the flared domed top apparently unmarked, with armorials and motto 'Spare Nought', slight moulded edge all mounted on a plain oak stave
Provenance: Yester House, Gifford, East Lothian
The Marital Arms of Hay, Marquess of Tweeddale and Carteret.
The arms as engraved upon this George II/III Silver Ceremonial Mace Head which probably dates between 1748 and 17621 are those of the Hay, Marquess of Tweeddale impaling Carteret.
These arms undoubtedly commemorate the marriage of John Hay (born 1695 died 9th December 1762), the 4th Marquess of Tweeddale and Lady Frances Carteret (born 6th April 1718 baptised 1st May 1718 died 25th December 1788), the youngest daughter of John Carteret, the 2nd Earl Granville and his first wife, Frances Worsley; whilst John was the second son of Charles Hay, the 3rd Marquess of Tweeddale and his wife, Lady Susanna Hamilton, the third daughter of William Douglas-Hamilton, the 1st Earl of Selkirk and Anne Hamilton, the 3rd Duchess of Hamilton.
John and Frances were married on the 24th May 1748. During his lifetime, John held a plethora of appointments amongst which were: the office of Burgess of Glasgow in 1721; the office of an Extraordinary Lord of Sessions from March 1720/21 to 1762; the office of Representative Peer for Scotland between 1722 and 1734; he served as Governor of the Bank of Scotland in 1742; the office of Principal Secretary of State for Scotland between 1742 and 1746; the office of Representative Peer for Scotland between 1742 and 1762; he was appointed a Privy Counsellor in February 1741/42; the office of Burgess of Edinburgh in 1753 and the office of Lord Justice-General from 1761 to 1762.
Given that amongst these various offices there is an office of a legal nature, namely the office of an Extraordinary Lord of Sessions which covers the entire period of his marriage to Lady Frances when their marital arms would have been employed until his death in 1762 and that probably the mace upon which this head was utilised was carried before Lord Tweeddale in procession at legal ceremonies to show his authority in this appointment.