103 



15y the Rev. h. H. Guddard. 



In Nightingale's Church Plate of Wilts (1891) a reference is 

 made under Westbnry to a passage in which Hoare speaks of a 

 silver chalice given by Colonel Wancklin and Mary, Countess of 

 Marlborough, to the Church in 1671. Nothing, however, was then 

 known about this chalice, or what had become of it. 



In 1898, however, the following paragraph appeared in the 

 Western Daily Press, June 30th : — 



"An object of great west country interest was sold by Messrs. Christie 

 this afternoon. It is a silver gilt standing cup and cover about 10| inches 

 high, in the form of an acorn, bearing the London hall-mark 1589. Engraved 

 on it are the words ' Given to the Church of Westbury by CoUonel Wancklen 

 and Mary, Contes of Malbrou, 1671.' Colonel Wancklen was a Cavalier 

 officer in Charles I.'s time, and after occupying the post of steward to the 

 Earl of Marlborough, on the Earl's death, married his widow. The cup 

 seems to have been sold by the churchwardens of Westbury half-a-century ago. 

 and allusion to it is made in Nightingale's 'Wiltshire Chahces.' Weighing 

 25 ozs. 61 dwt. it was sold to-day for bbs. per oz., or about i70." 



The manner in which this interesting cup was lost to AVestbury 



is explained by the following entry in the churchwardens' accounts 



under the date Nov. 6th, 1845 : — 



"At this meeting the Rev. Stafford Ihown • mentioned his intention with 

 the concurrence of the Churchwardens of Westbury and the Chapelwardens 

 of Dillon of applying the old Communion Plate belonging to Westbury and 

 Dilton towards the purchase of new plate for the use of the Chapel at Dilton." 



The cup was accordingly sold, apparently in 1846, and nothing 

 furtlier was heard of it in Wiltshire until the notice in the Western 

 Daih) Press, quoted above, appeared, and even then no clue was 

 given to its whereabouts or owner. 



' Vicar 1845—7. 



