Wine bottles from The Clive Family

Thursday 18th July 2019 at 06:00

Wine bottles from The Clive Family 

Four sealed olive green wine bottles attributed to the The Clive family of Baron Clive Major-General Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, KB, FRS, also known as Clive of India.

Olive green glass bottle, long neck with tooled lip and string ring, rounded sloping shoulder and narrow body.  Basal kick and sand pontil scar.  Bearing a seal of the Clive arms. Clive arms: on a fess three mullets, within an oval shield, surmounted the motto AUDACTER ET SINCERE (boldly and sincerely), supporters an elephant and griffin, surmounted by a baron’s coronet.C1770-1780. Height: 27.5 cm.  Attributed to Edward Clive, 2nd Baron Clive (1754–1839)1

Close up of the The Clive Arms: on a fess three mullets, within an oval shield, surmounted the motto AUDACTER ET SINCERE (boldly and sincerely), supporters an elephant and griffin, surmounted by a baron’s coronet.

The coat of arms of the Earls of Powis in the Old Market Place, Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, England. The stone is a relic of the old market hall.

Olive green glass bottle, long neck with tooled lip and string ring, rounded sloping shoulder and narrow body.  Basal kick and sand pontil scar. Height: 27.5 cm.

The seal bears the crest of a griffin passant on a wreath above the initials RHC (in script) attributed The Hon. Robert Henry Clive (15 January 1789 – 20 January 1854) a British Conservative Party politician. Younger son of Edward Clive 1st Earl of Powis, son of Robert Clive. 1st Baron Clive (Clive of India).

The seal bears the crest of a griffin passant on a wreath above the initials RHC (in script). 

Half size sealed olive green glass bottle, long neck with tooled lip and string ring, rounded sloping shoulder and narrow body.  Basal kick and sand pontil scar. Height 22.5 cm.

The seal is the same as the second bottle and bears the crest of a griffin passant on a wreath above the initials RHC (in script) attributed The Hon. Robert Henry Clive (15 January 1789 – 20 January 1854).

Sealed olive green glass bottle, long neck with tooled lip and string ring, rounded sloping shoulder and narrow body. Basal kick and sand pontil scar. Height 27.5 cm.

The seal bears the crest of a griffin passant on a wreath.


There is some confusion as to the attribution of the crest bearing a griffin passant and the initials RHC, as it can be attributed to both Richard Hall Clarke (1750-1821) of Bidwell, Uffculme, Devon and Robert Henry Clive (15 January 1789 – 20 January 1854)  a British Conservative Party  politician and younger son of Edward Clive 1st Earl of Powis, son of Robert Clive 1st Baron Clive (Clive of India) (David Burton 2015).

However, all four of these bottles originated from the cellar of a house on the Walcot Hall Estate. Walcot Hall was purchased by Robert Clive in 1761, The Clive family (his cousin and brother)  dominated local politics for the following 50 years. 

The four bottles were purchased prior to the refurbishment of the house in 2014. Therefore, as the bottles bearing the griffin crest and initials HRC and the bottle with the griffin crest originated from the same cellar as the bottle bearing the Clive Coat of Arms, it seems reasonable to firmly attribute them to Robert Henry Clive rather than Clarke of Bidwell.


1. Edward Clive, 2nd Baron Clive (born 7th March 1754 son of Baron Clive Major-General Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, KB, FRS, also known as Clive of India, Commander-in-Chief of British India, was a British officer and privateer who established the military and political supremacy of the East India Company in Bengal.   Edward Clive was created Baron Clive of Walcot, Shropshire on the 13th August 1794, Viscount Clive of Ludow Shropshire and Earl of Powis, Montgomeryshire on 14th May 1804 (created Earl of Powis in 1804).

Reference:

Burton D (2015 ) Antique Sealed Bottles Vol. three,1640-1900 and the families that owned them Antique Collectors Club Woodbridge England.

 

 

 

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