The use of specialist implements for the trimming of a candle wick are known from the 15th century and perhaps earlier. They do not seem to be made in silver in any real quantities until the 1770 – 1830 period when production reached its zenith although a few appear in the earlier eighteenth century.
But what was the purpose of a wick trimmer or snuffer? Prior to the 1840s before the invention of the new style wicks the wax (usually made of animal fat) burned faster than the wick. To promote better burning and to stop the greasy residue flying all over the table the wick needed to be ‘trimmed’ and the burned section known as the ‘snuff’ was collected in the small box of the wick trimmer. Demand during this 50 year or so period, was so large that makers such as John Buckett and Wilkes Booth made little else.
Silver trays were often made to place these trimmers on. These trays are often erroneously called pen trays (although perfect for use today).With the invention in the first quarter of the nineteenth century of the new style wicks that didn’t need trimming in the same way, the need for these implements declined dramatically . In fact due to the business collapsing Wilkes Booth the snuffer maker left for America and it was his brother’s grandson John Wilkes Booth who shot Abraham Lincoln dead in the theatre in 1865.
At William Walter Antiques you will find a fine selection of wick trimmers/snuffers and trays.
