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Pair of George III Antique Silver Asparagus Tongs made in 1794
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Pair of George III antique silver asparagus tongs, with a thread border and corrugated inner arms.
| Date | 1794 |
| Made By | Richard Crossley |
| Location | London |
| Stock Number | FA217x28 |
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Pair of George III Antique Silver Asparagus Tongs made in 1794
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Pair of George III antique silver asparagus tongs, with a thread border and corrugated inner arms.
Made in 1794 by Richard Crossley of London.
Dimensions: length 24.2 cm
Asparagus, in earlier centuries going by such names as sparrow grass and sparagrass, was cultivated by the Romans as early as 200 BCE. Though consumption waned during the Middle Ages, it was revived during the reign of Louis XIV. Thomas Jefferson sowed asparagus seeds at Monticello, and noted in his writings the vegetables first appearance each spring. Mary Jefferson Randolph’s directions for cooking the dish were quite detailed, from scraping the stalks and correctly tying the bundles, to timing the cooking so as to bring out their true flavour and colour, noting that a minute or two more boiling destroys both. The appearance of this harbinger of spring was cause for much celebration, and specialised servers were designed to enhance the experience.
The earliest asparagus servers date from the mid-18th century, and were scissor-like tongs with narrow corrugated arms. As the 18th century gave way to the 19th, asparagus servers widened, taking the form of bow-back tongs with a collar or yoke (a form more commonly seen on the market today). Hinged asparagus tongs, fitted with a spring, appeared in England by the mid-19th century.
Richard Crossley was arguably one of the most important manufacturers of flatware in the late 18th and early 19th century. Unfortunately, very little is known about him.
He says: “I desire that my body may be buried at Wooburn in the County of Bucks near to the remains of my first wife and daughter, and that my funeral be organised in such manner as my trustees and executors hereinafter appointed shall think proper”. The inscription on his tomb says: “Sacred to the memory of Richard Crossley of Paradise House Islington, in the county of Middlesex, and formerly of London, Goldsmith.”
Information from the Buckinghamshire Record Office provided the following from a full transcript made of the tombs in Woburn Church Yard in the first half of the 19th century: “Richard Crossley Esq late of paradise House Islington in the parish of Middlesex and formerly of London Goldsmith, the third son of John Crossley of Hilton in the County of Derby who by Persevering Industry with the Strictest Integrity realised considerable Property which he bequeathed amongst his collateral relations and departed this life a Widower without leaving any Issue Surviving him on the 29th day of April 1815, aged 75 years.”
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