Object Description
This superb pair of armorial George III silver salvers were made in London in 1788 by John Hannam and Thomas Crouch and measure 8 1/8 inches in dia, they each stand on 3 reeded feet and each has a very crisp coat of arms to the centre. They have a reeded border and are fully and clearly hallmarked to the back, a lovely pair of simplistic salvers in super condition weighing 26 ounces or 811 grams.
The Marital Arms of Seton and Stratton
The armorial bearings as engraved upon this Pair of George III English Sterling Silver Salvers by John Hannam and Thomas Crouch hallmarked London 1788 are those of the family of Seton impaling Stratton. These armorial bearings denote the marshalling of a marital coat showing on the dexter (the heraldic right on the left as you view the piece) the arms of the husband and on the sinister (the heraldic left on the right as you view it) the arms of the wife. They may be blazoned as follows:
Arms:
(on the dexter) Or three crescents within a double tressure flory counterflory gules (for Seton)
(on the sinister) Or on a chief indented azure three escallops argent (for Stratton)
These armorial bearings undoubtedly commemorate the marriage of Daniel Seton (born circa 1747 died 17th April 18031), the Lieutenant Governor of Surat in the East Indies2 and his wife, Sarah Stratton (born 1756 died 18253). Daniel and Sarah were married at Bombay4 on the 2nd May 1773. He was the second son of Daniel Seton of Powderhall in the County of Midlothian and his first wife, Jean Ramsey, whilst Sarah was the daughter of William Stratton, a Member of Legislative Council at Bombay.