Hester Bateman has been called the "Queen of English Silversmiths" also l have seen her work described by another as "Overrated, overpriced run of the mill mass produced pieces ", l leave people to make up their own minds, l will say that her early work was of the highest craftsmanship and maybe the latter author was referring to the later part of the 18th Century when the workshops were mass producing flatware ?. Her history is quite remarkable,When her husband John died on November 16th 1760 he left all his tools to her, Her husband was described as a gold chain maker, he is also found described as a wire drawer, a chain maker, a watch chain maker, and a goldsmith. lt is probable that he was a little of all these, but not fully trained in any of them, since there is no record of his having been apprenticed in any of these trades, nor of his belonging to any of the city livery companies. Yet by law in the 1730s and 40s all men working on their own account in the City of London had to have obtained Freedom of one of these companies. lt is assumed that he was an outworker for other craftsmen and it is here that Hester Bateman learned her trade.She entered her mark on April 16th 1761, at the age of 51 and it should be noted that her signature was just a H B in what could be described as an illegible scrawl. lt was the custom to accept the widow if she decided to carry on her late husband's business even if she had not served an apprenticeship. lt was also the custom to accept the widow in her own right, if she had lived with her husband for at least seven years, thus having served an "apprenticeship by marriage" (1) (see bottom of page) This pair of tongs is unusual because of its size, maybe they were a "Toy" or a "Sample". They are just under four inches in length (100mm) but weigh 25.8 grams or .5 troy ozs. These tongs are also in fantastic condition with no repairs, they have an crest engraved on the bow, the engraving and casting is of the highest quality, and in my mind are not a "run of the mill mass produced piece" (1) Another example of this "apprenticeship" is Elizabeth Taylor no apprenticeship or freedom recorded, believed to be the widow of William Taylor |