A silver salver linked to one of Scotland’s most prominent Jacobite families is to be offered in Roseberys' first Silver auction of 2026, with an estimate of £800-1200.
Lot 8: Of Jacobite interest. A George III Scottish silver salver. McHattie & Fenwick, Edinburgh, 1802
Estimate: £800 - £1,200
The salver is engraved with the crest and motto of the Steuart, or Stewart, family of Ballechin, a family of Perthshire lairds with a long history of support for the Stuart cause.
The salver was assayed in 1802-3, around 50 years after the final Jacobite rising. At that time the head of the family was Hope Steuart, 10th of Ballechin (1761-1834), who married Louisa Morley in 1803. They had three sons and seven daughters.
The date the salver was assayed coincides with Hope Steuart’s marriage, suggesting that it may have been commissioned to mark the occasion.
Head of Silver & Jewellery Specialist | Silver & Jewellery
“By the early 19th century, Jacobitism had shifted from a political movement into a cultural memory tied up in family traditions,” said Georgina Agnew, Head of Silver at Roseberys. “For families like the Steuarts of Ballechin, commissioning silver with their arms and motto was a way of asserting lineage and familial identity, rather than a political act.”
“By the early 19th century, Jacobitism had shifted from a political movement into a cultural memory tied up in family traditions,” said Georgina Agnew, Head of Silver at Roseberys. “For families like the Steuarts of Ballechin, commissioning silver with their arms and motto was a way of asserting lineage and familial identity, rather than a political act.”
The family claimed descent from Sir John Stewart, an illegitimate son of King James II of Scotland, who acquired the lands of Sticks in Glenquaich and received a charter from King James III in December 1486.
The salver is engraved with the family motto “Semper Fidelis”, meaning “always faithful”, a phrase associated with Jacobite loyalty
At the centre of the salver is the family motto, “Semper Fidelis”, meaning “always faithful”, a phrase strongly associated with Jacobite loyalty. The motto was used by the Irish Brigade in French service, a unit of Irish exiles who fought for the Stuart cause and took part in the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
The Steuarts of Ballechin have been described as “the most enthusiastic of Jacobites”. During Viscount Dundee’s campaign of 1689, Patrick Steuart of Ballechin, known as “Patrick of the Battles”, acted as Dundee’s military commander. The historian James Irvine Robertson recorded that under his leadership the Athollmen invaded Argyllshire, captured Inveraray and executed 17 Campbell lairds.
Although Patrick Steuart and his sons were later heavily penalised for their role in the rebellion, the family went on to support the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745. A later descendant, Robert Steuart of Ballechin, is recorded by historian Jean E McCann as serving as a captain in Lord Nairn’s battalion of the Atholl Brigade during the 1745 uprising.
During the 19th century, the laird married a Catholic and built a chapel on the Tulliepowrie Burn in Strathtay. In the following generation the direct male line died out, with two surviving sons entering the Church, one becoming Abbot of Prinknash Abbey in Gloucestershire and the other head of the Jesuits in Britain.
Agnew adds: “It’s a rare survival that speaks directly to a Scottish family whose history is inseparable from the Jacobite story. It’s exactly the kind of piece that tends to attract strong interest from Scottish collectors.”
Further Highlights
Lot 5: A George IV Scottish silver wine jug. Adam Elder in conjunction with James & Walter Marshall, 1829.
Estimate: £1,500 - £2,500
Lot 59: A contemporary Britannia silver centrepiece bowl. Roger Doyle, London, c. 2000.
Estimate: £5,000 - £8,000
Also offered is a contemporary Britannia silver centrepiece bowl by Roger Doyle, London, made around 2000. The one-off piece was inspired by the form of a curling stone, reflecting the silversmith’s interest in strong, simple sculptural shapes.
Lot 34: An early 20th century American silver coffee service. Tiffany & Co., New York, 1915-1917.
Estimate: £3,000 - £5,000
International highlights include an early 20th century American silver coffee service by Tiffany & Co., New York, made between 1915 and 1917. The four-piece service was produced under the directorship of John C Moore II and is decorated with ribbon garlands and fluted banding.
Lot 4: A William IV silver gilt tankard. John Bridge, London, 1832.
Estimate: £3,000 - £5,000
The sale also features a William IV silver gilt tankard by John Bridge, London, dated 1832. The tankard is mounted with a medal of King William IV by the renowned medallist William Wyon and has provenance linking it to the Poynder family and, by descent, to a royal collection.
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