Description and Details
A rare set of fifteen large Irish linen damask napkins and a matching table runner, from the estate of Field Marshal FitzRoy James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855), commander of the British forces during the Crimean War. Together, the sixteen pieces form a distinctive survival of nineteenth-century aristocratic household linen, with both the woven design and embroidered marks recording their history.
Custom-woven in fine Irish flax linen, the damask incorporates the insignia of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, framed by formal floral and foliate scrollwork. The fabric bears the woven weaver’s mark of William Coulson & Sons of Lisburn, Ireland, the world-renowned historic textile house celebrated for creating custom heraldic and armorial linens for the British Royal Family and the high aristocracy. Red cross-stitch embroidery in each corner depicts a baronet’s crown above the letter R for Raglan, accompanied by the estate inventory mark 23 / 79.
Lord Raglan was invested as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in September 1852, shortly before being raised to the peerage as Baron Raglan in October of that year. The set traces directly to his estate. Its inventory marks record the pieces’ continued place in the family’s household collection, catalogued by the house staff in 1879.
The linen is fine from use, soft and fluid, with a lovely weight and drape. All pieces retain their neatly hand-turned hems and remain structurally sound, with no notable structural damage. The set is in excellent condition and remains suitable for use at the table as well as for a collection of historic linen.
The fifteen napkins each measure 64 × 84 cm (approximately 25¼ × 33 inches), a generous scale characteristic of formal dining linen. The matching table runner measures 64 × 180 cm (approximately 25¼ × 71 inches).
