Household silver (the silver, the plate) comprises dishware, cutlery and other household items made of sterling, Britannia or Sheffield plate silver. Sometimes bought in sets or combined to form sets, such as a set of silver candlesticks or a silver tea service.
Silver requires a good deal of care, as it tarnishs and must be hand polished, since careless or machine polishing ruins the patina and can completely erode the silver layer in Sheffield plate.
In a great house, the footmen cleaned and polished the silver, overseen by the butler who was responsible for it. In middle-income households the few items of silver or silverplate may be displayed on a buffet or in a cabinet or china cabinet or breakfront, but a larger collection of silver is usually locked away in a secure room or a special silver safe.
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 Mark of Robert Cooper |
 De Lamerie |
 pair of salts, salver and cream jug bearing arms of family of Beachcroft (Arms granted 12 Nov. 1717: Bendy of siz argent and gules three stags heads cabossed or, Crest: a beech tree proper behind six park pales argent) |
 seven salvers (c.1735-1750). (Arms of Bisse (granted Ireland 25 May 1637): sable three escalops in pale argent a canton ermine and a crescent for difference or. Crest: 'on a mount vert two snakes or, interlaced respecting each other) |
 A c1770 hot-water jug, Dublin |
 Paul Storr |
 GS & WF canteen laid out |
 Coburg pattern canteen |
 detail of a teapot |
 detail of GS & WF forks. George Smith III and William Fearn |
