spoon, Allen, Thomas, 1680-1690

This is an example of a type of spoon described as a 'trefid' pattern, so-called after the way the end of the stem is split into three sections. The design is completely different to that of earlier spoons made in England, and is almost certainly inspired by contemporary examples from the Continent, particularly France. Goldsmiths' Company court minutes from the 1660s refer to 'French fashion spoons', which probably looked similar to this one. This new fashion meant the finial of the spoon was designed so that the spoon could be placed on the table with its open bowl down (the opposite of how it would be placed on the table today). This is why the initials of the original owners are engraved on what we would now think of as the back of the spoon.

The three initials pricked on the back are almost certainly those of a husband and his wife. The top initial is the man's family name; the two letters below are the initials of the first name of the husband and wife. 'Pricking' or 'pouncing' was a method which used punched dots to define letters or a design. It was cheaper and quicker than engraving, and became popular in the early seventeenth century. However, because the punched dots rarely made a profound impression on the surface of the silver, they have often been worn away.

silver, trefid end with a plain ribbed rat tail.