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A set of six fiddle pattern egg or mustard spoons, by James Le Bas Dublin 1842, engraved with a beehive beneath SAVINGS BANK.
Price: £360.00

The emblem of the School Street Savings Bank located in Dublin and founded in 1818 is 'a beehive beneath SAVINGS BANK'

A George IV rococo revival salt shovel with naturalistic stem terminating in a rocaille shell, by Paul Storr London 1827 .
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The very unusual design of this saltspoon does not appear to have direct parallells in British silver and seems likely to derive from a European source.

A Charles XIV John Old English pattern salt ladle and spice sifter by Gustaf Folcker Stockholm 1829, engraved with a Baron's coronet and a {B} for Benjamin Bloomfield, 1st Baron Bloomfield (1768-1846).
Price: £275.00

Benjamin Bloomfield (1768-1846), the only son of John Bloomfield a lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards, followed his father into the army in 1781. After being an early recruit into the horse artillery Bloomfield was attached to the 10th Hussars (despite his relative poverty), as a Major and commander of a troop. He was posted to Brighton where his social and musical accomplishments brought him to the notice of the Prince of Wales, later Prince Regent and King George IV.

From 1810 Bloomfield had an unofficial role as chief spymaster against George's wife Caroline. The Prince and Princess were separated and George wanted a divorce. Bloomfield received further (official) promotions in 1812. The Prince then appointed Bloomfield as one of his gentleman attendants, chief equerry and clerk-marshal and, in the Prince's interest, Member of Parliament for Plymouth. In 1814 a commission as Major General followed and in 1815 Bloomfield was made a Knight Commander of the Hanoverian Order (an order closely associated with George IV). The rise in Bloomfield's fortunes continued when in 1816 he became chief auditor and secretary of the Duchy of Cornwall (the main land holding and income source of the Prince of Wales) and finally Private Secretary to the Prince in 1817.

Bloomfield fell from favour in 1822 and resigned all of his Royal offices. However he did receive the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, a pension, two sinecure offices, the promise of a peerage and a diplomatic post in the future. From 1822-1832 Bloomfield served as British Ambassador to Stockholm and in 1825 was created Baron Bloomfield. He also returned to his military life and commanded the garrison at Woolwich for some years- during which he founded schools for children of the soldiers of ordnance corps (including his original regiment of the Royal Artillery).

A small hand painted depiction of Bloomfield's arms (before his elevation to the peerage) can be found as stock number 7702.

A George III pair of Celtic point salt shovels with bright-cut decoration made in Cork circa 1790 by Carden Terry, crested with a double headed eagle.
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A set of four Victorian whiplash saltspoons with twisted stems and fluted bowls made in London in 1860 by the Lias Brothers.
Price: £245.00

A George III Old English pattern saltspoon, by JT (attributed to James Tyler of Boston, Massachusetts) circa 1770-1780, crested for Astley or Howe .
Price: £245.00

The crest on this saltspoon could be that of the Astley or Howe families. There seems to be no link between the Astleys and Boston but in the 1770s two members of the Howe family were known to be in America.

Despite being sympathetic to the cause of the American Colonists in their fight for independence Admiral Richard Howe (1726-1799), a friend of Benjamin Franklin, was sent in command of the fleet at the beginning of what became the War of Independence. Howe retained the command from 1776-1778 but, following his public support of the colonists and the opposition in parliament, he was recalled to London and faced scrutiny as to his actions.

With Admiral Howe in America was his younger brother General Sir William Howe (1729-1814), who shared his brother's views, and was sent in command of the land forces. He had considerable success against the army commanded by George Washington (capturing both New York and Philadelphia). General Howe resigned his commission in 1777 and returned to England the following year.

A set of four George III Hourglass pattern saltshovels made in Dublin in 1815 by Richard Whitford, crested with a lamb above the motto Rien Que Dieu.

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A set of six George III Old English pattern saltspoons made in London in 1810 by Thomas Wallis and Jonathan Hayne, initialled {B}.

Price: £195.00

A George III saltspoon of rococo design, unmarked circa 1760.
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A pair of Victorian saltspoons with engraved decoration and fluted bowls made in London in 1868 by George Adams, crested with a panther's head.

