Gaming Counter with the Arms of Brydges impaling Willoughby and Middleton

This gaming counter is smaller than others produced during the early 18^th century, but its owner lived large.

James Brydges (1673-1744), the man who owned this counter, was the eldest son of the 8^th Baron Chandos of Sudeley. [1] He dropped out of New College, Oxford, and became known as “Princely Chandos” for his lavish lifestyle. [2] An avid supporter of music and the arts, he commissioned Handel’s Chandos Anthems and ascended to a dukedom — earning the title Duke of Chandos in 1719.[3]

Brydges married a total of three times, but his first marriage was perhaps the most important. Mary Lake (c.1668-1712) bore him two children and possessed a large dowry.[4] Upon her death, Brydges used his fortune to purchase Cannons — an impressive estate near London that would become his lifelong home.[5]

This counter was made during Brydges’ second marriage to Cassandra Willoughby (1670-1735).[6] It shows the arms of Brydges impaling those of Francis Willoughby (1635-1672), Cassandra’s father, and Middleton, the town to which Cassandra’s brother Thomas served as the 1^st Lord, in a quartering fashion.[7] The motto, Maint le Droit, is abbreviated. It is short for Maintien le Droit, which is French for “maintaining the right.”

Brydges lived beyond his means and, upon his death, his entire estate — which likely included this counter — was sold to his creditors.[8]