Of large circular form, raised on three cast double scroll legs and applied to a stepped and reeded wire. The sides with flared rim and intricately pierced with lozenge shaped panels of crosses, flanked by scrolls of stylized foliate form within large pierced "c" scrolls. Each panel separated by similarly pierced quatrefoils with arches above and below. The front engraved with fine armorials and the upper rim applied with 3 later swivel flaps to hold a dish in place.
The arms are those of Popham, probably for General Edward Popham who was born in 1712. He married Rebecca Huddon of Hungerford who was 3 years his senior and he became MP for Wiltshire between 1741 to 1747 and 1751 to 1761. He died in 1772. The Popham family lived at Littlecote in Wiltshire which was subsequently owned by the Watney family of brewing fame, the Wills family who made cigarettes and more recently the late entrepreneur Peter De Savary. It is now a hotel.
Private Collection
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Dish rings in English silver are considerably rarer than their Irish counterparts and appear generally about 40 years before those in Ireland. The maker's mark on the side is partly obscured by the piercing. From what is visible the most likely contender would be William Lukin. Similarly the date letter is not wholly visible but there is enough to be reasonably sure that the date is for 1738. An unmarked but more elaborate dish ring is in the Victoria and Albert Museum and illustrated in: Michael Clayton, The Collector's Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North America, p.114, no. 243. This is dated to circa 1735.
The size of the Lukin Dish ring is impressive and would have supported a large pottery or porcelain bowl to protect the table from excessive heat.