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Ten George III silver-gilt Old English Thread and Drop pattern dessert forks, by Richard Crossley London 1787, crested with a bird perched on two lances.
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A Victorian Old English pattern tablefork, of unusually heavy gauge (3 Troy Ounces), by James Barber and William North York 1838-9 (additionally struck with the town mark), crested with a Yorkshire rose (for the Yorkshire Club) .
Price: £650.00

The Yorkshire Club was founded in York around 1825 along the lines of the Gentleman's Clubs of London and purchased its first clubhouse at 5 St. Leonard's Place in 1839. In 1866 the Club moved to new purpose built premises with a river frontage- aptly named River House. Like many such institutions the Yorkshire Club became less popular by the mid twentieth century and they sold their silver at Christie's in 1969. Both their previous properties still stand: No. 5 St. Leonard's Place has been converted into flats and River House is now occupied by the Estate Agency Savill's and Pizza Express.

A Victorian Old English pattern tablefork, of unusually heavy gauge (3 Troy Ounces) by James Barber and William North York 1838-9 (additionally struck with the town mark), crested with a Tudor rose for the Yorkshire Club .
Price: £650.00

The Yorkshire Club was founded in York around 1825 along the lines of the Gentleman's Clubs of London and purchased its first clubhouse at 5 St. Leonard's Place in 1839. In 1866 the Club moved to new purpose built premises with a river frontage- aptly named River House. Like many such institutions the Yorkshire Club became less popular by the mid twentieth century and they sold their silver at Christie's in 1969. Both their previous properties still stand: No. 5 St. Leonard's Place has been converted into flats and River House is now occupied by the Estate Agency Savill's and Pizza Express.

A set of six George III Fiddle pattern tableforks made in Edinburgh in 1799 by Robert Wilson (of Canongate) , engraved with the badge of the Duke of York's Own Light Dragoons and two of them are engraved with the crest of the Wake family.

Price: £625.00

The 28th, or Duke of York's Own Light Dragoons was raised in 1795 to counter the threat of the French Revolutionary government and was disbanded in 1802 following the declaration of peace between the two nations heralded by the Treaty of Amiens. Although this peace lasted for only one year, the regiment was not reformed when hostilities restarted. Throughout the short life of this regiment the surgeon attached to them was Baldwin Wake (1774-1842) and his family crest is engraved on two of these forks. In civilian life Wake went on to run the lunatic asylum in York and testified to the insanity of Jonathan Martin when he started a serious fire in York Minster in 1829.

It is reasonable to assume that the regimental silver was broken up in 1802 and two of these forks were acquired by Wake and the other four were acquired by another officer (this time one who did not engrave their crest on them). If so then this is the first time these six have been together since 1802.

More details about the regiment and Baldwin Wake are available.

Provenance of the two forks with the Wake crest: A. B. L. Dove FSA.

A Wilhelm I table fork made in Berlin in 1863 by Sy and Wagner from 15 Loth silver (957 parts of silver per 1000) with die cast crest of King Wilhelm I (1797-1888) on the front and impressed ownership mark on the reverse.

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Wilhelm I of Prussia (1797-1888) inherited the Prussian throne from his elder brother Frederick Wilhelm III in 1861 after serving as Regent for the preceding three years. His leadership of Prussia, along with that of his Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, saw Prussia's rise in power and status- including William's eldest son's marriage to the British Princess Victoria, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In contrast to the more domineering Bismarck, William was described as polite, and gentlemanly. Following the end of the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 the Wilhelm I became Emperor of Germany and in 1872 he served as arbitrator in the end of the bloodless 'pig war' between Great Britain and America that had been running since 1860 (deciding in favour of America). Despite several assassination attempts the Emperor ruled until 1888 and was popular with the majority of his people, who erected many statues of him, and was esteemed for his austere and simple life style.

A George III Hanoverian or Old English pattern tablefork with three tines, by Michael Forrest of Canongate circa 1770, crested for Brodie.
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The traditional family lands of the Clan Brodie are Morayshire and Nairnshire and given Canongate's location in the centre of Edinburgh it is tempting to suggest William Brodie (1741-1788) as a possible owner of this fork.

