Did you make the cut on our unusual Sheffield cutlery quiz?

So how good were you at guessing the uses of those unusual items made by cutlery firms that featured in Retro last week?
Julia Armstrong
By Julia Armstrong
Published 4th Jun 2020, 13:00 BST
Updated 4th Jun 2020, 18:41 BST
Do you know what this unusual-looking fork was used for?Do you know what this unusual-looking fork was used for?
Do you know what this unusual-looking fork was used for?

The four pictures all showed unusual, specialist items made for use in the home, dating back mainly to Victorian times.

They had been sent in by Nick Duggan, project leader of Name on a Knife Blade, which was launched last year by the Ken Hawley Collection Trust at Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield.

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The project that Nick is masterminding involves creating an online Digital Knife Wall at www.hawleysheffieldknives.com.

The idea is to look at the alphabetical list to see if your surname appears on a Sheffield knife, as one of the names of the small Sheffield firms that once specialised in beautiful cutlery.

The project aims to connect people in Sheffield and around the world with the collection by making the name connection.

The website contains all sorts of gems about the types of items that different firms manufactured, and some of the characters who worked in the industry.

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Anyone interested can follow the project by join the Name on a Knife Blade Facebook group, says Nick.

This would have gone on a dressing table - but what was its function?This would have gone on a dressing table - but what was its function?
This would have gone on a dressing table - but what was its function?

In addition, the hawleytoolcollection.com website features quite a lot of digital clips of Sheffield makers in action.

Nick says that it is free to use and people just need to follow the link to digital resources on the website to watch the masters at work.

W e’ve kept you waiting long enough for the answers!

The piece which was pictured top left was a tart or egg server, bottom left was a strawberry fork and spoon, top right was a special little ladle for pouring letter-sealing wax and bottom right was a clever little fork with a split central prong for taking chicken off a bone.

The pictures on this page show two more pieces from the collection to puzzle you.

Related topics:SheffieldFacebookVictorianKelham Island Museum