A George II silver vase shaped caster by John Chartier, London 1733, with a bell shaped finial to the pierced and panelled domed cover with bayonet fixing, a moulded central girdle, on a moulded foot, engraved with the arms of a bishop, 18cm (7in) high, 323g (10.4 oz) Catalogue Addendum Coincidently Dreweatts have a portrait of Bishop Benson by John Vanderbank, dated 1732 (lot 25, The Collection of Sir William Whitfield CBE - Part One, 10th March 2020) Provenance: From the estate of Christopher and Rosemary Warren These are the assumed arms of Martin BENSON (1689-1752), Bishop of Gloucester (1734-1752). Blazon: azure, two keys in saltire, the wards upwards or (See of GLOUCESTER), impaling argent, on a chevron sable three cross-crosslets fichée of the field (BENSON) under a bishop's mitre. Martin Benson was born into a clerical family at Cradley, Herefordshire the son of Revd. John Benson the rector there. He was educated at Charterhouse School and later Christchurch, Oxford. In 1721 he was appointed Archdeacon in Berkshire, 1724 Prebend of Durham Cathedral, 1726 chaplain to the Prince of Wales, 1727 rector of Bletchley. In 1728 during the Royal visit to Cambridge he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity and in 1734 was translated to the See of Gloucester, where he remained as Bishop until his death in 1752. From 1735 to 1752 he carried out major repairs and alterations to the cathedral. He was later buried there. He married the sister of Thomas SECKER who was later the Archbishop of Canterbury. Lancelot Blackburn, Archbishop of York (1724-1743) left Martin Benson as a bequest in his will a service of silver plate. Unfortunately, no will for Benson was found. Please note: Coincidently Dreweatts have a portrait of Bishop Benson by John Vanderbank, dated 1732 (lot 25, The Collection of Sir William Whitfield CBE - Part One, 10th March 2020)