WE is a difficult maker's mark to be sure about as there were several makers with those initials working at the same time. We know that William Eley sent work for assay marked "WE" up to January 1797 (when he entered a mark with William Fearn). After 1797 there were several makers with marks:

William Edwards - from 11th December 1800, until at least 1823
William Ellerby - from 15th June 1802, until at least 13th August 1810
William Eaton I, from 19th March 1781 to 1801 (buckle-maker)
William Eaton II, from 18th May 1813 to until at least 22nd February 1840
William Elliot, from 7th September 1813, probably until 1825 at least
William Esterbrook, from 4th November 1817, until at least 16th September 1834

I have attributed these tongs to William Ellerby as the maker's marks all have a pellet between the two letters. As with the other "WE" makers, we cannot be at all sure about this attribution. As is often the case with these Georgian Silversmiths, we must caveat any ascriptions made. We simply cannot be sure.

These tongs are interesting as they are only 4.¾ inches long and a close examination shows join marks on the sides of both arms. These joins have been very carefully made and it is unclear whether this was done at the time of manufacture or later, as a repair. There are various theories about "short" tongs, one of which is that they are only ever short if they have been repaired. A close look at the engraving on the sides of the arms shows that they were engraved AFTER they were shortened - curious?? These tongs also have a very elaborately engraved monogram.

To see a recent paper discussing miniature sugar tongs in more detail, click here.