Burnell and Rowe

Description

This is a fine pair of regional early Victorian Sterling Silver Serving Spoons in the traditional Fiddle pattern. The spoons have the initials AH elegantly engraved at the top of the stems.

The spoons are made in Newcastle upon Tyne by leading silversmith John Walton and date to 1840. John Walton was a specialist spoon maker who was active in the city between 1821 and 1866. He had premises in Painter Heugh, one of Newcastle's old medieval lanes that has now been largely replaced by a multi-storey car park of the same name.

Although Newcastle upon Tyne was a centre of silver manufacturing going back to medieval times, the assay office wasn't formally established until 1702. The wardens were not always the most diligent and date stamps were often not changed until some months after the May date on which they were supposed to and in some of the early years were not changed at all. By the 1880s there was very little silver being made in the city and the assay office was closed in 1884. This has made Newcastle silver of great interest to collectors.

Whilst these spoons have definitely been used, condition is generally good with just the wear that has to be expected after over 180 years of good service. Please make sure to view all the photographs.

Each spoon is 22.1cm / 8.7ins long and the pair together weigh in at a substantial 129.1g / 4.5oz of solid Sterling Silver.

The hallmarks on the undersides of the stems are a little rubbed but still clear to read. They show the lion passant for Sterling Silver, both the three towers assay mark for Newcastle and the crowned leopard's head for London (as was always the case in Newcastle), the date letter B for 1840, the William IV duty mark (even though Victoria was Queen from 1837) and the I W makers' mark for John Walton.

Shipping in the UK is £11 by Royal Mail Special Delivery, which includes cover for the value of the spoons.
Overseas customers, please ask us about shipping costs to your country before making a purchase.