Price: £145.00

A Victorian salt ladle with pierced stem, feather-edged borders and a fluted bowl made in London in 1864 by Francis Higgins.
Price: £145.00

7256

A pair of Onslow pattern variant saltspoons, by Robert Frederick Fox London 1921 .
Price: £145.00

Robert Frederick Fox inherited the family firm in 1910 and ran it until it closed in 1921. It was founded by his great-grandfather Charles Fox in 1801.

A George III Fiddle Thread pattern saltspoon engraved with the badge of the 2nd Royal Veteran Corps made in London in 1819 by Paul Storr.

Price: £135.00

The Royal Veteran Corps was the title applied to the Corps of Invalids used to defend Britain in time of war. In 1802 this title was deemed derogatory and changed to The Royal Veteran Corps. In 1819, the 2nd battalion, having been disbanded in 1816, was re-formed at Portsmouth from fit outpensioners of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, and used  to curb political unrest. It served at Waterford in 1820 and was disbanded in 1821 at Gosport. A unit of the same name was raised again in 1821 at Newry, served in Londonderry in 1822, and was disbanded in 1826 at Enniskillen.

A Victorian saltspoon modelled as a lily made in Birmingham in 1838 by Joseph Wilmore.

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A William IV saltspoon modelled as a lily made in London in 1832 by William Bateman.

Price: £125.00

A George IV Fiddle Thread salt ladle made in London in 1832 by William Chawner, engraved with the coronet and initials of the Duke of Sutherland.

Price: £115.00

George Leveson-Gower (1758-1833) was the eldest son of the 1st Earl Gower, a prominent politician from the beginning of the Hanoverian dynasty. When his father was made Marquess of Stafford in 1786, George became known as Earl Gower and then in 1803 he inherited his father's Marquessate. Finally in 1833 he was created 1st Duke of Sutherland in 1833 (during the second half of the 1832-1833 assay year in London). Having inherited the combined estates of the Leveson-Gower family, the Sutherland estates (in right of his wife) and the vast Bridgewater estates from his uncle George he is estimated to have been the wealthiest man of the nineteenth century.

Having attended Westminster School and Christchurch, Oxford George served as a Member of Parliament from 1779-1784 and 1787-1799. In 1790 he served as the final ambassador to France prior to the fall of the monarchy and from 1794-1831 was Lord Lieutenant of Sutherland. In 1804 he was one of the politicians who brought down the Addington government and he received the Order of the Garter in 1806. In 1812 he retired from politics to devote himself to his estates and his patronage of art- owning the picture collection accumulated by the Duke of Orleans in the 18th century, being President of the British Institution and a Trustee of the British Museum.

Provenance: purchased by George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland and Elizabeth, 19th Countess of Sutherland thence by descent to the 25th Earl of Sutherland; Bonhams Dunrobin sale 20th April 2021, part of lot 187.

A pair of George III Old English pattern saltshovels made in London in 1784 (pre-duty), one with the maker's mark of Stephen Adams and one with his mark and that of Thomas Northcote, initialled {R [over] SH}.

Price: £110.00

This pair of salt shovels is unusual in that it gives an insight into the manufacturing and retailing process behind their manufacture. Stephen Adams and Thomas Northcote are both recorded as spoon makers but Adams' mark is seen on hollowwares as well. The appearance of Adams' mark alone on one spoon and both makers on the other suggests that Adams bought these spoons in from Northcote prior to their being hallmarked (but after one had received a maker's mark). This also explains the presence of Adams' mark on the opposite side of the hallmarks on the spoon with both maker's marks (where Northcote's mark had already been stamped in the usual position and the slightly lower position of the hallmarks).

A pair of Victorian Fiddle Thread and Shell saltspoons made in Exeter in 1862 by Williams Brothers (of Bristol), crested with an animal's leg.

Price: £110.00

A William IV Old English pattern saltspoon made in Inverness circa 1830 by Robert Naughton.
Price: £110.00

A George III wrigglework saltspoon, marked HP for Hampston and Prince of York circa 1775 (presumably prior to the opening of the assay office at York in 1776) .
Price: £110.00

Hampston and Prince took over the business of Ambrose Beckwith (d. 1770), for whom both had worked, in 1770 and were the leading Goldsmiths in York when the assay office was reopened in 1776.

A saltspoon with the finial modelled as the Duke of Welllington, by W. R. Smily London 1846.
Price: £110.00

1846 saw the retirement from politics of the 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) the hero of Waterloo. Wellington had served in many political offices after 1815, including two periods as Prime Minister. He remained Commander-in-Chief of the British Army until his death.

