This covered cup is engraved with the coat of arms of Theophilus Fairfax Johnson (1790 - 1853). T.F. Johnson was the third son of the Reverend Maurice Johnson, who was responsible for the Georgian alterations to Ayscoughfee Hall. T.F. was probably born in the Hall and lived most of his adult life in Holland House, which is a short walk from here.
We believe that the cup was presented to him when he was High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1847. We know that it was left to T.F.'s son, Theophilus Maurice Stephen Johnson, and that he in turn bequeathed it to his stepson, Cuthbert Brickwood Williams, in 1892. We are continuing our research to find out what happened to the cup when it came into Cuthbert's possession.
The elaborate coat of arms includes those of many of the families that were related to the Johnsons of Ayscoughfee Hall. The families are-
· Johnson of Ayscoughfee Hall
·Tyson
·De Vesci
·Fitzjohn
·Redhead
·Atkirke
·St. Martin
·Downes
·Johnson of Pinchbeck
·Ogle
·Pinchbeck
·Bertram
·Ambler
·Sybsey
·Lessington
·Thorpe
We know that some of these family connections date back to the early seventeenth century. The central crest (said to be 'in pretence') is that of the Moore family of London; T.F. married Millicent Anne Moore in 1821.
The cup itself is made of silver gilt, that is silver with a gold coating, It was made in 1712 in London by the renowned silversmith Pierre Platel. Platel was born in Lille in about 1664 and came to London in 1688 to escape the religious persecution of Protestants by the Catholic monarchy of France. The coat of arms was not engraved by Platel; this probably happened in about 1847 when we think Johnson received the cup.
Ayscoughfee Hall Museum acquired the cup at an auction held in London in November 2008. We are extremely grateful for the financial assistance of The Art Fund and the Worshipful Company of the Goldsmiths of London who between them provided the cup's total purchase price (Platel was a member of the Goldsmith's company).
Presented by
The Art Fund
