Strange Adventure of GalwaySilversmith

The Galway Observer, March 8, 1930

The Galway silversmith,R. Joyce, a chalice of whose workmanship (dated 1717) forms one of the treasures of the Panter collection offered for sale recently at Messrs Sotheby, London, had adventures enough to entitle his story to the attention even of a "talkie" producer.

In the days when Galway was a great trading port young Joyce, while on a business voyage to the West Indies, was captured by an Algerine corsair. In the salve market at Algiers he was purchased by a wealthy Turk, a goldsmith, who attracted by the handsome Galway youth, with such courteous and well—bred bearing, showed him great kindness and taught him his own trade.

Some fourteen years after Joyce's capture, William of Orange, whom the Revolution of 1688 had placed on the throne of his father in—law. King James, entered into negotiations with the Day and Council of Algiers for the release of any subjects of the English Crown held in slavery in their territory. Our Galway man claimed the rights of British citizenship — or whatever was its political equivalent in those days — and was released.

So well had he learned his trade, and so agreeable had he made himself to his Moorish Master, that the latter offered his ex—slave the hand of his daughter, and half his own great possessions, if he would remain in Algiers, but, as we might expect these offers were declined,and Joyce returned to Galway. He settled down, carried on, with great success, the trade of goldsmith, which he had learned in captivity, married and made a large fortune. FromColonel Whaley, one of the Cromwellians, he purchased the estate of Rahoon. As he had no sons, his property, after his death, passed into the possession of Andrew Roe French and Martin Lynch, each of whom had married one of his daughters.

"R. Joyce" seems to have been kept busy with his trade in Galway, for chalices and other pieces of plate bearing his mark ("R. I." and "Anchor") are still numerous. Three of his chalices (including that recently sold at Sotheby's) were, for some time, in the National Museum, Kildare Street, Dublin, dated respectively, 1717, 1718 and 1721. All of these bear the initial "R. I." but only pieces dating from a period subsequent to 1721 bear the anchor also.

After the death of Richard Joyce his business was continued by his grandson, M. French, and pieces bearing the double mark, "R, I." "M.F." with anchor, are still to be found.