A Fine and Historically Important Victorian Silver Tea Service Presented to the Naval Engineer Francis Pettit-Smith in 1856

Provenance 

Presented to Francis Pettit-Smith by the shareholders of the Ship Propeller Company in February 1856

Messrs J. Stone & Co.(Charlton) Ltd

Presented to the Shipwright’s Company in 1957 where it remained until acquired by us

A historically important Victorian silver tea and coffee set

This tea service was made by the important makers Edward Barnard & Sons of London in 1855. Conceived in the rococo revival style, the service consists of a tea pot, coffee pot, sugar bowl and cream jug, along with a pair of sugar tongs. The vessels are of baluster-type form with chased rocaille decoration. The two pots have interesting bird of prey finials, a lovely sculptural touch. Each of the pieces is engraved with the monogram FPS and the two pots have engraved representations of the S. S. Archimedes as well as the following inscription:

‘ARCHIMEDES / May 14 1839, with dedication to the other reading Presented to / FRANCIS PETTIT SMITH / Patentee / By the Shareholders of the Ship Propeller Compy. / as a token of their esteem & admiration of / his patient perseverance against all difficulties / & DISCOURAGEMENT IN BRINGING TO MATURITY / the discovery & application of the Screw to the / PURPOSE OF STEAM NAVIGATION / To his Country it has proved invaluable / Its use has become universal / LONDON, FEBRUARY 1856’

All of the pieces are contained in the original wooden case which retains its plush lining.

As the above inscription makes clear, the Archimedes was a highly important vessel as it was the test case for Pettit-Smith’s invention of the screw propeller. Two conflicting patents for screw propellers were filed in 1835, Pettit-Smith’s patent eventually winning out. Backed by the banker Mr Wright and in partnership with the engineers J&G Rennie, Pettit-Smith undertook significant testing and proofing of his invention. During this process his propeller was damaged and, as luck would have it, became more efficient as a result.

The Archimedes, so named because of the use of the Archimedes screw, was built at Henry Wimshurst’s yard in London and launched in October of 1838. After sea trials and early voyages, the Admiralty took an interest in the potential of the screw propeller and arranged a trial against the revenue cutter Vulcan. The trial having been a great success, it was still a prolonged and expensive process for Pettit-Smith to get his invention adopted by the navy at large and this did not happen until 1845, at which point this new system of propulsion was adapted for all the navy’s steam warships. Crucially Pettit-Smith also had the foresight to consult with Isambard Kingdom Brunel about his new invention and agreed to lend Archimedes to Brunel for several months as the celebrated S. S. Great Britain was under construction. Brunel was impressed with the new method of propulsion and adopted it for his vessel as well, thus changing the course of  maritime history.

Francis Pettit-Smith (1808-1874)

Born in Kent, the son of a local postmaster, Pettit-Smith had an interest in boats and building ship models at a very young age. Having become convinced of the opportunities offered by screw propulsion in a series of experiments conducted on his local pond in 1834, he eventually secured the patent for his invention and changed the course of maritime history in the process. Our fine tea service is not the only example of presentation silver acquired by the man. A fine claret jug presented to Pettit-Smith is the collection of the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, VA, USA and can be seen online here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Pettit_Smith#/media/File:Francis_Pettit_Smith_claret_jug.jpg

According to the Science Museum, Pettit-Smith retired to Guernsey as a farmer in 1856 after the 20 years of his patent had expired. It is therefore highly likely that the timing of this presentation was designed to allow him to retire with a clear expression of the thanks of the shareholders that he had enriched over that period.

Pettit-Smith later returned to London, having been appointed curator of the Patent Museum in South Kensington in 1860. He lived in Sydenham Hill from 1864-1870 and then lived in luxury in Thurloe Place where he died in 1874. He had been knighted in 1871.