ADAM'S - THE HISTORY SALE - APRIL 26TH 2017 (Click Lot title for more images and to Place Bid)

Wednesday 26th April

mark of Bartholomew Stokes, the detachable lid with ribbed rim, engraved with the City of Dublin Coat of Arms and inscribed

‘’The Corporation of the City of Dublin to the Right Hon.Theophilius Jones Esq. 1767’’, the base engraved with the Jones

family crest and the motto ‘’Deus Fortitudo Mea’’, God is my strength, with gilt interior, (c.124g). 8cm diameter

Theophilus Jones (1729-1811) was the eldest son ofWalter Jones of Headfort, Co. Leitrim and his wife, Olivia, daughter and

coheiress of the Hon. Chidley Coote of Coote Hall, Co. Roscommon. Jones was married three times; his second son also

namedTheophilus Jones (1760-1835) was a member of the royal navy who was eventually promoted to the rank of admiral in

1819.The Jones family were descended fromWales, they received a grant of lands from King James I in 1622 of which they

made a settlement by indenture dated 11th September 1660.The family had estates in the counties of Leitrim and Dublin as

well as Kent in England holding the seat of Hayle Place near Maidstone.

The freedom box, designed by Dublin silver maker Bartholomew Stokes (w.1746) was presented toTheophilus Jones in 1767

to mark his tenure as Privy Counsellor of Ireland.The Privy Council was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31

December 1800 and it performed a similar role in the Dublin Castle administration to that of its counterpart in the United

a member of the Privy Council of Ireland he was styled Right Honourable, just as the members of the British

Privy Council were. Jones had a long and diverse career serving as a secretary to August Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, the Chief

Secretary of Ireland, a post he held until 1799. He was also Collector of Excise at the Dublin Port during a similar period. As

an MP in the British Parliament he represented County Leitrim and subsequently the borough of Coleraine.

The practice of presenting Freedom boxes to individuals was popular in the 18th Century, particularly in Ireland, in which

visiting dignitaries were bestowed with the Honorary Freedom of the City.They were engraved with the city’s coat of arms and

personalised with the recipient’s family crest and motto, as in this example with,‘Deus Fortitudo Mea, God is my strength’.

Usually a Freedom scroll was enclosed within the engraved box, although with the circular shape of this present example it

is possible that no such item was included. Livery companies and guilds also followed the practice gifting the boxes to newly

appointed Freemasons.

Niamh Corcoran BA

September 2016

€ 10,000 - 15,000