Engraved on the rim with an Earl's coronet, coat of arms, motto and supporters. The arms are those of Stanhope, probably for William Stanhope (1683-1756), the First Earl of Harrington.<br /><br />

Educated at Eton College, Harrington was elected a member of Parliament for Derby in 1715, became envoy to Turin in 1718-20, and was then ambassador to Spain from 1720-27. He was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household in 1727-30 and a Privy Councillor in 1727. He was made the Secretary of State for the North from 1730-42, Lord President of the Council from 1742-45, and then again the Secretary of State from 1744-46. He was created an Earl in 1742.<br /><br />

Elvaston Castle, Sir William's home, was built by an ancestor in 1633 on land sold in 1538 to Sir Michael Stanhope by the Crown during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Remodeled by James Wyatt in the early 19th century for the Third Earl of Harrington, the house today is Grade II listed.