Click on
Thumbnails
below

Description — clicking on underlined text brings up extra full size images of each piece

Stock number

A George III Stag Hunt pattern tablespoon and tablefork of unusually heavy gauge, by Paul Storr London 1817, crested for More .
Price

In Royal Goldsmiths: The Art of Rundell, Bridge and Rundell (2005) Christopher Hartop illustrates two Stag Hunt pattern forks and suggests the pattern was modelled by leading sculptor Sir Francis Chantrey (1781-1841). Hartop also records that this pattern was made to a design by Thomas Stothard (1755-1834) and is mentioned as such by Stothard's daughter in law, Anna Eliza Bray.

Six George III Old English pattern tablespoons, by Robert Cattle York 1806-1807 crested with a stag's head.
Price: £450.00

These six spoons (weighing 10 1/2 Troy ounces) formed part of the only group of pieces assayed by Robert Cattle working alone and were processed by the York assay office on 4th December 1807. Cattle was in several partnerships: with John Hampston and John Prince from 1796-1804, John Prince and George Cattle from 1804-1807 (the last reference to this partnership in the assay office records being on 20th October 1807 and the newspapers recorded the dissolution of the partnership on 6th November 1807). Cattle was then in partnership with William Barber from 1807-1814 (the first reference to this partnership in the assay office records being on 27th December 1807 but it was first advertised in the newspaper on 1st January 1808). From 1814 Robert Cattle was the proprietor of the York Tavern.

In his sole assay between partnerships, which interestingly contains recorded pieces with both the U and the V date letters for 1806 and 1807, Cattle included the following objects: '3 pair buckles, 1 egg frame, 4 skewers, 1 salt, 2 pair clasps, 16 butter ladles, 6 egg cups, 6 tongs, 4 doz. and 10 spoons, 3 boxes, 9 teapots, 6 apple scopes, 1 Chalice and Plate, 2 goblets' (weighing a total of 142 Troy Ounces) and '68 gold rings, 3 gold buttons' (weighing 8 Troy Ounces 17 dwt).

A Hanoverian pattern tablespoon with double-drop heel , by Henry Greene London 1738, engraved 'Coll. Jo. Cantab [for St. John's College, Cambridge] no. 5'
Price:

St. John's College, Cambridge received its charter in 1511 and was founded using the influence of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, and funds from John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, who had been her chaplain. It occupies the site of the Hospital of St. John the Evangelist founded in around 1200 and the Fellows of St. John's are allowed to eat unmarked mute swans (the only people outside the Royal family who are). The College had 874 students in 2018.

A pair of George IV King's Honeysuckle pattern tablespoons, by William Chawner London 1826, crested for one of the younger sons of George III .
Price:

The heraldic engraving on these spoons could be that of any of the younger sons of George III and by 1826 this leaves five possible contenders. These are the Dukes of York (d. 1827), Clarence (d. 1837), Cumberland (d. 1851), Sussex (d. 1843) and Cambridge (d. 1850). The Duke of York had his own badge and when his silver was sold shortly after his death no King's pattern is recorded (the catalogue is unusually detailed and mentions Cobourg [Coburg] pattern). The Duke of Cumberland inherited the throne of Hanover in 1837 and, due to a lawsuit, engraved EAFS (Ernest Augustus Fidekomiss) on his silver to differentiate it from that of the British Royal family. When Sussex died his silver, like the Duke of York's, was sold at auction and again no King's pattern is mentioned.

This leaves the Dukes of Clarence and Cambridge. Clarence ascended the throne as King William IV in 1830 and there appears to be no record of his plate and, it is to be presumed, it became merged with that of the monarchy. When the Duke of Cambridge's son died in 1904 the family silver was sold, again at auction, and includes as lot 47 a 'King's pattern service' and, as at that time they did not differentiate between variants of patterns, it is reasonable to suggest that these spoons may once have formed part of this service.

