Adam's Country House Collections 12th & 13th October 2020

174 Country House Collections The Lyons Canteen 536 VALENTINE LAWLESS, 2ND BARON CLONCURRY, OF LYONS, CO. KILDARE AN IMPORTANT SUITE OF IRISH SILVER-GILT FLATWARE BEARING THE CREST OF BARONS CONCLURRY, Dublin c.1825, makers mark of Thomas Farnett, retailed by Law, contained within a fitted mahogany canteen box of rectangular compact form with brass carrying handles, the hinged top with brass plaque inscribed with the letter ‘C’ below a crown, with a ‘Law & Son Goldsmith, Jewellers and Watchmakers...’ label affixed to the inside of the lid, The suite comprising: - 22 Queens pattern forks - 6 Queens pattern serving spoons - 24 Queens pattern spoons - 18 Kings Pattern teaspoons together with - 12 Queens pattern dessert knives, with gilded and engraved steel blades - 24 Queens pattern knives, with slightly later silver gilt blades, both sets of knives with identical pattern to the rest of the services and engraved with the Cloncurry Crest, the handles struck with makers mark ‘JT’ - a grape scissors, Dublin c.1826, with ‘LAWS’ retail stamp (uncrested); and with 1 additional silver-gilt fork and 3 sugar spoons with scallop bowls (uncrested) (c.138 troy ozs in all, excluding the knives) Valentine Lawless (1773-1853) was unusual as representing an indigenous family that had made a fortune from the wool trade and had converted to the established protestant church probably entirely for business reasons. Well educated and versed in the law he joined the Society of United Irishmen c.1793. A friend of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, his pamphlets against the proposed union alarmed the authorities, but unable to prove se - dition, they resorted to imprisoning him in the Tower of London without charge. He was release briefly and remained in England until he was imprisoned again until March 1801. During his incarceration, his father 1st Baron Cloncurry died and Valentine inherited the title. Once released, he thought it prudent to remove himself to Rome where he collected antiquities and sent them back to be incorporated into the Lyons Estate. One shipment was lost when the AID was wrecked off the Wicklow coast. As a nature man he settled down to complete the enhancement of Lyons, to improve agriculture and became a trusted advisor to the liberal Lord Lieutenant, the Marquess of Anglesea. He was known to be a generous landlord and cared about local issues. In 1814 he founded the County Kildare Farming Society and became involved in various agriculture and canal development projects around the country. As part of the renovations at Lyons, he commissioned Italian painter Gaspare Gabrielli to paint a number of frescos. During Gabrielli’s time at Lyons he witnessed Lady Cloncurry committing adultery with Sir John Bennett Piers, 6th Baronet - a neighbour and childhood friend of Cloncurry. It was reported that the pair entered the room in which Gabrielli was working, but wrapped up in their infatuation did not notice him. Lawless brought a ‘Criminal Conversation’ case against Piers in which Gabrielli testified. Piers did not contest the lawsuit and Cloncurry was awarded the enormous sum of £20,000 in compensation. Although Cloncurry adopted more conservative politics in his later years, he was a supporter of Daniel O’Connell and Catholic Emancipation (be - fore political differences placed a wedge between them). O’Connell said of Cloncurry in 1824 “Ireland has not a better friend or one more devoted to her service than Lord Cloncurry.” He died 28th October 1853, aged 80, and was buried in the family mausoleum at Lyons House, and surely would be most gratified by the splendid restoration of Lyons done by the late Dr.Tony Ryan. € 10,000 - 15,000