LONDON.- A beautiful wine glass – one of a pair of goblets gifted by Bonnie Prince Charlie to his treasurer and secretary, Sir John Hay of Restairig – will be sold for an estimate of £7,000 to £9,000 at Bonhams next glass sale in New Bond Street on November 12th.

Known as ‘The Hay Goblet’ this important Jacobite glass from around 1768 is engraved with a splendid seven-petalled formal rose and a single bud on a leafy stem crossed with a thistle among three slender leaves. There is also a crown above the initials I*H, set on an opaque-twist stem with a pair of heavy spiral threads over a conical foot. It stands 22.8cm high.

An old paper label on the foot of this glass records the early history...

'One of a pair, stated to have been the gift of Prince Charles to his treasurer and secretary JOHN HAY, who served throughout the 1745 campaign, was major-domo of the Household & went with Charles to Rome in 1766, created a baronet & left Charles' service in 1768 Dec. 8th.

Sir John Hay took over as secretary to Prince Charles Edward Stuart in April 1746, succeeding John Murray of Broughton. Although he acted with the best of intentions, Hay proved to be an ineffective administrator and his failings as Quartermaster contributed to the routing the Jacobites received at Culloden. In spite of this, John Hay remained a friend as well as a confidant of Prince Charles and accompanied the Prince to Rome in 1766 when James Stuart, Prince Charles' father, died. On their return, Hay was appointed Master of the Household of King Charles III and was also made a baronet of Scotland.

As the label on this glass records, Hay left Charles's service in 1768. Hay and others were notoriously dismissed for refusing to countenance a particularly outrageous piece of drunken behaviour by Charles. He returned to England and in 1771 Hay was pardoned by King George III for his part in the uprising.