Silver-gilt. London. Hallmark for 1870-71. Maker's mark of Thomas and Edward Cox of Southampton Street, London.

Silver-gilt with semi-precious stones

Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster loan

Furnishing the Church
A new business of church furnishing arose from the great surge in church building and restoration. Between 1840 and 1900, over 100 churches were built each year. Older buildings were restored or expanded. Every denomination from Anglican and Roman Catholic to Nonconformist was reacting to the widespread religious revival and the needs of an expanding population. Fitting out such large numbers of churches required specialist firms who could supply the complete range of furnishings. Clergy no longer commissioned individual tailors, furniture makers and silversmiths. Instead, stained glass windows, cl[Erical vestments and silver altar plate could all be ordered from church furnishers like Jones & Willis, Cox & Sons and John Hardman. These specialists would supply the correct equipment, as prescribed by the church reformers. They offered a choice of material, quality and prices to suit the resources of wealthy and poorer parishes. J. Whippell & Co. About 1902 Kind permission of J. Whippell & Co., Exeter

Leading Taste
The building, restoration and furnishing of churches were important outlets for Victorian creative talent. For some architects it was the mainstay of their business. The taste for the Gothic style, which became dominant though not universal,was led by architects like A.W.N. Pugin. Many Anglican architects were affiliated to reforming societies and closely concerned with design policy. Some were employed by commercial firms such as Cox & Sons to give their products a veneer of authenticity. In England so many medieval church fittings had been destroyed in the Reformation that architects were obliged to invent new forms. William Butterfield, the first official designer of the Cambridge Camden Society, modelled flagons on smaller medieval cruet shapes.

This flagon is marked for Thomas and Edward Cox. Cox & Sons was founded as a clerical tailoring business in 1838 but became a leading church furnisher by the end of the 19th century. The firm supplied all the needs of the church from silver to vestments and tomb rails. There was a shop on the Strand and a manufactory in Lambeth. Architect designers such as George Goldie enhanced the credibility of their designs. Printed catalogues, notices in the trade press and exhibition appearances gained clients. It is possible that this flagon was made by the silversmith, John Keith. His business amalgamated with Cox & Sons in 1870.

LOAN:WESTMINSTER.2-1974