The House of Stuart and the Cary Family - James II and Torre Abbey #225405

There are at Torre Abbey portraits in miniature of King James II. and his Queen, Mary of Modena, of which, through the kindness of the owner, Captain Lionel Cary, R. N., we are able to produce a photograph. They have a direct connection with the visit of the second Duke of Ormond to Brixham, on 23rd October, 1715, as noted in D. & C. N. & Q., ix., p.13, par. 10, and are among the many records witnessing to the loyalty of generations of the Cary family.<br><br>An endorsement reads "James 2 & his Queen." Each bust is in a scarlet robe trimmed with ermine. The Queen is depicted in a blue dress, décolletée, with a simple necklace.<br><br>The inscription, recently placed on the frame which now mounts the miniatures, unfortunately attributes the gift to Prince Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, whereas it was his father, the Old Pretender, son of James II., who sent the Duke of Ormond to Torbay in 1715.<br><br>The size and appearance of the miniatures strongly suggest the decoration of the lid of a snuff-box. The habit of snuff-taking was brought to this country in 1702 and soon became general. Snuff-boxes of most elaborate make were frequently given as souvenirs, as witness the large number in some collections. The silver box, in which tradition says the portraits were enclosed, was not improbably intended for snuff, the strip of ivory being placed inside the lid so that the owner could make known his sympathy to the Stuart cause by the customary interchange of courtesy, without speaking an incriminating word.<br><br>The loyalty of the Cary family, owners of Cockington for some 279 years [c. 1375-1654] and of Torre Abbey for 258 years [1662-1920], is well illustrated during the reign of the House of Stuart.