William Brodie, now better known as Deacon Brodie, was the son of Francis Brodie who held the important post of Convenor of the Trades in Edinburgh. William went on to be a succesful cabinet maker, an Edinburgh City Councillor and Deacon of the Wrights and Masons of Edinburgh. In his high profile civic career Brodie socialised with the wealthy elite of Edinburgh and as part of his cabinet making enterprise Brodie also traded as a locksmith. This lead to his being employed widely in this capacity throughout the city.

Unfortunately Brodie was leading a double life with five children by two mistresses as well as mounting gambling debts. The need to fund this second life, and the excitement derived from the activity, meant that Brodie was also the leader of a team of house breakers and bank robbers. In 1768 his gang stole £800 from a bank vault, using keys he had copied. In 1788 Brodie was chosen as a juror in the High Court, a prestigious position, but that year also saw him arrested for an armed raid on the Excise Office, during which he was heard singing part of the Beggar's Opera. The gang escaped with only £16 when an employee returned unexpectedly, but one of them turned King's evidence and named two of his associates (but not Brodie). Nonetheless Brodie attempted to flee to America but was arrested in Amsterdam, having left letters on the boat he travelled on from London for another mistress in Edinburgh (despite travelling incognito). Initially there had been no hard evidence against him but then they found copied keys, his disguise and pistols hidden in his workshop. Brodie was returned to Edinburgh and hanged in October 1788.

Brodie was the subject of an unsuccesful play by Robert Louis Stevenson (whose father owned furniture made by Brodie) but is supposed to have inspired Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There are pubs in New York and Ottawa named after Brodie (as well as one in Edinburgh a short distance from Canongate).

A Victorian King's pattern tablefork made in London in 1862 by Robert Garrard, engraved with the badge, coronet, initials and Garter motto for the future King Edward VII.
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Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (1841-1910), the future King Edward VII, was the eldest son and second child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Although it was overshadowed by the death of his father the previous year 1862 saw the Prince of Wales reach his majority and the announcement of his engagement to Princess Alexandra of Denmark (1844-1925).

These last two events were pivotal as they meant the Prince gained his own household, independent from that of the monarch. The Prince gained the use of a London home, Marlborough House in St. James's, and Sandringham in Norfolk was purchased for him as a private country residence. In 1863 The Prince married Princess Alexandra. The Prince inherited the throne in 1901 and he reigned until 1910.

The date of this fork makes it very likely to be from the first service the Prince of Wales on the establishment of his own household (whether at Marlborough House or Sandringham). Circumstantial evidence suggests that the service may have been created piecemeal as a King's pattern saltspoon with the same engraving but made by Francis Higgins is recorded in the Royal Collection.

Six George III Old English pattern dessert forks made in London in 1811 by Richard Crossley, initialled {CMR}
Price: £325.00

A George III Hanoverian pattern tablefork with three tines made in Dublin in 1764 by Alexander Richards, crested with a demi lion rampant.
Price: £295.00

A George II Hanoverian pattern tablefork with three tines made in London in 1757 by Isaac Callard.
Price: £245.00

A silver-gilt replica of the Manners fork, by Walter Willson London 1936, engraved with the crests from the orginal fork. This fork is in a box.
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The original "Manners Fork" made in London in 1632 by Richard Crosse is the earliest recorded silver fork made by an English workshop and is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. They purchased it in 1923 from the London-based dealer, Walter H. Wilson, for £100. The crests on this fork are copied from the original and are those of John Manners (1604-1679), future 8th Earl of Rutland, and his wife Frances Montagu (1613-1671) whom he married in 1628. He inherited Haddon Hall, in Derbyshire in 1623. In 1924 the Curator of Metalwork at the Victoria and Albert Museum recorded in the notes for this fork that the matching spoon had recently been discovered under one of the floors of Haddon Hall.

A Victorian Fiddle pattern sardine fork, by George Lowe Chester 1838, crested with a lion's head pierced by an arrow.
Price: £175.00

This fork was once part of the collection of Martin Gubbins (1916-2001) and was sold at auction in 2002 as part of lot 144.

