Statuette of Lieutenant the Honourable William John Montagu Watson-Armstrong (later 2nd Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside) of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.
Hunt and Roskell Ltd
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
1914 - 1915
Materials
Silver, Wood, Britannia metal
Measurements
350 mm (H)
Place of origin
London
Order this imageCollection
Cragside, Northumberland
NT 1230991
Summary
Silver sculpture; Statuette of William John Montagu Watson-Armstrong, 2nd Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside (1892-1972); Hunt and Roskell; 1914-15. A silver statuette of the 2nd Baron Armstrong, in uniform and made in June 1914, a few months before the outbreak of the First World War.
Full description
Statuette in silver of William John Montagu Watson-Armstrong, 2nd Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside (1892-1972), showing him at full-length in the uniform of a Lieutenant in his regiment the Northumberland Fusiliers. He stands, his left leg slightly forward, his left hand resting on his dress sword. The statuette is mounted on a black-painted circular wooden socle, to the front of which is attached a large silver plate. Hall-marked for 1914 (the figure) and 1915 (the base). William John Montagu Watson-Armstrong was the son of William Henry Armstrong Fitzpatrick Watson-Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong and his wife Winifreda (‘Winnie’; 1860-1914); the couple also had a daughter. Like his father, Armstrong’s early career was in the Army; in 1913 he was commissioned into the 7th Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers in the Territorial Force. Armstrong served for much of the First World War, firstly in France and Belgium, where he was mentioned in despatches and was badly wounded in the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915. In 1917 he was invalided home and he subsequently served a further year in the army in India, from 1918-1919. Armstrong later served in the Diplomatic Service in Canada and in Thailand, before returning to the UK and Cragside and Bamburgh, having inherited his father’s title in 1942. The silver statuette was, according to the prominent engraved label, a silver wedding present to the 2nd Baron Armstrong and his wife from her siblings, presumably presented on the date of the anniversary, 15 June 1914. Winnie Armstrong was the daughter of Sir John Miller Adye (1819-1900) and he and his wife Mary Cordelia had a number of children. Sadly, Lady Armstrong died just a few months after her anniversary, in December 1914. Hunt & Roskell was a successful firm of silversmiths which, as the label on the statuette explains, emerged from the firm Storr and Mortimer, founded by Paul Storr and John Mortimer. After an additional partner John Samuel Hunt joined the firm, the name changed to Mortimer and Hunt and then, from 1843, to Hunt and Roskell. It traded under variations of this name and changes in ownership until the 1960s. With its shop in New Bond Street, Hunt and Roskell became famous for its jewellery and silverware, including presentation pieces, of which the statuette of the future 2nd, Baron Armstrong is a typical example. The two different years on the hallmarks may suggest that the socle was delivered after the statuette, or that it was accidentally not marked at the time of its manufacture. Jeremy Warren March 2022
Provenance
Gift of the family of Winifreda, Baroness Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside (née Miller Adye; 1860-1914), June 1914. Armstrong collection. Transferred by the Treasury to The National Trust in 1977 via the National Land Fund, aided by 3rd Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside (1919 - 1987).
Marks and inscriptions
Statuette: Hall-marks, side of right foot: : London hallmarks for Hunt and Roskell and date mark for 1914. Base: Inscription on engraved silver plate: : Statuette of Lt. The Hon. W.J.M. Watson-Armstrong/ Presented to Lord and Lady Armstrong/ on the occasion of their silver wedding/ by the brothers and sisters of the latter/ June 15th. 1889-1914 Hall-marks: lower left on silver plate: London hallmarks for Hunt and Roskell and date mark for 1915. Signature: silver plate, bottom: HUNT & ROSKELL LTD. LATE STORR AND MORTIMER 32-4[…]
Makers and roles
Hunt and Roskell Ltd, silversmith