www.925-1000.com

Does anyone know who this Exeter maker is? Found on a pair of c.1800 tongs.

Miles

Hello Miles,

Richard Rendall shows a very similar mark to this as Joseph Freeman of Plymouth. The spoon from which this mark was recorded is in the Royal Albert Museum, Exeter. Dated around 1758.

Paul.

Hi Paul,

Thank you for that. Is Richard Rendall an author? Which book did you find this in?

Miles

Hello Miles,

The reference work by Richard S. Rendell seems to be an unpublished compilation of West Country marks compiled in 1979. I have had a copy it for so long that I am not even sure where I got it from.

The picture below is how he records Joseph Freeman’s mark.

Paul.

Hello Miles,

Jackson's page 304 has Freeman active from 1753-78. The tongs could well be a little earlier than you thought.

Regards,
Mike

Hi Paul and Mike,

I'm not convinced by the Freeman mark. His working dates also make it very unlikely. These are the other marks found on the tongs; definitely post 1784, and, if my Exeter Timeline is correct, probably made between 1805 and 1809.
If I knew what the second letter was it would be much easier. If it is a P then John E. Pye might be a possibility. First and last mentioned in 1806.

Miles

Hello Miles,

The plot thickens it seems! I notice on the second picture that there is a duty mark and a sterling lion. It might just be due to a distortion on the photograph, but I would have expected a more rectangular shield for the lion. Is it possible that they may be from somewhere other than Exeter?


Paul.

Hi Paul,

These lions are quite common on Exeter silver. I mentioned them in my article on the hallmarking of Exeter small spoons and tongs.

http://www.925-1000.com/a_exeterlions.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Miles

Hello Miles,
A browse through Jackson's looking at Georgian script capital P suggests this one isn't.
The more I look at the second letter the more it looks like a script capital S. The down stroke within the bottom circle could be the tail of the letter S carried over part of the J and almost right round. What's not correct though for an S is the small up stroke to the right below the top loop. Could this just be an imperfection do you think?
Jackson's page 305 shows there was a John Sweet active in Exeter 1791-1823.
Mike

My photo was taken in the harsh artificial lighting of a Portobello arcade. On Saturday I'll buy the tongs and post a better picture for us to examine.
I do think S is quite likely.

Miles

The script conjoined mark is definitely 'JG' and may relate to a member of the Goss family. I have noted it on at least two other pairs of sugar tongs.

Hello and welcome to the forum.

If it is a G then presumably that would be Joseph Goss, and a variation on his usual Roman capital mark.

Miles