A George III French style Hourglass pattern tablefork and tablespoon, by Richard Crossley and George Smith London 1809, crested on the reverse for the 1st Marquess of Anglesey and initialled CP on the front for his son Lord Clarence Paget .
Price:

Henry William Paget (1768-1854), 2nd Earl of Uxbridge and 11th Baron Paget, was a prominent soldier in the British Army during the French Revolutionary, Peninsular and Napoleonic wars. There was a hiatus in his military career following his affair with Lady Cowley, the wife of the Duke of Weliington's brother Lord Cowley, which in 1809 lead to a duel between the two husbands and both marriages ending in divorce. This had made it difficult for Paget to serve under the Duke of Wellington but Paget's skills as a cavalry commander meant that he was recalled to active service when Napoleon regained power after his escape from Elba in 1815. Paget lead the main cavalry charges at the battles of Quatre Bras, on 16th June 1815, and Waterloo two days later (during which he lost his right leg). Following these actions Paget was created Marquess of Anglesey and received the Order of the Garter in 1818 followed by promotion to General in 1819. He went on to be Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1828-1829 (a post to which he was appointed by the Duke of Wellington) and again in 1830-1833 and Master General of the Ordnance from 1846 to 1853.

Lord Clarence Paget (1811-1895) was the Marquess's 3rd son (born a year after the latter's second marriage to Lady Charlotte Cadogan, the divorced wife of the Duke of Wellington's younger brother Lord Cowley). Lord Clarence entered the Royal Navy in 1827 and rose to the rank of Captain in 1839. He was MP for Sandwich from 1847 to 1852 and 1857-1866 as well as being Secretary to the Master General of the Ordinance (his father) from 1846 to 1853. Paget saw service in the Crimean War and was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1865.

A Hanoverian tablespoon made in London in 1762 engraved 'Coll. Divi. Joan Cant' for St. John's College Cambridge on the reverse of the handle, 'Ex Don Jac.[obus] Clarke Soc. Commens' [Fellow Commoner] on the back of the bowl and numbered '12' on the heel.
Price: £220.00 4 similar spoons (with different numbers on the heels) available

St. John's College, Cambridge received its charter in 1511 and was founded using the influence of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, and funds from John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, who had been her chaplain. It occupies the site of the Hospital of St. John the Evangelist founded in around 1200. The Fellows of St. John's are allowed to eat unmarked mute swans (a privilege otherwise limited to the Royal family). The College had 874 students in 2018.

It was customary for members of the college to present spoons on their admission. James Clarke (c. 1734-1794, the son of Paris Clarke Esq. of Northampton was educated at Peterborough School (then run by Mr. Mirehouse) and entered St. John's College in 1753. He was re-admitted in 1756 and again in 1767 but never received a standard undergraduate degree. In 1769 he received his Batchelor of Law (LLB), rather unusually, by Royal mandate. Clarke had been ordained as a deacon in 1758 and in 1760 became both a priest and a petty canon of Peterborough Cathedral. In 1769 he was made Perpetual Curate of Eye and Rector of Northborough, both in Northamptonshire- livings he held until his death 25 years later.

A George III Hanoverian pattern tablespoon made in London in 1762 engraved 'Coll. Divi. Joan Cant' for St. John's College Cambridge on the reverse of the handle, 'Ex Don Jac.[obus] Clarke Soc. Commens' [Fellow Commoner] on the back of the bowl and numbered '9' on the heel.
Price: £220.00

4 similar spoons (with different numbers on the heels) available

St. John's College, Cambridge received its charter in 1511 and was founded using the influence of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, and funds from John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, who had been her chaplain. It occupies the site of the Hospital of St. John the Evangelist founded in around 1200 and the Fellows of St. John's are allowed to eat unmarked mute swans (the only people outside the Royal family who are). The College had 874 students in 2018.

It was customary for members of the college to present spoons on their admission. James Clarke (c. 1734-1794), the son of Paris Clarke Esq. of Northampton was educated at Peterborough School (then run by Mr. Mirehouse) and entered St. John's College in 1753. He was re-admitted in 1756 and again in 1767 but never received a standard undergraduate degree. In 1769 he received his Batchelor of Law (LLB), rather unusually, by Royal mandate. Clarke had been ordained as a deacon in 1758 and in 1760 became both a priest and a petty canon at Peterborough Cathedral. In 1769 he was made Perpetual Curate of Eye and Rector of Northborough, both in Northamptonshire- livings he held until his death 25 years later.

