Stock No. 3302	Pair George III silver Agricultural Prize cups
Attractive pair of sterling silver George III cups presented by the Workington Agricultural Society in 1813. Both cups are beautifully engraved on the front with a spreading oak tree in full leaf, growing in a cornfield. Above the tree are the words "The Prosperity & Security of Great Britain". The hallmarks are struck near the rim on the left of the engraving. On the other side of each cup, the rim of the foot is engraved with the date 1813. Above, on the body of each cup is an oval cartouche. The cartouche on one cup is engraved "Presented by the/ Workington Agricultural/ SOCIETY/ to John Hetherington/ of Branthwaite Hall for/ the best managed/ FARM". The cartouche on the other cup is engraved "Presented by the/ Workington Agricultural/ SOCIETY/ to / of for/" but the winner is not engraved. The contemporary gilding on the inside of both cups is a pale lemon colour. Maker :- William Burwash

Condition :-Very good condition with excellent engraving which has mellowed only slightly with age. The hallmarks are good, although the date mark on both cups has been lightly struck and the second part of the maker's mark has also been lightly struck but is still legible. The original gilding inside the cups is in good condition
Hallmarked :- London 1813
Size :-	4.5 inches (11.43 cm) high 3.2 inches (8.13 cm) diameter at rim
Weight :- 10.75 ozt. (334.2 g)
Workington is in Cumbria in the Lake District. The Workington Agricultural Society was founded by John, Christian Curwen, a member of the leading family in the district and the Society had a branch on the Isle-of-Man. Curwen was elected MP for Carlisle in 1786 and was a member of the Whig party. He was regarded by the Whigs as the mouthpiece of the landed interest and was universally recognised as an agricultural reformer, as well as a philanthropist, who had a major influence on the development of agriculture. Under his direction, the Workington Agricultural Society became the model for good farming. The engraved oak tree and wording on the two cups appears to be unique to the Workington Agricultural Society and these cups are highly collectable. Since one of the cups is fully engraved but the other cup is not engraved with the winner's name, it would be possible to sell these two cups separately.

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