A pair of George III Old English pattern saltspoons with fluted bowls made in London in 1787 by Richard Crossley, crested with a cubit arm, clothed, holding a pennant all out of a mural coronet.

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A pair of Victorian Albert pattern saltspoons with the die-cast crest of the 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot made in London in 1841 by Benoni Stephens.

Price: £95.00

The 84th Regiment of Foot was raised in 1793 and served under the Duke of York in Flanders and was then sent to the Cape of Good Hope in 1795, Madras in 1798 and Bombay in 1799. In 1809 the regiment was renamed the 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot and served in many theatres of war in Europe, the West Indies and India. In the reign of George IV soldiers from the regiment escorted convicts to Australia and the West Indies. These spoons appear to have been commissioned, with the die-cast crest, just prior to the 1842 posting of the regiment to Burma and India for 17 years. On their departure the regiment was the only one ever to receive a salute from the battery at Fortwilliam, Calcutta. In the Cardwell reforms of the 1870s the 84th was linked with the 65th and the Childers reforms of 1881 saw them amalgamated. The Regimental Museum is at Clifton Park, Rotherham.

An Old English mustardspoon, by George Lowe Chester 1808 .
Price: £95.00

A Victorian Old English pattern salt ladle with beaded borders and engraved decoration made in London in 1865 by George Adams.

Price: £90.00

A Victorian Onslow pattern saltspoon with fluted bowl made in London in 1859 by Francis Higgins.
Price: £90.00

A George III Old English pattern saltspoon with Feather-edged borders shaped fluted bowl made in Dublin circa 1780 by Michael Homer, initialled {RH}.

Price: £85.00

A George III Old English pattern salt ladle with beaded decoration (on the top part of the stem) made in London in 1782 by Hester Bateman, initialled {H}.
Price: £85.00

A pair of George III Old English pattern saltspoons with bright-cut decoration made in London in 1789 by John Blake.

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A George III pair of unusually small Fiddle pattern saltspoons (7.5 cm long) made in Birmingham in 1818 by Joseph Wilmore, crested for Almack of Suffolk.
Price: £85.00

An Acorn pattern runcible or pickle spoon, by George Jensen of Copenhagen circa 1920 .
Price: £85.00

Acorn pattern was introduced by George Jensen of Copenhagen in 1915.

A George II snuffspoon with scroll back and front made by James Tookey of London circa 1750.

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A Victorian Old English pattern salt ladle of unusual length (12.3 cm) with a celtic point made in London in 1855 for George Jamieson of Aberdeen.
Price: £75.00

A Victorian silver-gilt saltspoon with female head terminal made in Edinburgh circa 1860.
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A George III Old English Thread pattern saltspoon made in York circa 1800 by Hampston Prince and Cattles (Gubbins mark 4), crested with an antelope holding a shield on which are the crest and motto of Hamilton.
Price: £68.00

A number of the branches of the house of Hamilton, the most prominent branch being the Dukes of Hamilton who are the senior peers of Scotland, use an antelope as their crest. This version of their crest, which does not appear in the reference books, seems likely to be an English descendant of one of those who have added the main Hamilton crest to their own ( almost certainly without official sanction).

3 spoons available

A Fiddle Thread and Shell pattern salt ladle made in London in 1847 by George Adams, crested with a falcon on a lure .

Price: £65.00

A George III Old English pattern salt shovel with flat bowl by Mercy Ashworth of Durham circa 1790, crested with an ostrich's head between feathers.
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Mercy Ashworth (nee Landell) married Michael Ashworth, an ironmonger from Durham , in 1757 and the couple had at least two shops in the 1770s (one in Durham and one in Newcastle). When Michael Ashworth died in 1776 a shop, presumably the one in Durham was left to his second son, John, with the proviso that 'if my said Wife and Brother-in-Law shall think fit in their Joint names to carry on and continue my business of an Ironmonger for the sole Benefit and Advantage of my said Wife, it shall be lawful for them to do so'. Mercy did take up the business, in her own name rather than jointly with her brother, and expanded into silver as well. She registered her maker's mark at the Newcastle Assay Office in 1785 and is noted in their records until 1801. Mercy died in 1822 and is known to have employed noted Newcastle engravers Beilby and Bewick between May 1782 and July 1792- including on spoons. She sold the business in 1803 and died in 1822, aged 88, at Bishop Wearmonth, having survived all of her children.

