Spoons full of history

Q. My son has recently inherited 26 sterling silver spoons of various sizes. Sixteen are engraved with a rather cross-looking stag and the initials ‘MJR,’ which match those of my paternal grandmother. Her father was influential in business in Winnipeg and Montreal in the late 19th century. They appear to be early 19th century and might date from before the family came to Canada — probably Scotland or Northern Ireland. Ten, with only initials, seem less old. Where, when and how were they made? Could the varying hallmarks come from being collected over a period of time? Willa, Ottawa

A. You have a running family history in silver. All the spoons are handmade in the ‘Old English’ pattern — a plain but popular and elegant pattern. The stag head crest is strictly decorative — not unique to a family. I chose one of the early spoons to show an example of their hallmarks. The seated figure is Britannia, which signifies sterling purity. The harp stands for Dublin, Ireland. The ‘I’ is a date code. The Irish part of your set was built over time by silversmiths ‘J. Brady’ in 1803; Elizabeth Bainbridge, 1805; Samuel Neville (around the same time but no date letter shown); and Richard Sawyer Jr. in 1835. Some were made in London, England, by John & Henry Lias, 1845; later pieces, likely bought by your great-grandfather in Montreal, were made by Savage & Lyman, 1851-1867 and Birks (two different marks), 1879 to 1968. It’s a wonderful collection worth about $650.