Hester Bateman, Woman Silversmith

One of the most famous 18th-century English silversmiths was a woman. Hester Bateman, the illiterate mother of three sons, was widowed in 1760 when her husband John, a silversmith, died. She took over the business and, with her sons John, Peter and Jonathan, made silver and increased the importance of the shop. Later her daughter-in-law […]