Tea set; William Hutton & Sons, London, 1883. Silver. Measurements: 13 x 29 x 13.5 cm (largest); 7.5 x 12.5 x 6.5 cm (smaller). Tea set consisting of a milk jug, a teapot and a sugar bowl, all made of silver. The pieces present the same ornamental pattern based on a gallon design on the body. William Hutton & Sons were silversmiths who founded their company in 1800 in Birmingham, who moved to Sheffield in 1832. William Hutton founded the company and, on moving to Sheffield, they also became silversmiths, having licensed the technique of Elkingtons electroplating. This gave them great success from the beginning. William's son, William Carr Hutton, continued the business after his father's death. He used the same trading name until 1864, when it changed to William Hutton & Son (when William Carr's own son Herbert Hutton joined him). On the death of William Carr in 1865, the firm's name changed again to William Hutton & Sons when Herbert's brothers (James and Robert) joined it. In 1863 they opened a showroom in London, in Holborn, which moved to Farringdon Road in 1891 and operated until 1918. In the late 19th century, the Huttons developed a new nickel alloy that was good for plating and became known like British Plate.