Mary Sumner entered her first mark on the death of her husband, (William Sumner I), on 18^th March 1807 as a spoon-maker. She then entered another mark with her daughter Eliza on 31^st August 1809, followed by another in 1810. As seen with other women silver-smiths, the death of the husband has not deterred them from continuing the business, in this case mother and daughter. Tongs by Mary & Eliza Sumner are fairly rare.