Hi Trev - thanks for that. I took some pics in natural light this morning. I am not sure whether they will help. I suspect the bottom mark "the rat mark" is a date letter. Wondering if it could be the C for 1799 or G for 1803. I see that it should be pre 1807, otherwise there would be a duty mark. The only other flight of fancy I had was maybe something from the 1890 to 1915 letter sequence (I can never decypher gothic capitals - they all look the same to me) and this spoon was a later replacement to make up a set. When I say it the engraving matches is is in the same style and I suppose could be a copy. But somehow I feel this spoon is older than this.
The other interesting thing is that although the mark under the scroll back is no clearer it actually shows as two marks, one presumably a makers mark you can just see a corner of, the other, presumably a retailers mark going horizontally across the spoon. Only noticed that when I saw the picture. - Thanks Frank
