Flatware
A Hanoverian pattern rat-tail spoon
Image courtesy of Schredds of Portobello
The earliest period for finding and collecting English spoons is the Middle Ages. Scottish spoons occur from around the end of the 16th century. In those days, food was eaten either with a spoon or from the blade of the knife until the introduction of the fork in around 1660,

Early spoons had curved fig-shaped bowls and decorative finials. The most common types of finial are the apostle and the seal top. The "seal" was hexagonal at first, then oval and finally round by the time it dies out in the 1660s. Until the 1670s, there was a set size for a spoon, when differences developed between teaspoons, dessert spoons and table spoons and serving spoons were introduced.

The late 17th-century spoons initially keep the old fashioned type of bowl and have very plain tops. However, by the 1680s the form of the bowl had more or less evolved into the shape it is today, and the spoon terminal had a so-called trefid end. This became less pronounced until it became the dog-nose pattern of the Queen Anne period (1702 - 1714). At this period spoons generally have a "rat-tail", or reinforcing rib, down the back of the bowl. Subsequently, throughout the 18th century, there are really only two patterns: the Hanoverian and the Old English. The Hanoverian style can be distinguished by the upturned curve of the terminal, forks and spoons being laid face down. During the 18th century the so-called rat-tail had disappeared and the bowl became more pointed and less oval.  

Image courtesy of Schredds of Portobello
Forks were introduced to England in the late 17th century in the styles of spoons of the period. Until the 1770s most were made with three prongs; thereafter four prongs became normal.
 
Strictly speaking, knives are not classed as flatware, they are termed cutlery, ie. anything with a cutting edge.
The 18th-century knife has a steel blade and a hollow silver handle with a pitch or resin core. The silver on the handle is often stamped from very thin sheet and consequently is often badly worn; it is also subject to damage if the resin expands. It is rare to find knives included in sets of flatware, and in fact it is probably more sensible to use modern ones which are much more durable.

The early 19th century saw the introduction of many patterns. Some very elaborate designs were produced by the London goldsmith Paul Storr, and even more new types appeared during the Victorian period.