An early Victorian silver gilt coronet by Robert Garrard, given by the Duke of Wellington to the Hon Lady Mary Ann Jervis, the silver gilt coronet of cross pattée design, heightened with silver lozenge and facetted bead detail, mounted to the front with the initial W and set with rose-cut diamonds, beneath similarly set ducal coronet, (one diamond missing), engraved to the interior ‘THIS CROWN WAS PRESENTED BY ARTHUR, DUKE OF WELLINGTON TO THE HON M.A. JERVIS DESIGNED BY HIM AND EXECUTED BY MESSRS GARRARD AUGUST 16th 1838’, with maker’s mark for Robert Garrard, and full hallmark for London 1838, with cream satin and green velvet-edged lining, diameter of 15.5cm, diameter at top of coronet 18cm. £2000-3000

Provenance: The coronet was commissioned from jewellers, Garrard, and personally given by the Duke of Wellington to the Hon Lady Mary Ann Jervis, (1812-1893), third daughter of Edward Jervis Jervis, Viscount St Vincent. It has thence remained in the family, by descent.

Research in the Garrard Archive held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, and stored at Blythe House, has revealed an entry in the ‘Gentleman’s Ledger’, a record of the commissions undertaken by Garrard for their clients between the months of July 1835-May 1846. Page 321 of this volume lists the pieces made for the Duke of Wellington, and shows the following hand written entry:

‘4th Aug 1838 : A chased silver gilt crown, lined white satin...’ £14/-/-
A case for (ditto)... £1/6/- ‘

(V & A Ref GL10, AAD/1995/7/45)

Described as an “accomplished singer, dancer and composer”, the Hon Lady Mary Ann Jervis was a friend and associate of the Duke of Wellington.

In the volume written in 1926, ‘A Great Man’s Friendship: Letters of the Duke of Wellington to Mary, Marchioness of Salisbury 1850-1852’ , (compiled at the request of Lady Margaret Cecil, daughter of Lady Salisbury), Lady Winifred Burghclere edited selections from the vast correspondence of letters that passed between the Duke and Lady Salisbury in the last two years of his life. From these letters, Lady Burghclere described the Hon Mary Ann Jervis as ‘markedly individual. To judge from her portrait... she must also have been decidedly handsome: and in addition to performing on that becoming instrument, (the harp) she was a really good musician. The Duke was very fond of music and on one occasion wrote ” I am going to give her a crown for singing the Cenerentola: mind - not a coronet! Louis Philippe gave her a crown for being the best dancer in the school at Paris; I give her one for singing a trio single-handed” ‘.

The Hon Mary Ann Jervis married David Ochterlony Dyce Sombre in 1840, the first person of Asian descent to become a member of Parliament, being elected for Sudbury in 1841, however he was removed from office the following year after allegations of corruption. A troubled marriage ended with his untimely death in 1851. She later married the Hon George Weld-Forester, 3rd Baron Forester in 1862, a marriage which proved, in Lady’s Salisbury’s words, to be ‘the happiest of unions’ .
See: A Great Man’s Friendship: pp 249-250. Published Payson & Clarke Ltd, New York.

The illustrated portrait is of The Hon Mary Anne Jervis, aged 22, oil on board, painted circa 1834, by the artist George Saunders, (property of the vendor, not included in the sale).

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