A pair of Old English table forks, by James Barber and William North, York 1844, initialled {F}.
Price: £155.00
2 pairs available

A George III Hanoverian/Old English pattern tablefork, by Judith Callard of London (active 1768-1772), crested with a fish's head .
Price: £145.00

Judith L'Abbe (b. 1731) married the spoonmaker Paul Callard in 1748 and the evidence of the Rate Books shows that the King Street premises from which Paul, and later Judith, traded belonged to her father. She inherited the business on Paul's death and the records of the Goldsmiths' Company show that she was active from 1768-1772.

A Victorian Lily pattern sardine fork assayed in Exeter in 1863 by Thomas Hart Stone, initialled {S & MR}
Price: £140.00

On page 146 of his Silver flatware (1983) Ian Pickford comments that 'The Lily pattern was first produced in 1850, the design being registered that year by Elkington. It appears in the Chawner Company pattern book as Lily. The style is a good example of mid-Victorian naturalism. Services exist but are scarce; building a service would be possible'. A spoon of 1879 is illustrated on the same page of the book.

Two George IV Fiddle Thread and Shell pattern dessert forks, one by Charles Eley London 1826 and the other by Jonathan Hayne London circa 1830. Both are engraved with the crest of George Rice, 3rd Baron Dinevor (1765-1852).
Price: £130.00

George Rice, 3rd Baron Dinevor (1765-1852) received his BA from Christchurch, Oxford in 1783 (followed by his MA 3 years later). In 1793, when he inherited the Barony of Dinevor from his mother, George (like his mother) changed his name by Royal Licence to De Cardonnel (that of his maternal grandmother's family). Unusually the Dinevor title had been inherited by his mother from her father, William 1st and only Earl Talbot. In 1817 George De Cardonnel, Baron Dinevor used another Royal Licence to resume his former name of Rice. George served as Member of Parliament for Carmarthen from 1790-1793. He was Lord Lieutenant of that county from 1804-1852. In 1794 he married Hon. Frances Townshend, daughter of 1st Viscount Sydney and they had two sons and five daughters.

A George III Fiddle pattern pickle fork, circa 1810 marked STERLING (therefore made in provincial Ireland), crested with a robin out of a coronet and initialled {DOS} on the heel for O'Sulllivan Mor (the chief of the senior line of the sept) .
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The O'Sullivans are a large gaelic sept concentrated in the counties of Cork and Kerry. They are recorded as early as the 8th century in county Tipperary and in 1192 were driven out, by a Norman invasion. The senior line (the O'Sullivan Mors) moved on to the Iveagh or Kenmare peninsular. They held this area almost as a separate country until the early 16th century. There was a Donal O'Sullivan Mor, hereditary Prince of Dunkerron, (the 128th recorded generation of his family) who died on 16th April 1754 and was, in 1892, believed to be the last male in his line. He was survived by his widow Hester (nee O'Sullivan) who lived on until 17th January 1796.

A Victorian Old English tablefork (of unusually heavy gauge), by George Adams London 1845, engraved Lincoln's Inn and {T [over] Sir TAFS} and dated 1845 .
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Lincoln's Inn, one of the Inns of Court to which British barristers belong, was founded around 1310. In 1845 the Treasurer was John Augustus Francis Simpkinson (1780-1851). Simpkinson was called to the Bar in 1806, appointed a King's Council and a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn in 1831. Within the Inn he also attained the posts of Master of the Walks in 1842, Keeper of the Black Book in 1843, Dean of the Chapel in 1836 and Librarian in 1839. During Simpkinson's tenure as treasurer Queen Victoria and Prince Albert opened the Great Hall of Lincoln's Inn. Simpkinson was Knighted during their visit.

