SPOON

Treasure case 2017 T331: Disclaimed, returned to finder

Description: A complete silver spoon of late 17^th century date. The spoon has a flat handle with an elaborated trefid terminal and oval lace-back bowl, slightly squashed in to one side. The terminal of the handle is flat and in the same plane as the handle with three large lobes with smaller rounded knops in between the main lobes. The front is decorated with an elaborate scrolling design working in from the edges and expending a little way down the handle with a blank centre. It is more worn as it continues down the handle with the lower end of the design lost. The back of the terminal is marked with an inscription written in punched dots of: M. W // 1688 // W.F. The lettering is Roman capitals with some elaboration particularly on the 1, serifs and some double lines for uprights.
The handle is rectangular in section with flat back and front and rounded edges it tapers in width slightly from the terminal before widening again slightly to the bowl. It also thickens slightly from the handle to the bowl. On the back about a third of the way from the terminal and again near the bowl is punched the makers mark SD with two pellets above and one below in an elaborate shield.
The bowl is plain on the front with a distinct junction between the bowl and handle. On the back this junction is strengthened by a rounded single drop which is flanked by raised lines which converge to join another raised line projecting from the drop to join in the centre if the bowl. To each side covering the half of the bowl nearest the handle is elaborate, raised, scrolling designs in the style known as lace-back.
On the front of the bowl are areas of copper deposition and unfortunately the finder has aggressively cleaned the entire spoon, in particular an area of similar disposition on the back of the bowl and removed the copper accretion along with the surface of the spoon, leaving a matt, damaged area. The finder explained they were not aware on the age of the spoon on finding or the damage that could be done by removing the copper.

Dimensions: The spoon is 203mm long and weighs 48.98g. The bowl is 68.7mm long and now a maximum of 45.6mm wide by 12.6mm deep. The handle is 134.4mm long, 25.8mm wide by 1.3mm thick at the terminal, 8.3mm wide at the narrowest point and 10.9mm wide by 3.1mm thick at the bowl end.

Discussion: The mark is that of Samuel Dell, active pre 1685- 1698 in Taunton. The Museum of Somerset holds two spoons by this maker in their collection (Kent 2004 no 39 and 40), both with identical designs on the front of the terminal, from the Taunton dies, they are thought to date to the mid-1690's and are marked with later crests. An example for this maker illustrated in Kent (1992, plate K5) again uses the Taunton spoon dies and also has only two makers marks and no other marks and a similar arrangement of a pair of initials above and below a date, 1693.

The combination of two pairs of initials with a date would usually suggest a marriage but no WF marrying a MW could be identified for this date in the area. However, many marriage registers, including Withiel Florey's, do not survive for this period. An alternative is that it is an MW christened in Withel Florey in 1688. The Wood family is prominent in the parish at this time and the spoon may have belonged to a member.

The spoon appears to consist of over 10% precious metal and be over 300 years old at the time of finding and as such qualifies as potential Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996.

Laura Burnett

Finds Liaison Officer for Devon & Somerset

August 2017