A Hanoverian tablespoon made in London in 1762 engraved 'Coll. Divi. Joan Cant' for St. John's College Cambridge on the reverse of the handle, 'Ex Don Jac.[obus] Clarke Soc. Commens' [Fellow Commoner] on the back of the bowl and numbered '8' on the heel.
Price: £220.00 4 similar spoons (with different numbers on the heels) available

St. John's College, Cambridge received its charter in 1511 and was founded using the influence of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, and funds from John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, who had been her chaplain. It occupies the site of the Hospital of St. John the Evangelist founded in around 1200 and the Fellows of St. John's are allowed to eat unmarked mute swans (the only people outside the Royal family who are). The College had 874 students in 2018.

It was customary for members of the college to present spoons on their admission. James Clarke (c. 1734-1794, the son of Paris Clarke Esq. of Northampton was educated at Peterborough School (then run by Mr. Mirehouse) and entered St. John's College in 1753. He was re-admitted in 1756 and again in 1767 but never received a standard undergraduate degree. In 1769 he received his Batchelor of Law (LLB), rather unusually, by Royal mandate. Clarke had been ordained as a deacon in 1758 and in 1760 became both a priest and a petty canon of Peterborough Cathedral. In 1769 he was made Perpetual Curate of Eye and Rector of Northborough, both in Northamptonshire- livings he held until his death 25 years later.

A Hanoverian tablespoon made in London in 1762 engraved 'Coll. Divi. Joan Cant' (for St. John's College Cambridge) on the reverse of the handle, 'Ex Don Jac.[obus] Clarke Soc. Commens' [Fellow Commoner] on the back of the bowl and numbered '5' on the heel.
Price: £220.00

4 similar spoons (with different numbers on the heels) available

St. John's College, Cambridge received its charter in 1511 and was founded using the influence of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, and funds from John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, who had been her chaplain. It occupies the site of the Hospital of St. John the Evangelist founded in around 1200 and the Fellows of St. John's are allowed to eat unmarked mute swans (the only people outside the Royal family who are). The College had 874 students in 2018.

It was customary for members of the college to present spoons on their admission. James Clarke (c. 1734-1794, the son of Paris Clarke Esq. of Northampton was educated at Peterborough School (then run by Mr. Mirehouse) and entered St. John's College in 1753. He was re-admitted in 1756 and again in 1767 but never received a standard undergraduate degree. In 1769 he received his Batchelor of Law (LLB), rather unusually, by Royal mandate. Clarke had been ordained as a deacon in 1758 and in 1760 became both a priest and a petty canon of Peterborough Cathedral. In 1769 he was made Perpetual Curate of Eye and Rector of Northborough, both in Northamptonshire- livings he held until his death 25 years later.

A heavy Old English tablespoon, by Hester Bateman London 1790, engraved Aedis Christi (the Latin name of Christ Church Oxford) on the stem and dated 1791 on the heel.
Price: £210.00

Christ Church, Oxford (known colloquially as "The House") was founded by Cardinal Wolsey in 1529 and refounded by Henry VIII in 1532. This College has the second largest endowment income in the University and also houses Christ Church Cathedral Oxford, which serves as its chapel.

A fiddle pattern tablespoon, by James Pirie of Aberdeen (active 1821-1826) circa 1821-1822 (with otherwise unrecorded additional marks). These are crested for George Thomas John Nugent 8th Earl of Westmeath (1785-1871).
Price: £195.00

In 1822 the 8th Earl of Westmeath was created the 1st Marquess of Westmeath. This title died with him but the Earldom of Westmeath was inherited by his cousin. James Pirie was active from 1821-1826 and the combination of the maker's mark and the engraving suggests that this spoon, and the rest of the set that have come to light, was made between 16th July 1821 when Pirie became a member of the Hammermen's Company of Aberdeen and 12th January 1822 when the Earl was created a Marquess.

