A Large 19th Century William IV or Early Victorian Armorial Pewter Capstan Inkwell, Engraved for Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Hanmer, KH, circa 1833–1868

The capstan inkwell is one of the most satisfying forms in English pewter. It owes its broad, spreading base to the windlass of a ship’s deck, a design that allowed no stray elbow to overturn it, and it made a steady, generous instrument for the business of the writing desk. This is a notably large example, a full 9⅞ inches across. It is of typical circular form, and its central well is ringed by six holes for pens or quills.

What sets it apart is its engraving. It carries the crest of the Hanmer family of Hanmer, Flintshire: on a chapeau, a lion sejant guardant, with the family motto Gardez l’honneur. Alongside is a shield inscribed Nec aspera terrent, “difficulties do not daunt”. This is not a family motto but that of the Royal Guelphic Order, the Hanoverian order of knighthood founded by the Prince Regent in 1815. Before the crowns of Britain and Hanover separated on Queen Victoria’s accession, the order was widely conferred on British officers.

The combination points firmly to Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Hanmer, KH (1789–1868), fifth son of Sir Thomas Hanmer, 2nd Baronet. He was commissioned a cornet in the Royal Horse Guards in 1808 and served as aide-de-camp to Sir Rowland Hill at Pamplona and Vitoria in 1813. He was later Member of Parliament for Aylesbury, a deputy lieutenant for three counties and High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire. The inkwell may therefore be placed between his Guelphic knighthood and his death in 1868. It is easy to picture it on the desk of a Peninsular veteran turned county magnate, at work on estate business and correspondence.

The inkwell comes from the celebrated John Bank collection of British pewter, and is illustrated in its published catalogue.

Provenance: British. 19th Century. The John Bank collection of British pewter.Literature: John Bank collection, Old British Pewter, p. 289. 

Material: Pewter.

Condition: Good overall for its age and size. General surface marks, scratches, and wear consistent with long use on the desk, with an even, mellow tarnish.

Dimensions: 9⅞ in (25 cm) diameter.