-of-arms engraved to the edge with the motto "Fidelite est de Dieu" (translates to "Loyalty is God"). The plates are in excellent original condition.

The plates are stamped "Hunt & Roskell late Storr & Mortimer" to the undersides: Hunt & Roskell were the continuation of the firm set up by Paul Storr and their "by Appointment" status to Queen Victoria is proudly shown with the crown surmount to the "ISH" makers mark.

The arms are for Wingfield, Viscounts Powerscourt of Powerscourt, co. Wicklow and Baron Wingfield. In 1866 the title was held by Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt (1836-1904). He took over the Powersourt Estate after his father's death in 1844 with his mother Lady Castlereagh as guardian. The Wingfield family of Powerscourt played an important role in Irish public life and politics.

   

The estate played a vital role for its tenants during the Great Famine years (1845-1852). During this period many Irish farmers were unable to sustain a living from the small plot of land they owned, the failure of potato crop and rise in taxes resulted in eviction, emigration or the poor house for many farmers. However Powerscourt, also highly affected by the Great Famine with limited employment opportunities, provided employment, reduced rents and struck off debts whenever possible to help their tenants.