Plate

Dateca. 1755

MediumPorcelain, hard-paste

DimensionsD: 8 1/2" H: 1 1/2"

Credit LineColonial Williamsburg Foundation

Object numberT125-2013,1

DescriptionReconstructed hard-paste porcelain plate of octagonal shape decorated in opaque enamels with the Dunmore family coat of arms. Excavated from the site of the Governor's Palace, 20AA-01082.
Label TextThis plate is from the service ordered by John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, who brought the service from Scotland to Williamsburg when he took up the post as Royal Governor of Virginia. It and fragments from several other pieces were recovered archaeologically from seven sites in Williamsburg. Lord Dunmore and his family fled Williamsburg in 1775, leaving the Chinese porcelain service behind. The archaeological evidence suggests that the dishes were dispersed throughout the town. Armorial services made for colonial families in America are rare, and this is the only one with a history in Williamsburg.

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