Burnell and Rowe

Description

This is a heavy set of four George IV Sterling Silver Dessert Spoons in the classic Fiddle pattern. The spoons are made in Exeter by William Hope and date to 1823. William Hope was a specialist spoon maker based in Plymouth Dock who was active between around 1816 and 1833.

Exeter has a long history of assaying silver going back into the 16th century but the assay office was formally established by Act of Parliament in 1701, some 70 years before Birmingham and Sheffield got their assay offices. Exeter was the principal assay office for silversmiths and goldsmiths across the whole of south-west England but as manufacturing became concentrated further north the work dried up and the office closed in 1882. Because of its comparative rarity, Exeter silver has become highly collectable.

The four spoons are in very good condition with just the minimal wear you would expect after nearly 200 years of use. Each spoon has a letter "C" elegantly engraved at the top of the stem. Please make sure to view all the photographs.

The dessert spoons are each 18cm / 7.1" long and the set of 4 weighs a very substantial 148g / 5.2oz of solid Sterling Silver.

The hallmarks on the underside of the stem are well struck and clear to read. They show the lion passant for Sterling Silver, the three towered wall assay mark for Exeter, the date letter "g" for 1823, the George IV duty mark and the WH makers' mark for William Hope.

Shipping in the UK is £10 by Royal Mail Special Delivery Parcel Post.
Overseas customers please ask us about shipping costs to your country before making a purchase.