Was this medieval spoon owned by William of Wykeham, the 14th-century Bishop of Winchester and founder of Winchester College?
This silver-gilt spoon from around 1400 is one of the most impressive medieval English spoons, despite being damaged and weighing less than 100g. It is 17cm long.
Its hexagonal stem is topped by a coronet of fleurs-de-lis. The jewel it must have held is now lost.
The spoon is kept at Winchester College and is known as “the Founder’s Spoon”. But, was it actually owned by William of Wykeham, the school’s founder?
There is no contemporary evidence that Wykeham owned the spoon, and it was first referred to as “the Founder’s Spoon” in the 1670s, over 250 years after Wykeham died.
Since spoons of the era did not have hallmarks like modern silver, it is difficult to date the spoon with any certainty. In the 1960s, there was much debate over how old it was. Jane How (one of the leading experts on medieval spoons) claimed that it must have been made after the 1430s and therefore wasn’t Wykeham’s spoon; but had previously said it was from the second half of the fourteenth century and therefore possibly was his. It is still not wholly clear when the spoon is from.
Even if it was contemporary, there is no guarantee that it was William of Wykeham’s, but that does not detract from an otherwise remarkable spoon.
You can find the spoon on Winchester College's Collections website and in 50 Treasures From Winchester College. The spoon is on permanent display in the Winchester College Treasury.
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