We have an exceptional array of antiques most new to the market having been sourced from relatives’ estates and other private means. Our stock contains a comprehensive collection of early spoons ranging from the Elizabeth 1 era with seal top spoons through the James 1 and 11 reign and the two unfortunate Charles’s 1 and 11 through William 111 and Mary and Anne and finally Anne.

These silver spoons are of the fig bowl seal top style, early trefid, flame trefid, lace back trefid, dog nose and various rat tail designs. Many have evidence of being marriage spoons and several have crests bearing evidence of being from the landed gentry of the United Kingdom. People generally took their own spoon with them when dining outside of the home, silver spoons were considered a status symbol and tended to be bought for the birth of a wealthy person’s child, hence the idiom ‘born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth’. Less wealthy people owned pewter spoons and lower classes bone or wooden spoons.

The Georgian era heralded the onset of the Hanoverian style spoon and also with increasing wealth the beginning of sets of spoons. Spoons were collected when possible and added to when afforded, as a consequence most early sets of cutlery are not all of the same date letter or maker but do have matching crests. Spoons bore the crest of the owner generally to discourage stealing by employees or more likely guests. Georgian spoons tended to have limited designs starting with the Hanoverian spoon which then gave way to the fashion of the old English design, fiddle and variations on these designs.

Knives were the second regular table utensil to be used and generally doubled up as a weapon. In the seventeenth century, the blade was changed to reduce the tip to a blunt end to dissuade potential fights at meal times. The scimitar blade was introduced which could be used as a scoop to pick up food. The first popular table knives had typical handles of puritan form. This then gave way to the cannon handle in Charles 11/William and Mary reigns. The first sets of silver were now being produced in the 1680s. we have such an example in our stock, this set of 12 silver cannon handle knives was shown on the Antiques Road Show and at an acceptable price available for sale.

Forks have a similar history to spoons but not as extensive. Spoons were the universal choice of implement for eating after hands, they were capable of transferring all solidity of food from liquid to solids. Forks were introduced to Europe first and took a bit of time to be accepted in Britain as it was considered effeminate and not manly. Mind you this was at a time when fashion dictated men wore high heels stockings and lacey ruffs.

Early forks had two tynes initially and were used to stab at food, this relieved the knife from the use of this action and table manner etiquette began to become popular. These then upgraded to three tynes which were popular up until Georgian times and the rat tail three-pronged fork is the most sought after. In mid-Georgian times the four prong fork of today made its debut.

We have exceptional examples of spoons, knives and forks for sale, plus a whole canteen for twelve of one maker in Georgian times in the Old English design.