A George III Fiddle pattern saltspoon made in London in 1814 by Thomas Dexter, crested for the 74th Regiment of Foot.
Price: £65.00

The 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot was raised in 1787 and served in India from 1789-1805, including seeing action in the battles of Bangalore (1791), Seringapatam (1792) and Assaye (1803). In this last engagement all of the officers were killed and the regiment returned to England in 1805. The Regiment next saw foreign service when it was posted to the Peninsular War (1810-1814) and it was in Ireland in 1815. In 1851 the 74th was sent to the Cape of Good Hope, where their clear thinking saved many women and children also on the same ship (the Birkenhead) when it foundered on the South African coast. The Regiment went on to serve in India (during the Indian Mutiny), Hong Kong, the Mediterranean and Ireland before being amalgamated with the71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot to form The Highland Light Infantry in 1881.

A George III Old English saltspoon assayed in Sheffield in 1801 by Nathaniel Smith and Company, initialled {M} within a shield.
Price: £58.00

A William IV Fiddle pattern mustard spoon marked in Jersey circa 1835 by Thomas De Gruchy and John Le Gallais (in partnership from 1831-1846), initialled {JMT}.
Price: £55.00

A Victorian Old English Thread and Shell pattern saltspoon made in London in 1864 by Francis Higgins, crested with an eagle.
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A Victorian Dognose pattern saltspoon made in London in 1864 by Francis Higgins, crested with an eagle.
Price: £50.00

An Edward VII Hanoverian pattern mustardspoon with rat-tail back made in London in 1902 by Walker and Tolhurst, crested with a double tree.

Price: £48.00

A pair of unusually small Victorian saltspoons (7.7 cm/ 3 inches long) made in London in 1880 by George Adams.

Price: £45.00

A George III Hanoverian pattern salt shovel made in London circa 1760 by {I*M}.

Price: £45.00

A William IV Fiddle pattern mustard spoon by Samuel Neville Dublin 1830, crested for Newenham (of Coolmore, County Cork).
Price: £45.00

The Newenham family were settled in Cork by the mid 17th century and purchased the Coolmore estate from the Hodder family. They were still a prominent family in the second half of the 19th century.

A Victorian King's shape saltspoon with engraved stem made in London in 1856 by William Simons , crested with a demi lion rampant.

Price: £42.00

A George III Old English pattern saltspoon made in London in 1797 by Solomon Hougham, initialled {W}
Price: £38.00

The duty on silver in Great Britain, payment of which was signified by the King's head, was doubled in 1797 to 1s per Troy Ounce to help finance the war against France. From 5th July this was shown in Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield and York by the striking of two King's heads, but in London and Exeter cusps were added to the edge of the punch (as shown on this spoon).

A George IV Fiddle pattern saltspoon made in York in 1825 by Barber, Cattle and North, initialled {C}.
Price: £38.00

A Victorian Old English saltspoon with a fluted bowl made in London in 1839 by Samuel Hayne and Dudley Cater, crested with a cubit arm, clothed, holding a pennant all out of a mural coronet.

Price: £35.00

A George III Fiddle pattern condiment spoon made in London in 1816 by Thomas Freeth.
Price: £35.00

A George V saltspoon with a finial modelled as a thistle made in Edinburgh in 1932 by Hamilton and Inches.

Price: £35.00

A George III Old English pattern saltspoon with bright-cut decoration made in London in 1783 by Thomas Pratt and Arthur Humphreys.

Price: £32.00

A George III Old English pattern saltspoon with bright-cut decoration made in London in 1787 with the maker's mark of George Gray (overstamping another- possibly Hester Bateman) .

Price: £32.00

A fiddle pattern mustard spoon, by Richard Gainsford Sheffield 1823, initialled {C}.
Price: £30.00

A George III Old English pattern saltspoon, by Richard Crossley and George Smith London 1810, crested for the Dukedom of Ancaster .
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Brownlow Bertie, 5th Duke of Ancaster, was born in 1729 and succeeded his nephew to the Dukedom and family estates in 1779. He married twice but on his death in 1809 left no son to inherit the Dukedom and as there were no living descendants of the 1st Duke in the male line the title became extinct. Although this spoon was made after the last Duke's death it is reasonable to suggest that it was made to replace a lost piece or complete an order.