Trophy of the Edinburgh Society of Bowlers George R Dalgleish*
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Proc SocAntiq Scot, 120 (1990), 189-200, The 'Silver Jack' trophy of the Edinburgh Society of Bowlers George R Dalgleish* '. doucer folk wysing a-jee The by as bowls on Tamson's green.' Allan Ramsay ABSTRACT This paper presents descriptiona 18th-century ofan sporting trophy investigatesand historythe of the society to which it was presented. INTRODUCTION In April 1986, the National Museums of Scotland bought, from a silver dealer in London, a unique 18th-century bowling trophy. Known as the 'Silver Jack', it was originally presented as an annual trophy to the Edinburgh Society of Bowlers in 1771 (NMS registration MEQ1594). The year before the Museums acquired it, it had appeared in an auction of Important English and Continental Silver hel Christie'y dYorb w kNe n (Christie'i s s 1985 t 1167),lo . Enquiries int histore os th it f yo previous ownership have, unfortunately, proved inconclusive, although it does seem it was in the possession of a London collector some time prior to its export to America. Despit e lac th f elateko r provenanc e extremel e 'Jackar th e r w ' fo e y fortunat o havet e considerable contemporary evidenc originas it r efo l presentatio e Societth r whico fo yt d t nhan i relates. This article will presen detailea t d descriptio trophe th thed f no y an n investigat historys eit , settin t withigi contexna histore spore th th f Edinburgto n f i tyo Scotlandd han . DESCRIPTION (illus 1) trophe Th y comprise silvesa r bowl morr ,o e accurately 'jack',a flattenef ,o d spherical form9 ,7 mm in diameter by 67 mm in width. Each side is engraved with two sets of concentric double rings, imitatin turnee gth d ring hardwooa n so d bowl. Withi centre nth thesf eo e ring engraveds i e th ) (r : Cite arm th f Edinburgh yo f so , consistin three-toweree th f go d castle wit supporterss hit e th d an , motto 'NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA' above mala ) (1 ;e figur 18th-centurn ei y dress abou plao t t ya Jac e frone bow th engrave s kf i Th o t. l (illu3) & ds2 wit legene hth d 'Ex dono Magistri/GULIELMI TOD/ad Societatem Sphaeristarum/EDENBURGENSIS/An. Dom. 1771' [Given by Mr William * Royal Museu f Scotlandmo , Queen Street, Edinburgh 190 SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1990 'Silvee ILLUTh rS1 Jack ' trophy, showin Jacke gstanth e winnersd th , dan ' medals Tod to the Edinburgh Society of Bowlers, 1771]. Soldered to the top of the Jack is a simple hook which fits int looe oth p termina suspensioe stande th th f f o lo . m nar The stand, 245 mm high, is of turned rosewood and is made up of a circular stepped base supporting a spool and baluster stem. The top of this stem is encased with a silver 'sleeve', 100 mm in length, terminating in an acanthus knop finial. A double-scroll, 'C'-shaped suspension arm is DALGLEISH: THE 'SILVER JACK' TROPHY OF THE EDINBURGH SOCIETY OF BOWLERS I 191 Jacke ILLUTh , detaiS2 l showin Citarme e gth th y f so of Edinburgh soldered to the upper section of the sleeve. This ends with an acanthus terminal with the loop for suspendin Jacke gth . (Th facslightle a ef th t o d shapthas i yan t ti thidifferen f em o sar t style froe mth rest of work on the trophy, suggests that it might originally have been a standard casting for a handle for a cup, reused for its present purpose.) The sleeve also has soldered to it 14 complete simple hooks and the remains of four others which have been broken off. From these hooks hang the 12 remaining winners' medals of the trophy. These Jacke ILLUTh , detaiS3 l showing 18th-century bowler | SOCIET 2 19 ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1990 3 -O B I C S3 ft, on a•a cd DALGLEISH 'SILVEE TH : R JACK' EDINBURGTROPHE TH F YO H SOCIET BOWLERF 3 YO 19 | S are more fully described in the appendix (p 000) and are discussed below (p 000), but the following list present simplsa e winners e tablth f eo ' name theid san r date sequence: 1st [Missing] 1771 2nd Willia d mTo 1772 3rd Joseph Williamson 1773 h 4t Maitland Bannatyne 1774 5th William Beg 1775 6th Charles Sibbald 1776 7th [Missing] 1777 8th John McKnight [he also won the trophy in 1785 and 1778 (& 1785) inscribed this on this medal] 9th John Thomson 1779 10th [Missing] 1780 llth George Stewart 1781 12th Orlando Hart 1782 13th Thomas Armstrong 1783 