Tea caddy spoon
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1807-1808
This silver tea caddy spoon features a shovel-shaped bowl and a handle crafted from mother of pearl. Created through stamping and engraving techniques, the spoon includes an engraved decorative border along the edges of the bowl.
The spoon measures 8 cm in length, 3.2 cm in width, and 1.3 cm in height. It bears Birmingham hallmarks dating to 1807–1808 alongside the maker's mark attributed to Samuel Pemberton (recorded also as Samuel Penbeton).
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
A caddy spoon was designed for taking and measuring dry tea from a tea caddy, generally proportioned to fit inside the container. English examples originated in the mid-18th century as tea caddies replaced Chinese tea bottles, providing wider openings that permitted the use of measuring spoons once bottle thimble-caps were abandoned. Unlike many other small silver articles, caddy spoons were excluded from the exemption under the English Act of 1790 and were consistently required to bear hallmarks. This piece came to the museum as a gift from the Fitzhenry Collection.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Silver, stamped, mother of pearl handle, engraved border
- Dimensions
- Height: 1.3 cm; Length: 8 cm; Width: 3.2 cm
Technical characteristics
- Inscriptions
- Date: Text: Research required; Latest: Research required; Earliest: Research required; Note: Research required; Type: Research required; Medium: Research required; Method: Research required; Script: Research required; Content: Birmingham hallmarks for 1807-8; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: A8728; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required Date: Text: Research required; Latest: Research required; Earliest: Research required; Note: Research required; Type: Research required; Medium: Research required; Method: Research required; Script: Research required; Content: Mark of Samuel Penbeton (Pemberton?); Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required
- Maker recorded
- Penbeton, Samuel
- Place recorded
- Birmingham
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Tea caddy spoon
- Museum object number
- 1330-1902
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.