A very fine pair of George III Snuffer Scissors/Wick Trimmers made in London in 1813 by Thomas Radcliffe together with a very fine George III Snuffer Tray made in London in 1818 by Craddock & Reid.

These exceptionally fine Snuffer Scissors are profusely decorated in the manner of Paul Storr, with gadrooning, foliate scrolls, shells and a central flower head boss.  The top of the snuffing box is also decorated with foliate scrolls, around a central flower head, all on a matted ground.  The side of the box is engraved with a contemporary Crest below the Coronet of an Earl.  The Snuffer Scissors are in quite excellent condition and are very well marked.  Their quality is outstanding, one of the finest pairs we have offered over the years.  As you will appreciate, these were originally used for snuffing out candles and trimming the wicks of candles. Thomas Radcliffe had workshops at 29, Great Sutton Street, when these fine scissors were made.

The crest is that of the Leeson family, Earls of Milltown.  The Earl in 1813 was Joseph Leeson (1799-1866), 4th Earl of Milltown who succeeded his grandfather as Earl in 1807.  His father died in 1800 and his mother married again in 1811 and was the second wife of the 2nd Baron Cloncurry.  

The Third Earl married Barbara Meredyth, daughter of Sir Joshua Colles Meredyth, 8th Baronet and widow of Eyre Coote, 3rd Baron Castle Coote.  Their three sons all inherited the title (the 7th and last Earl died in 1891 when the title became dormant).

The family lived at Russborough in County Wicklow that had been built for the future 1st Earl between 1741 and 1755 with a facade of over 700 feet (it was first sold in 1931).  It is still standing and open to the public.  It seems to be owned or heavily supported by the Alfred Beit Foundation.

Length: 7.2 inches, 18cm.

Width, across the finger rings: 2.2 inches, 5.5 cm.

Height, to the top of the box: 1.75 inches, 4.38 cm.

Weight: 5oz.

The Snuffer Tray is broad rectangular in form with a raised shaped rim decoarted with Rococo shells flanked by acanthus leaves.  The centre of the Tray is engraved with a contemporary shield shaped Armorial, with Crest above, surrounded by a pluming scroll cartouche.  The Tray is of the finest quality, is in excellent condition and is very well marked on the reverse.  The Arms are those of William Williams (1774-1839) and his wife Anne [nee Rashleigh] (1776-1855) who he married in 1798.William Williams (1774-1839) was the second son of Bridehead, nr. Dorchester and Moor Park, Hertfordshire and Jane Chassereau. Williams' father was the head of a bank in Birchin Lane and when he died in 1814 William Williams would inherit £60,000 and become a partner in the bank (alongside his elder brother Robert who inherited over £500,000).
 
 William was educated at Wormley, Hertfordshire, St. John's College Cambridge and the Inner Temple. He was called to the Bar in 1798. The previous year he had married Anne Rashleigh (1776-1855) at St. Bride's Church Fleet Street (the couple would go on to have 5 sons and 1 daughter) and his legal practice was as a member of the Western Circuit. From 1818 to 1826 Williams was also a Whig Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (having stood unsuccessfully in 1806, 1807, 1812 and 1813). George IV, by then no longer professing Whig sympathies, described Williams in 1827 as "one of the worst of radicals, invariably opposing the king and his government in every instance; in short one of the staunchest, bitterest and very worst of Whigs".  He was also a Freemason (rising to the rank of Provincial Grand Master of Dorset in 1812 and publishing a volume of Constitutions in 1815) and a Volunteer in the London and Westminster Light Horse from 1803 to 1821.

Length: 10 inches, 25 cm.

Width: 5.25 inches, 13.13 cm.

Weight: 10oz.