A George IV provincial silver nutmeg grater,

A George IV provincial silver nutmeg grater,
by Barber and Whitwell, York, circa 1820,
cylindrical form, hinged cover and side, the cover with a crest, length 6.3cm, approx. weight 1.7oz.

Provenance: The Michael Baggott Collection.

Purchased from Woolley and Wallis, Salisbury, Silver Sale 29 April 2014, lot 795.

The crest is that of Vernon beneath an episcopal mitre, for The Right Reverend Edward Vernon, DCL, Bishop of Carlisle form 1791. He was cousin of William 3rd Earl of Harcourt. In 1807 he was translated to York and assumed the name of Harcourt only. It is contrary to armorial protocol for Bishops to use crests, but Archbishop Harcourt's seal shows him using the arms of Harcourt quartering Vernon.