Necessaire or Bring your own Silverware
Travelers in Georgian times were expected to provide their own eating utensils or flatware.
These sets were called necessaire and include anything from a lowly bone-handled
knife and fork to a sort of elaborate dressing case that includes gilded silverware
and a cup. At first the forks in these sets were two tined and looked more like
a meat fork. By Regency times forks had begun having three tines. The handles
might be silver or ivory. The fiddle shaped handle was all the rage during the
Georgian period. An individual place setting of flatware was also taken along
to parties as hostesses did not begin providing silverware for all their guests
until the late 18th century. When, during the Regency, London surpassed
Amsterdam to become the richest city in the world, hosts flaunted their wealth
with large dinner parties and huge sets of silverware and a variety of specialized
serving pieces.
© S.W. 2000 This site last updated March 2003 by
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