Set of Six Silver Fiddle Pattern Desert Spoons Newcastle 1831

Description

Heading : Set of six silver desert spoons
Date : 1831
Period : William IV
Origin : Newcastle. England
Features : Fiddle pattern handles engraved with a letter D . Hallmarked for John Walton. Newcastle
Size : 17.5cm long
Condition : Excellent. no dings
Restoration : None
Weight : 260 grams combined (8.35 Troy ounces)

One of the most appealing aspects of being in this profession is the process of discovering the “backstory” behind an item. You may believe that these are just spoons. read on

John Walton having completed a nine year apprenticeship entered into partnership with silversmith John Robertson II in 1811. George III was still king. but his son became Prince Regent due to the mental issues being faced by his father. The “Regency” period began.

In 1821 John Walton dissolved his partnership and founded his own workshop on a medieval lane known as
Painter Heugh. which is now little more than a passageway and applied to the assay office in Newcastle for his own “mark”. The same year saw the coronation of the Prince Regent to become King George 1V.

In 1831 John Walton produces this very set of dessert spoons. It is obviously a coincidence that this same year saw the coronation if William IV the last of the Hanoverian kings.

After an incredible fifty five years of running his own businesses John decides that it is time to retire having built the largest and most highly regarded producer of “flatware” and silver jewellry in the North of England. This same year Britain is plunged into a financial crisis. This may for the most part have been due to the demise of the Overend Gurney bank in London. however. it makes for an amusing story.

We shoud also note that in 1810 the average life expectancy of a male was but forty years. John Walton worked for atleast sixty four. This is proof that hard work never does you any harm.