Ladies' Guild Meeting - April 2010
Wednesday 7th April 2010 meant that we went to the village hall in the daylight but not on an April Evening as sung about because it rained a damping drizzle. Inside however was bright with a fascinating display for us to admire. The speaker that evening was Mark Davis, a pharmacologist by profession with a passion which he has developed over the years as a hobby. It became a way of life as he used it to celebrate the landmarks in the lives of others and sometimes of his own special events. He started by showing us slides of medicine spoons of amazing designs, some part lidded and others with long bowls which took the liquid to the back of the throat. The ceramic delights of the past for the sick were beautiful but strange.
Mark’s father, also a pharmacologist, had a hobby which was wood carving, he carved wall plaques. His wall plaque, placed there in 1960, still hangs on the wall behind the Dean’s chair in the London School of Pharmacy. Mark, in his own words ‘a chip off the old block’, started his carving career by making plaques but was led in another direction when he wanted to give his secretary a wedding present; he decided to make her a Welsh love spoon which was the first of many. Mark had photographed all his carvings and so we were able to see a succession of slides which made us all marvel at his skill and dedication to the production of such intricate carvings. Each one is unique, individually designed to suit the occasion and the people for whom it is intended. As each spoon is made from one solid piece of wood the process is amazing; some spoons have little wooded balls on a rack, the balls will run up and down as the spoon is moved. Mark was asked what he did if he made a mistake, the answer was to count to ten, not say what he was thinking and to start again!
Long ago in England, everyone had their own wooden spoon to eat from. Each spoon had a mark to distinguish ownership. As technology progressed, these spoons became redundant but the tradition of presenting a decorated spoon to a young lady to show intent continued. If the lady accepted the spoon then courtship began in earnest. The meaning of the word spooning derives from this custom. The love spoons are made from a great variety of wood which gives a huge range of colours. The spoons for dining were made from sycamore which does not hold the taste of food used previously. St Fagan’s Museum of Rural Life in Wales has a large display of love spoons and a love spoon carver. From there, we learned that a bead stands for a child, a bowl for physical and emotional needs and the spoon handle for emotions. Sailors made love spoons on their voyages; a ship on the handle meant a smooth voyage through life, a coach and horses meant I will work for you, an anchor was a desire to settle down and a knife, fork and spoon was a wish to be domesticated.
Carved spoons have become popular for any special occasion, weddings, births, anniversaries, company and family events and may include designs from the heraldic college or civic and corporate arms. They may be single or double bowled and have almost any carving to suit the situation. We saw one with St Paul's carved at the top. Mark made one for twin grandsons but his daughter wanted one each so he made two which were similar but reversed so that the symbols were convex and concave, that is if one was carved in the other projected. That was a labour of love.
We donated to the Air Ambulance as Mark gives his talks to support them.