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Yorkshire Chess History |
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Contents: |
Löwenthal Cup |
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Besides being prominent nationally as a player and writer, Johann Jacob Löwenthal had been secretary of St. George’s Chess Club in London. After his death they instituted a club championship trophy, named after him as a memorial to him.
The cup bears the London sterling silver hallmark for 1877, and the maker’s mark of George Angell, 51 Compton Street, Clerkenwell.
The cup has a lid on top of which is a mounted St. George, slaying the Dragon (the scaly kind, not the Sicilian variation). Around the raised inner part of the lid are indentations suggestive of the crenulations around the top of a rook. Around the brim of the lid are four curiously seated knights in mail. Figures of a human king, queen, bishop, and knight surround the stem. There are no handles. (Click here for image of trophy.)
The trophy was contested at least from 1878 to 1895, as the winners’ names, with dates of their wins, chronologically accumulated, are listed on one side of the bowl, as follows (click here for image of inscription):
Lowenthal Winners ------------------------------
The list of winners appears to continue with one winner in the next panel round, but the writer omitted to make a note of the name (James E. .....) when inspecting the trophy.
In 1922, the trophy was presented to the British Chess Federation, and came to serve as the county championship trophy, as indicated in the inscription of the bowl, on the opposite side to the above list of winners, which reads as follows, with no apostrophe in “Georges” (click here for image of inscription):
Names of winning counties were originally inscribed on the flattish base of the cup, including winners from the start of the competition in 1908 up to 1921. In time addition of the now-traditional cheap plastic metal-banded plinth was found necessary. For a list of winning counties see English Counties’ Championship.
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Created 08/07/2012 |
Copyright © 2012 Stephen John Mann |
Last Updated 08/07/2012 |