The History Of Cutlery Boxes

An individual who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler, and this derives from the French word coutelier which comes from the Old French coutel which meant knife. Cutlery now covers knives, forks, and spoons, and the city of Sheffield has been famous for making cutlery for over 400 years. A train running from the city to London was named the Master Cutler. In the early 20th century, stainless steel was developed in Sheffield and brought affordable cutlery to the masses, as opposed to the solid silver of earlier years.

In the 18th century, knives, forks, and spoons were owned by the wealthy and needed cases in which to store and display them. The knife box became a symbol of importance in the dining room, since owning silver showed the owner was an individual of prestige. Knife boxes were fitted with elaborately carved interiors in order to hold the items separately, and the boxes were made of beautiful mahogany or walnut, polished and often with brass handles and brass locks in order to prevent the cutlery being stolen.

Developing knife boxes became an art as craftsmen began to turn what began life as a simple container into something of elegant beauty. Cabinet makers also made knife boxes of cheap pine or fir and then covered them with shagreen which was a leather made from untanned horsehide into which were pressed small seeds. This was then soaked and allowed to dry out and when the seeds were removed there remained an interesting textured pattern on the leather which was then usually dyed green, although sometimes red.

The fashion for knife boxes began to die out around 1820, and from that point a cutlery drawer was included in the sideboard.

Today, of course, we have cutlery boxes made of plastic which are usually stored in drawers in the kitchen, since the dining room, too, has gone out of fashion. Cutlery boxes today are merely items of convenience rather than something fashionable.

Commercial cutlery boxes are generally larger than the cutlery trays in the home, and are used to store and transport quantities of cutlery to wherever it is needed.