Eglinton Trophy

A committee, including Lord Burghersh, and chaired by the Marquess of Londonderry,[1] King of the Tournament, was formed to set up a subscription to "present Eglinton with a piece of plate, to commemorate the revival of the days of chivalry".

[2] The 4 foot 8 inch (140 cm) high trophy, weighing in at 1600 ounces (45 kg), was designed by Edmund Cotterill (1795–1860), made in a medieval Gothic style by Messrs. R & S Garrard, Silversmiths of London at a cost then of £1,775 (£78,277 in modern terms)[3] and took four years to complete.

The glass case that covers the trophy has wooded framed sections and rises up from an ornately carved eight-sided wooden base emblazoned with four coats of arms, earls coronets, and with a silver engraved dedicatory shield.

[9] The apparent disparity in dates just reflects the fact that the trophy was returned from the Assay Office in 1842 and finally assembled, completed and stamped by the maker for delivery to the committee and its presentation to the earl in 1843.

It was moved to the Eglinton Country Park visitor centre in 1989 for the re-enactment that marked 150 years since the tournament and was also loaned to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The trophy is of great significance to the local and social history of the area and can be viewed by small groups during normal working hours by prior arrangement, after going through appropriate security procedures.