Beschreibung:

An extremely rare Charles II sterling silver livery or alms badge, London 1682 by Francis Singleton (free. 1668) Of oval form, embossed in high relief with a saracen's head, couped at the breast, ducally crowned, below an Earl’s coronet. This against a matted ground within a raised border of laurel leaf rope. Four ring attachments to the reverse. Fully marked to field. Length – 16 cm / 6.25 inches Weight – 185 grams / 5.95 ozt The crest is for Bertie, as borne by The Earls of Abingdon (est. 1682) For James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon (1653 - 1699) This badge forms part of a small corpus of late 17th and early 18th century pieces, one of which was sold in Sotheby’s 11 Oct 1979 (lot 77a (£495) and is Britannia standard marked for London 1708 by Benjamin Pyne It is also oval and with a moulded edge, the centre is embossed with a portrait and initials of Emery Hill, a brewer (1610-1677). He endowed Almhouses at Rochester Row and Petty France, London. The other example is closely related to the present lot, also of oval form it is chased with the arms of Verney in a lozenge. It has a very similar form of border composed of laurel leaves, the arms are also set against a matted ground and the arms have texturing to give them definition much like the coronets on the present lot. Although unmarked the Verney badge is of such similar design and construction that an attribution to Francis Singleton based on the present lot is tenable. The Almshouse Charity of Sir Ralph Verney 1613-96 (1st Bt created 1661), Middle Claydon, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire was founded in 1654, perhaps in honour of this late wife Mary (1616-50) hence the lozenge for the arms. These badges would have been worn by the almsmen and almswoman where they were provided with a black 'frize' gown each year at 'Allhollentide' on Oct 31st, and again at Christmas every fourth year, a red 'frize' gown, wearing the badge on the left arm. Francis Singleton was made free in 1668, the son of Joseph Singleton, a yeoman of Wickham, Buckinghamshire. He was apprenticed to Roger Stevens a plate worker for eight years from May 6th, 1659. In 1687 he was appointed to the livery, and between 1669 and 1699 he bound nine apprentices, one of whom was John Gibbons who appears to have married his master’s daughter. He died or ceased working circa 1702. Two marks are known for Singleton both of which are found on the 1682 Mark Plate, illustrated Mitchell, D., Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London: their lives and their marks, Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2017, p. 299-300. Attributed by Ian Pickford. James Bertie, 1st Earl of Abingdon (16 June 1653 – 22 May 1699), styled Hon. James Bertie until 1657 and known as the 5th Baron Norreys of Rycote from 1657 until 1682. He was the eldest son of Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey (1608-1666) by his second wife, Bridget Wray, 4th Baroness Norreys (1627-1657). He was Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, taking his seat in the House of Lords from 13th April 1675 and was elevated to the rank of Earl on the 30th November 1682. As such this badge must have been commissioned between this date and May 29th 1683. Provenance: a private London collection since the 1980's