A Private Collection of Snuff Boxes






An 18th century silver-mounted cowrie shell box


maker's mark only: incuse 'ER', probably Irish provincial The silver mount engraved with an inscription: 'A Gift from Touchet Blayney Cadwallader Campbell to Eyer Power Trench, December 1793', length 6.7cm.
|Touchet Blayney Campbell was a captain in the 3rd Veteran Battalion, raised in Jersey in 1802. He was a Military Knight of Windsor and was buried in Jersey in 1826.Eyer Power Trench was Lieutenant General of his Majesty's Forces of Cork. On 31st October 1793 he raised the 102nd Irish Regiment of Foot. It seems likely that Campbell gave Trench the cowrie box while serving in that regiment. By 1795 the regiment was based in Guernsey.