Teapot, Qianlong c.1750, with the arms of Burgoyne
Teapot, c.1750, with the arms of Burgoyne, or Burgoine, as borne by the Burgoyne baronets of Sutton Park, Bedfordshire, a title created in 1641 (though the talbot crest should be silver rather than gold). The armorial does not include the badge of a baronet, which would indicate possession by a son rather than the baronet himself.
During this period Sir Roger Burgoyne, 6th baronet, succeeded to the title in 1716 and died in 1780; having married in 1739 his two sons were thus too young for the porcelain. There are few recorded younger sons in the pedigrees, but a strong likelihood must be that a tea set may have been presented for the marriage of General John Burgoyne (1722-92), grandson of the 3rd baronet, whose mother was the daughter of a wealthy London merchant in Hackney.
After attending the prestigious Westminster School and making many influential friends, Burgoyne joined a fashionable cavalry regiment, becoming known as ‘Gentleman Johnny’ on account of his extravagant ways. In 1751 he eloped with Lady Charlotte Stanley, whose father Lord Derby refused permission for their marriage. He participated in the Seven Years War (the ’French and Indian War’ in the US) where he encouraged independent thought and initiative amongst his men, an enlightened approach for that time. From 1761-92 he sat in parliament, and also became known as a writer and dramatist, but in 1775, on the outbreak of hostilities in Boston, was offered a command again as major general in the British forces. However, he is perhaps best known for his surrender to the American commander Horatio Gates at Ticonderoga in 1777.
Burgoyne left four illegitimate children by his mistress Susan Caulfield, who were brought up by his wife’s family, the Earls of Derby. A long and interesting article in the Baltimore Sun of 21 December 1903 (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18276760/the-baltimore-sun/), with an illustration of the coat of arms, gives details of his American descendants in Baltimore and Virginia whose possessions include an armorial seal.
Provenance: From the Phil Cooke Collection by family descent. With Collection label No.754
Reference : Howard, David S.; Chinese Armorial Porcelain, Volume I, p.485 where this teapot is illustrated.
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