A George III bead-edged silver Waiter.

A George III circular bead-edged Waiter, London 1784, Thomas Carter [probably]. The centre engraved with a crest within a circular cartouche for Woodgate of Summerhall in Kent.

This mark, ‘T.C’, is usually attributed to Thomas Chawner and, indeed, the mark is identical to that of Chawner. However, it seems probable that the mark may have belonged to a Thomas Carter, whose address appears to have been the same as that of John Carter, a known specialist maker of salvers and waiters. Grimwade noted that an entry appears for a Thomas Carter in the register at Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, but there is no mark struck in the registry. This Thomas Carter would appear to be a different person from the slightly earlier Thomas Carter, a small-worker, who left the business of silversmithing in the late 1760’s.