Are these by Thomas Law?

[trevorg]

Hello,

Can someone please confirm these are by Thomas Law, I can find no mention that he made knives and forks but the makers mark matches that shown in Jacksons. The knife is 175mm long and the fork 155mm long. The knife is marked for 1792 but the fork has no date letter, as they are they both have the same ivory stained handles I assume that they are a pair and were made at the same time. Would these be used for fruit?

Thank you,
Trevorg

[agphile]

You will find a bit about Thomas Law here:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~lawed/SILVERSMITHSPART1.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
You will see he was a cutler as well as a silversmith. By the time of your knife and fork it will have been his sons running the business.

[trevorg]

Firstly thank you for your reply, secondly apologies, I got my notes mixed up the post should read Thomas Lamborn. The mark for Thomas Law is completely different to what is on these items. I have changed the subject heading in the post just to add to the confusion.
Back to the darkened room!
Trevorg

[agphile]

Oh well, just to keep the confusion going, Thos Law did enter a TL mark as well as his full name mark. It would appear from the web site I cited above that the sons continued to use the father's mark. I am not familiar enough with Sheffield silver of the period to know whether this could be TL by itself: the Siversugartongs.com site shows both marks being used together on pairs of tongs from the 1790s. The TL mark appears in two versions: one with a serrated adge to the punch which is clearly not the same as on your pieces: the other, without the serrated edge, is probably also different from yours, but my eyesight does not cope well with the detail of marks on the screen.

I'm probably repeating stuff you already know rather than taking matters further, and cannot help at all as far as Lambourn is concerned.

[trevorg]

Again thank you. I was not aware that Thomas Law also had a TL mark or that this mark exists with and without the serrated edge so this, for me, is good additional information. The mark shown on the link has a pellet between the T and the L which is not on the marks on my items. Perhaps other forum members may have further information.
Trevorg

[MCB]

The eighth entry in the Sheffield Assay Office Register (1773-1907) published by the Assay Office itself shows in 1773 Thomas Law entered a rectangular mark TL with a pellet and at the same time another rectangular mark T LAW with a pellet after the T. No mention is made of the serrated edge rectangle.
Thomas Lambourn, plate worker of Milk Street, entered his only mark in 1776 much in the style of the one shown in the images here.
The next TL mark was not entered until 1893.

Mike

[trevorg]

Thank you Mike for this additional information. I will work, for now, on the assumption that the items are by Thomas Lambourn and research further to see what details I can find on this particular maker. When, and if, I find anything I will post it on the forum.
Trevorg