14th John Hepburn 1784 John McKnight [see 8th] 1785 15th [Missing] 1786 16th John Thomson [also won in 1779] 1787 17th [Missing] 1788 18th [Missing] 1789. There is no evidence on any part of the trophy of either makers' marks or of hallmarks. HISTORY Sporting trophie thif so s type centraa e ,i l 'prize' whic competes hwa annuallr dfo thed d yan n ha medals appende recordint i o dt winnerse gth knowe varietar ,a r nfo sportf yo Scotlann si d froe mth early 17th centur presene th y o right tp dayu earlieste Th . t extant trophies relat horso et e racing, archery and golf. Numerous silver bells are recorded as burgh prizes for horse racing in the early 17th century, whil earliese eth t golfing trophies comprise silver clubs with inscribed silver balls appended yearle byth y winner. Silver arrows were similarly presente prizes da archeryr sfo . Bowling seems to have been an ancient pastime in Scotland, with some authorities claiming an ancestry 13t e bacth h o kt centur y (SNP t SportGCa in Scotland, 17). Certainl 16te 17td th han hy yb centuries there are numerous references to bowling greens existing in both the burghs and as part of pleasure th e ground manf so y country houses. Lady Grisell Baillie wen considerablo t e efford an t expense to lay out and maintain a green at Mellerstain. This cost some £7 3s Id sterling in the years 1710 and 1711, and there are notes of additional costs in subsequent years to maintain it (Scott- Moncrieff 1911, LXII, 251ff). Archbishop James Sharp also seem havo st e bee keena n bowler, purchasing numerous set f 'byaso s boullis' durin visits ghi Londono t s . Five pair f bowlsso r fo , example, bough Juln i t y 1666 Scot1 ,£2 coss m (Stirtohi t n 1929, 226). During the same period bowls played a part in a premonition of an impending death. Robert Woodrow recounts that when the marquis of Argyll was playing bowls with some gentlemen of his clan playerse 'onth f eo , whe Marquie nth s stooped dow bullee lifo nt th t t [bowl] fell pale said o dan ,t them about him, "Bles wha! sthame s ti seetI Lor y ?M d shoulderwits heas hi hl hi dal offd san , ful f o l blood?'" (Woodrow's Analecta, quoted in Fittis 1891, 200). This prophecy, if such it was, proved accurate, as Archibald eighth earl and first marquis of Argyll was executed for his adherence to the Covenants after the restoration of Charles II in 1660. | SOCIET 4 19 ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1990 In Edinburgh, bowling greens had been available from at least the mid-16th century. In October 1552 a tax was proposed to pay for the setting up of grounds for bowling and other 'necessaris and plessouris, betwi Gree xth y Frey Kirre Port Fieldth f ko d ean " (Edin Recs,t 1552)Oc 2 . Judicial attempt controo t s r prohibio l t various kind f publiso c sport amusementd an s oftee ar s n useful indicator theio t s sa r general popularity councif o t passe158s n ac .I attemp n ln wa a 1 a dn i preveno t t 'profanatio Sabbate th f no h . dischargin[by . ] l kyngal gemmif do playid commonlsan w sno y usit the said bowlins daya c ,si yairdisgn i , dansing, playin ' (ibid, . g. Augus 4 t 1581). Thi obviouslt sac y had little effect as it was often repeated in later years. Similarly, the keepers of billiard tables, kyle alley bowlind san g greens wer scholare e th Town e commandef o th y f so san Collegt le o 169t dn i t e5no into their establishments during term tim 1695)y e (ibid,Ma .2 2 By the first half of the 18th century there were several greens in the burgh, including three near Heriot's Hospital, two in the Canongate and one behind Holyrood House (illus 4) (Chambers 1868, 247). The most famous, however, was that run by a man called Thomson, on the area of ground behin Excise dth e CowgateOffice th n i e . Allan Ramsay commemorate t thudi s 'Driving their ba's frae whin teer so , There' gouffee a seee b o sn o t r Nor doucer folk wysing a-jee byae Th s bowl Tamson'n so s green.' The green was later run by Thomson's widow, who failed to pay the half-yearly rent of £6 and becamExcise'e debtth d n ba o e a s books (Chambers 1868, 247). Ther therefors ewa lonea g historspore th Edinburg n r i t yfo h befor firse eth t referencn a o et organized society 'Edinburge Th . h Societ Bowlersf yo formalls wa ' y constitute 'a s Corporatioda n r Bodo y Corporate seaa f causy o lb ' e grante Towe theo dth t y mnb Counci f Edinburgo l 5 1 n ho November 1769.