A George III Old English pattern tablefork of continental design made in London in 1786 by George Smith.
Price: £110.00

Provenance: Collection of A. B. L. Dove FSA

A George IV Old English Thread pattern table fork with shoulders, by JMc Edinburgh 1827, crested for Campbell of Barbreck.
Price: £110.00

Duncan Campbell of Lochnell and Barbreck (c.1763-1837) succeeded his great uncle to the Lochnell estates in 1765 and his uncle to those at Barbreck in 1794. Campbell married twice- to the Hon. Elenora Fraser in 1792 and, immediately following their divorce, to Augusta, daughter of Sir William Murray, 5th Baronet of Ochetrye in 1808. During his successful military career, which culminated in his promotion to full General in 1819, Campbell also served as Whig Member of Parliament for the Burghs of Ayr (an area controlled by the Campbells) from 1809-1818. During his time in Parliament Campbell is not recorded as ever having spoken in a debate and rarely voted. In 1817 it was alleged that he 'never goes till late and leaves early' describing Parliament as 'no object to himself [rather] an oppression'. In 1818 he resigned his seat in favour of his nephew and stood for the non-Campbell controlled seat of Berwick but was heavily defeated.

A Victorian Fiddle Thread and Shell pattern sardine fork, by Francis Higgins London 1874, initialled {W}.
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A Victorian parcel-gilt dessert fork decorated in oriental style made in London in 1875 by the Barnards, engraved Marjorie to the reverse.
Price: £110.00

A Hanoverian pattern sweetmeat fork, by Frederick Rudolph Precht Amsterdam 1751 .
Price: £95.00

A Victorian King's pattern dessert fork made in London in 1848 by Samuel Hayne and Dudley Cater, crested for Richard, 4th Marquess of Hertford (1800-1870).
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Richard, 4th Marquess of Hertford inherited the family's wealth and titles on the death of his father in 1842, he received the Order of the Garter in 1846. Like his father he enjoyed visiting, and living in France and lived there for the majority of his life (on his only visit ot the Irish estates that provided much of his substantial income he is said to have remarked "Well, I see it for the first time, and pray God! for the last time"). According to the Goncourt Brothers Lord Hertford was "a complete, absolute, unashamed monster" who once proudly declared that "when I die I shall at least have the consolation of knowing that I have never rendered anyone a service". Like his father he was prominent art collector and on his death he left as much as was possible to Richard Wallace, his illegitimate son and secretary. This accumulated collection was housed in Hertford House in London and when Richard (later Sir Richard) Wallace and his widow died the house and collections were left to the British nation- Hertford House and the Wallace Collection are still open to the public today.

A George III Hanoverian/Old English pattern dessertfork, by John Lampfert London 1772.
Price: £85.00

2 forks available

A George III Old English pattern tablefork, by Thomas Wallis London 1797 (with 'Double Duty' hallmark), crested with a paw holding a cross pattee fitchy.
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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. In Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield and York this was shown by the striking of two King's heads, but in London and Exeter cusps were added to the edge of the punch. The hallmarks on this fork include an unusually clear impression of this mark.

A New Gothic pattern dessert fork by George Adams London 1867 .
Price:£75.00

The design for the New Gothic pattern was registered on December 13th 1854.

A George IV Fiddle Thread and Shell pattern/ Old English Thread and Shell pattern dessert knife and fork made in London in 1827 by William Elliott (also marked on the handles), crested with a Griffin's head.
Price: £75.00

A Victorian King's Honeysuckle pattern dessert fork made in London in 1901 by Slater, Slater and Holland, crested for the Stanhope family beneath an Earl's coronet for the Earl of Chesterfield , Harrington or Stanhope.
Price: £60.00

At the time this fork was made the Stanhope family held three Earldoms- those of Chesterfield (created 1628), Stanhope (created in 1718) and Harrington (created in 1742). Edwyn, 10th Earl of Chesterfield (1854-1933) held several official positions including Assistant Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1886 and Lord Steward of the Household from 1910 to 1915 and Master of the Horse from 1915 to1922. Charles, 8th Earl of Harrington (1844-1917) was a prominent sportsman (including polo, tilting and hunting) and was also Aide-de-Camp to both Edward VII and George V. Arthur, 6th Earl of Stanhope (1838-1905) was chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Constitutional Associations in 1875, First Church Estates Commissioner in 1878 and Lord Lieutenant of Kent from 1890-1905.