Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

A pair of William III silver reliquary caskets,
by Anthony Nelme, London 1701,
rectangular form, embossed with acanthus leaf and garland decoration on a matted background, the hinged covers with winged cherub heads and urn finials, with later glass panels fixed with later detachable unmarked mounts, on rectangular bases with winged cherubs on the corners, the undersides with scratch weights, on four gnarl feet, the inside of one cover with a 19th century note inscribed 'Given to the novitiate chapel of Saint Benedicts by The Rt. Rev, Dr. Brown' length 27.5cm, height 19.5cm. (2)

Provenance: Property of Belmont Abbey, Hereford.
The Right Reverend Dr. Thomas Joseph Brown, O.S.B. (1796–1880), is believed to have been a Benedictine monk who served as the first Bishop of Newport and Menevia following the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in 1850. Bishop Brown was a key figure in the founding of Belmont Abbey, which also served as a pro-cathedral for his diocese. He consecrated the abbey church in 1860 and remained deeply involved with its life and mission until his death. He is buried in the north transept of the abbey church. The reliquary caskets were likely a personal or episcopal gift to the novitiate chapel.