Gaming Counter with the Arms of Tower

This counter was made for a member of the Tower family, identified by a tower in the center of the counter. Some arms closely resembled the family name as a pun and to quickly identify them. The detail of the counter makers is highly apparent in the spacing of the motto on the back, “Love and Dread” as this spacing was uniform throughout all services. This specific counter was made for either Christopher Tower Jr. of Huntsmoor Park or his brother, Thomas Tower. It has been identified as such by the empty banner on the bottom of the front face. The counter was created between 1728 and 1730,[i] most likely due to the inheritance of the arms when his father, Christopher Tower Sr., died in September of 1728.[ii]

Christopher Tower Jr. attended Oxford University[iii]  and, along with his brother Thomas Tower, were “consistent government supporters, (who) were granted lucrative posts of auditor of the imprest, which they never enjoyed.”[iv] After his father’s death, Christopher returned to Huntsmoor and became the director of the Bank of England in 1734, which he held until 1740, and later died September 26^th, 1771.[v]