Although made in London, this mid-eighteenth century fork is French in style. The form of the finial, referred to as a 'fiddle pattern' and the marked drop at the back of the fork where the stem meets the tines are characteristic of French flatware and are unusual in England in the 1740s. The maker's mark is very similar to that of John Boyer, a London goldsmith who produced small objects (a 'smallworker'), but the first record of his mark in the London goldsmiths' registers dates from April 1772 and in 1773 he is described as a buttonworker. When the fork was presented to the V&A it was thought possibly to be from the workshop of 'J. Barbitt'. 'Barbitt' has now been correctly identified as Joseph Barbut, recorded as a goldsmith of large objects (a 'largeworker') in October 1703, and still active in 1739. Barbut's mark does not resemble the one on this fork, but on the other hand his surviving pieces suggest he was a specialist spoon and forkmaker, and he would have been active when this fork was made.