Adam's Country House Collections At Townley Hall 11th October 2016 : You can Download a PDF Version from the Bottom Menu Down Arrow Icon

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A near pair of 19th Century Liverpool Creamware armorial plates, each with the DeVere crest, incorporating the Marisco Castle on Lundy Island.
Provenance: Curragh Chase, Limerick;
and by descent to the DeVere Trust beneficiaries
Upon the death of his father, Sir Bart Vere Hunt 1st Baronet of Curragh, in 1818, Sir Aubrey de Vere, born Vere Hunt (1788-1846) inherited the Estate of
Curragh Chase, Co. Limerick and with it, a small Island in the Bristol Channel of the Coast of Devon called Lundy Island. Sir Bart Vere Hunt purchased it
spontaneously at auction; he knew little to nothing about the property but was compelled to buy it upon hearing the auctioneer proclaim that ‘it never
paid neither tax nor tithe, that it acknowledged neither King nor parliament, not civil law or ecclesiastical, and that its proprietor was pope and emperor in
his own scanty domain’. Hunt often found himself in financial trouble and Lundy presented itself as an attractive retreat when his creditors in Ireland or
England pressured him. Hunt settled the island with people from Limerick but struggled to generate any income from the land. He passed this difficulty
onto his son Audrey along with a mountain of debt when he died in 1818. Aubrey de Vere married the eldest daughter of Stephen Edward Rice of Mount
Trenchard and went on to stand for election in Parliament. In 1832 by Royal License he assumed the surname and arms of de Vere only.
Lundy Island was eventually purchased in 1834 as a summer retreat by William Hudson Heaven who claimed it to be a “free island” and managed to contin-
ue running the island independently, free from mainland jurisdiction.
€ 200 - 300
comprising a large two handle centre bowl, four oval serving dish-
es, three scallop shape bowls and eight dessert plates, each paint-
ed with floral sprays and scattered insects against a white ground
within a gilt edged border, impressed factory mark verso. (18)
€ 200 - 300
each vase mounted on a naturalistic orange-peel ground base,
alongside a bird, flowers and foliage. Having red printed mark of
The Ulster Pottery of Coalisland Ireland to the underside.
€ 600 - 800
possibly Derby; together with an inkstand and a collection.
w.a.f.
Provenance: Curragh Chase, Co. Limerick;
DeVere Trust beneficiaries
The decoration on these interesting and unique jugs high-
light the duty system which was applied on playing cards in
19th Century Britain. For cards that were being sold within
Britain ‘DUTY’ was written above the crown, however for
cards that were being exported to foreign lands where no
tax was to be paid to the crown, ‘EXPORTATION’ was written
below the maker’s name.
Sir Aubrey de Vere had them specially commissioned to
remind him never to gamble again.
€ 300 - 500