The website of the history of one of the

 19c. Cambridgeshire FYNN families

...and other claimed but unsubstantiated connections...

 

College Silver


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Treasures of Silver at Corpus Christi

(If it's in red and underlined then it's a link to more information)

Our attention has been kindly drawn to "Treasures of Silver at Corpus Christi College Cambridge" by Oliver Rackham. Dr Rackham was the Senior Fellow of Corpus Christi in 2003 when the site was first drafted.

For more information on this book, to be able to download a specimen chapter (which in fact gives an excellent precis of the history of the college) and/or to order a copy, click on: Cambridge University Press.

The Fynn name (or mark) appears on a large number pieces of the college silver much of which has been in daily use by the undergraduates until relatively recently.

I have picked out some of the descriptions, which I reproduce with the kind permission of the author, as illustrations of the 'family mark'.

Three Fane Salvers. The graffiti includes "John Fynn 1801".This interestingly suggests that John Fynn was working at Corpus Christi before he became Porter in 1804.  The graffiti appears to be made by those who cleaned and kept the silver.  Dobbs and Austin also mentioned both appear in the history of the college. See Fane Salvers for the extract. (Depending on your version of Internet Navigator/Explorer you may need to zoom in/enlarge to view it correctly. Use the "Back" button to return to this page)
Adkin Slavers. Included on one is the mark "P. Fynn" and then "Fynn 1861" and also the Austin/Dobbs etc mentioned before. I don't know of a "P. Fynn" but this could be short for Porter Fynn or a mis-inscribed "T. Fynn".  There is a comment concerning the fact that the salvers and graffiti is "rather worn" and maybe the "P" could be something else. See later result Update news in finding that John's father, Robert Fynn, was probably a College Servant ("Porter") before him.  Maybe the "P" was an "R". See Adkin Salvers.  Navigate as above.
Tools or Flatware. The numerous eating tools include spoons which can be used as an example of others. Many spoons include the "Fynn" ownership mark. See Spoons. (Navigate as above). I also use as a further example some forks ("116 Undergraduate large forks") dating between 1837 to 1866, all of which have the 'Fynn mark' and some earlier ones have another mark. See Forks (Navigate as above). 
Punch-ladles. As a final example we include the description of a one sided florin Punch-ladle. The name "Fynn" appears as graffito. See Ladles (Navigate as above).

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Page last updated 2nd June 2010

 

 

This website is the copyright of Geoffrey and Sandra Hyde Fynn.   This site was last updated as shown on each page.
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