A pair of Hanoverian tablespoons, by William Skeen or William Sudell London 1770 engraved with the arms, motto and crest of POYNTZ
Price: £180.00

The Poyntz family claim descent from a knight who accompanied William the Conqueror in 1066. In the eighteenth. century, Stephen Poyntz (1685-1750) served as envoy to the King of Sweden ─ though he is more famous for being the grandfather of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (1757-1806).

A pair of George II Hanoverian pattern tablespoons with shell backs, by Richard Hawkins London 1758, initialled {C [over] CM} .
Price: £175.00

The maker's mark of Richard Hawkins is contained in one of the two registers missing from the records of the Goldsmiths' Company. Research has shown that Richard Hawkins was born in 1726 and named after his father who died some time prior to 1751. The records of the Goldsmiths' Company include the younger Richard's freedom by Patrimony in 1748 and the fact that around 1751 he attempted to have substandard spoons assayed (as well as trying to bribe the assayer to keep the affair quiet). The younger Richard Hawkins also took a number of apprentices who went on to become spoonmakers- Thomas Evans, Nicholas Hearnden and William Simons. Hawkins appears to have taken over the business, but not the premises, of Marmaduke Daintry and continued to trade until around 1764/5. Like Daintry the mark attributed to Richard Hawkins is often found on fancy and shell back spoons.

A George II pair of Hanoverian pattern tablespoons, by Isaac Callard London 1738, crested with a ram's head .
Price: £165.00

Isaac Callard was apprenticed to Paul Hanet in 1708 through finance supplied by the fund known as 'Queen Ann's Bounty'. Isaac registered his first mark in 1726 and was still operating as a spoon maker a short time prior to his death in 1770. He is known to have married a number of times- including to his master's daughter Magdalen by whom he had his only child Paul.

An Old English tablespoon with unusual brightcutting, London 1783 by Hester Bateman, initialled JDD.
Price: £165.00
Note: The brightcutting appears in two forms with differing lengths

An Old English tablespoon, London 1864 by George Adams engraved 'T, Sir RP, 1864, Lincoln's Inn'.
Price: £165.00

This spoon was acquired by Lincoln's Inn during the term as treasurer of Sir Roundell Palmer, future 1st Earl of Selborne.

A George II Hanoverian pattern tablespoon, by Ebenezer Coker and Thomas Hammond London 1759, crested with a hound sejant .
Price: £135.00

Ebenezer Coker (d. 1783) was the son of William Coker a cheesemonger from Berkhamstead and was apprenticed to Joseph Smith in 1728. He received his freedom in 1740 (although, unusually, he had registered his first mark in 1738). A spoon by him working alone can be seen above (as stock number 7729). In 1759 he entered a short partnership with Thomas Hammond which only lasted until 1760- during which he assayed this spoon. He was declared bankrupt in 1781.

A George II Hanoverian pattern tablespoon, by Ebenezer Coker London 1758, initialled {T [over] BM} .
Price: £135.00

Ebenezer Coker (d. 1783) was the son of William Coker a cheesemonger from Berkhamstead and was apprenticed to Joseph Smith in 1728. He received his freedom in 1740 (although, unusually, he had registered his first mark in 1738). In 1759 he entered a short partnership with Thomas Hammond which only lasted until 1760 (see stock number 7753). Coker was declared bankrupt in 1781.

A George VI Fiddle pattern tablespoon with 'Lincoln Imp' finial, by James Dixon and Sons Sheffield 1948 .
Price: £135.00

The Lincoln Imp is a 14th century carving in Lincoln Cathedral. A legend states that the Imp was sent to the cathedral by the Devil to spread mischief but it was turned to stone by an Angel. An 1899 reproduction was placed on the wall of Lincoln College, Oxford and although that one is now inside the college a copy has been installed in its place. The use of the image on silver is associated with the prominent Lincoln citizen James Ward Usher (1845-1921) who inherited a Jewellers and Watchmakers business in the City. In the late 19th century he acquired the sole right to reproduce the Lincoln Imp on jewellery and silver and letters addressed to ‘The Silversmith who makes and sells the Lincoln Imp’ and one with only a sketch of the Imp found their way to him. Usher's personal art collection was left to the City as 'The Usher Gallery' and from 2005 has been merged with the other museums in the City.

