George II Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton armorial silver basket by Eliza Godfry London, dated 1754,

George II Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton armorial silver basket by Eliza Godfry London, dated 1754, bound swing handle on interlaced lattice oval basket resting on collet foot, centering engraved with arms of Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton, encircled by the ribbon of the Order of the Garter, with motto: Et Decus Etpretium Recti; complete hallmarks.

H11"" L12 1/2"" W10 3/4"", and 40.0oz Troy

Other Notes: One of the few dukes to serve as Prime Minister, Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton`s (1735-1811) service came during the British Empire`s crucial period of the late 18th century. Initially styled in 1747 the Earl of Euston, he entered Parliament in 1756 representing Boroughbridge. Upon his grandfather`s death the next year he became the 3rd Duke of Grafton which elevated him to the House of Lords and he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk. Early in his career, Grafton worked against Prime Minister John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute`s plan to end the Seven Years War, a move that cost him his Lord Lieutenancy. After a short tenure as Secretary of State for the Northern Department in the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham`s government, Grafton became PM in October 1768. His government was marred by a bad economy, bad harvests, unemployment and unrest in the British colonies. In the years previous to his term, the Stamp Act of 1766 had been passed causing violent reactions in the colonies, and then repealed. A series of laws known as the Townsend Acts began to be passed in 1767 and throughout his term, Grafton could do nothing to repeal them. More violent reactions in the colonies eventually festered into the American Revolution six years after Grafton`s rule. In January 1770 Grafton resigned as PM but accepted the post of Lord Privy Seal. He died in 1811 at his ancestral home Euston Hall in Suffolk.

Grafton`s personal life was wrought with scandal. Paternally, his line descended directly from one of the illegitimate children of King Charles II and Barbara Villiers, 1st Duchess of Cleveland. In 1756 he married Anne Liddell, a marriage that would produce three children but was filled with infidelity. His affair with Anne Parsons lead to him leave his wife and then openly display his mistress in high society. Not to be outdone, Anne Liddell had a series of affairs of her own with the Duke of Portland, the Earl of Upper Ossory and others. The affair with the Earl spelled the end of her marriage with Grafton, producing a child during the Duke`s tenure as Prime Minister and they were divorced by act of Parliament that year. Grafton married Elizabeth Wrottesley and had at least ten more children. The Graftons, their whirlwind of affairs and the people involved in them ultimately helped pass the Royal Marriages Act of 1772.