Unidentified 1781 spoon/ladle

[James3891]

Hi i have had this 7" spoon/ladle for ages in the family but never thought it was very old until recently i looked at it.
The hallmarks tell me it's 1781 London and also the fact it has no tax duty stamp and is bottom-marked which vanished end of that year.
The makers mark is worn or was badly stamped but has a distinctive curl to it.
Looks like a whispy B or G. Hester Bateman was an initial thought but it doesn't seem to match up.
Only remotely similar item i've seen without a scalloped bowl but feathered edge and 'onslow' handle was 1774 by William Fearn.
Be interesting to see what it actually is for too.

[SteveDWollongong]

Hello James and welcome to the Forum,

Your blurred photos of the hallmarks makes it near impossible to be certain but from what I can see, I think your interpretation of the hallmarks is correct. I suspect the makers mark may be GS for George Smith III but a quality close up is required. Try taking photos through a magnifying glass under good lighting (no flash). It takes a few attempts to get the hang of it but makes a world of difference,

Cheers,
Steve

[James3891]

Thanks for the reply. Yes it looks like it could be an S. My grandparents had a fair bit of silver but it was all 1900's. This was in a modern kitchen allsorts box about to be thrown in the bin until i spotted it.I assume it was part of a set once.I took the pics on my phone so not great but think this one is much better. Was it hand stamped? I read the way they did it altered around that time but usually top struck.