A George III Old English Thread pattern tablespoon, by George Smith London 1799, crested for Harvey of Castle Semple.
Price: £130.00

Castle Semple was completed by the mid sixteenth century by the 1st Lord Semple and the estate was sold by the 12th Baron in 1727 to a younger son of M'Dowall of Garthland. The estate changed hands again when it was sold in 1813 to John Harvey Esq. of Jamaica and Grenada whose family owned it until 1908 (after which it was broken up into smallholdings and the house/castle was finally demolished in 1960).

The purchaser in 1813 was John Harvey (ne Rae) who died in 1820 but had inherited two fortunes from his Harvey relations- one from his mother and one from his maternal uncle. Following this second bequest in 1791 Rae changed his name by Royal Sign Manual to Harvey. A number of marriages between descendants of the Harvey family concentrated inheritances in this branch of the family.

A William IV Old English pattern tablespoon (of unusually heavy gauge), by Richard Sibley London 1837, engraved Lincoln's Inn and {T [over] TCT} and dated 1838 .
Price: £125.00

Lincoln's Inn, one of the Inns of Court to which British barristers belong, was founded around 1310. In 1838 the Treasurer was Thomas Crosby Treslove (1775-1841). Treslove was called to the Bar in 1803, appointed a King's Council and a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn in 1827. Within the Inn he also attained the posts of Master of the Walks in 1842, Keeper of the Black Book in 1843 and Dean of the Chapel in 1844.

4 spoons available

A George III French style Fiddle Thread pattern tablespoon of unusually heavy gauge, by Richard Crossley London 1794 .
Price: £125.00

2 spoons available

A George III Old English pattern tablespoon with wrigglework border made in London in 1781 by IS, initialled {WAD} .
Price: £120.00

On 1st November 1781 the London Assay Office issued a directive to move the hallmarks from the near the bowl (bottom marked) to the top of the stem (top marked). This spoon is bottom marked- meaning that it was assayed between 30th May and 1st November 1781.

A George II Hanoverian pattern tablespoon by James Tookey London 1750, crested for the Earl of Plymouth.
Price: £95.00

Other Lewis Windsor (1731-1771) inherited the Earldom of Plymouth from his father in 1732. According to the Gentleman's Magazine the Earl, described as a sickly minor of about 4 years old, also inherited a vast estate of 8000 [pounds] a year from his grandfather in 1736. In 1750, following an education at Eton and Queen's College, Oxford, he received his MA and married Catherine Archer, daughter of Thomas 1st Baron Archer (an MP and trustee of the state of Georgia). The Earl of Plymouth was Constable of Flint Castle in 1750 and held the Lord Lieutenancy of Glamorganshire from 1754 until his death.

A George III Old English pattern tablespoon with bright-cut decoration, by Peter and Ann Bateman London 1797 , initialled {JMB} .
Price: £90.00

In 1797 the duty paid on silver was doubled and in the provinces this increase was demonstrated by the striking of two duty marks. In London, however, an alteration was made to the existing duty mark by the addition of two cusps. This spoon, struck with unusually clear marks, was therefore assayed between 6th July 1797 and 28th May 1798.

An Old English tablespoon, by William Sumner and Richard Crossley London 1779, engraved with the armorial of a woman with Collins quartering another .
Price:

This spoon has a provenance from the estate of the noted Arts and Crafts silversmith, Henry George Murphy (1884-1939). Research indicates that it is very unlikely to have been acquired through family inheritance but no further information has yet come to light.

A George III Old English pattern tablespoon with wrigglework borders, by Thomas Tookey London 1782, initialled {WS} .
Price: £75.00

2 spoons available

A George III Fiddle pattern tablespoon by John Kerschner London 1815, initialled {WSS}
Price: £75.00

John Kerschner was apprenticed to Richard Crossley, his maternal uncle, in 1794 and gained his freedom in 1801. He registered his first maker's mark in 1808 (perhaps indicating that he remained in his uncle's workshop as a journeyman until then) and would go on to register three further marks from four addresses until 1822. His flatware is seen less regularly than that of his uncle and master (who left him a bequest in his will).