Trivet
Category
Brassware
Date
1757 - 1790
Materials
Brass, Iron, Wood
Measurements
28.5 cm (H)
Order this imageCollection
Clandon Park, Surrey
NT 1441136
Summary
[Salvaged] Brass trivet, the top pierced to read 'WILKES AND LIBERTY'. Wood handle, iron legs. A fire-bar trivet for keeping a pot or kettle warm. Brass trivets are often pierced to form decorative patterns; words or political slogans seen here are unusual. 'WILKES AND LIBERTY' is a reference to the radical politician John Wilkes MP (1725-97). Wilkes was a Member of Parliament on and off from 1757 until 1790. Wilkes also worked as a journalist. He campaigned for newspapers to have the freedom to report parliamentary debate and achieved his aim in 1771. Wilkes was a correspondent of George Onslow (1731-1814) who was Member of Parliament for Rye and Surrey until the death of Sir Richard Onslow, 3rd Baron Onslow in 1776 at which point he became 4th Baron, later 1st Earl of Onslow and inherited Clandon Park. This may explain the presence of this trivet in the collection, but this cannot be confirmed.
Provenance
Accepted by the Treasury in lieu of Estate Duty on the death of the 5th and the 6th Earl in 1984
Marks and inscriptions
Wilkes and liberty