A piece of Wokingham’s history is set to come under the hammer at an auction in Newbury early next month.
A Victorian silver presentation bowl, hallmarked 1898, is listed for auction by Dreweatts in Newbury on June 4.
Better known as the Haines Hill Cup, it was originally presented by Capt. and Mrs. William Godsal to the Wokingham and District Agricultural Association.
It was won three times in succession by Ada Howard Palmer, which meant that she was entitled to keep it in perpetuity.
She then re-presented it to the association as an annual Challenge Cup, and when the association closed in 2004, it was returned to the Palmer family.
The two-day auction features items from four generations of the Palmer family from their Bussock Wood home in west Berkshire.
Howard Palmer was from the family that owned the Huntley and Palmer biscuit factory in Reading. He was also a Wokingham benefactor at the beginning of the 20th century.
Joe Robinson, associate director and head of house sales and private collections, told Wokingham Today: “Dreweatts are delighted to be offering for sale the collection of the prominent Palmer family, a family who have been important in the history of Berkshire.
“Many items in the sale are a representation of their lasting achievements and contributions.”
The cup is estimated to sell between £400 and £600, plus fees.
