www.925-1000.com

Hi all - we've just had these beauties donated to us and I've cleaned them up and they've come up really well. Thought you'd like to see them and also wanted to chuck my theory past you and see what you think.

They're all the exact same design, and engraved with the initials MJM at the top - I think there were originally 4 Newcastle spoons, hallmarked with Dorothy Langlands mark (although there's no indication of year, though she only operated from 1804 to 1814, from her husband's death to her retirement) and MJM had either lost 2, or wanted another 2 later on, and because DL had retired, he had to go to James Barber and Wiliam Whitwell in York to get 2 replacements made, although these are 2 years apart. He must have commissioned JB & WW to make them specially to match the originals.

Can anyone suggest a better date for the Newcastle ones than 1804-1814? And does it matter that the York ones aren't stamped with the York town mark, just the York letters h and k, and the maker's mark?

Many thanks in advance
Kay

I cannot give you a better date for the Dorothy Langlands spoons - I have noted that more often than not spoons with her mark do not have a date code.

Lack of York town mark is no problem for the Barber & Whitwell spoons. The town mark seems to have been applied only rarely so this is the norm.

Phil

Many thanks for the information, I was unsure about whether the York city mark was applied that often - I've come across early 1800s London marked pieces too that didn't have the city mark, but the makers and letters corresponded.

Thanks again
Kay

Admin have removed references from both our posts, silvermakersmarks, which I quite understand - I will send the deleted part as a private message. Apologies for the original references, wasn't sure they'd be allowed!