Early brass castor with pierced lid, circa 1780
Size: 5 ¾ h in
M19950
People have been sweetening food for thousands of years. The English began to import sugar as far back as the 16th century, although for most households the primary form of sweetener was honey which was produced locally. It was not until the 1640’s with the founding of the West Indian sugar plantations that sugar importation took off. By the end of that century the amount of sugar imported had expanded to over 12 times the amount of sugar imported in the 1660’s. The English were now using 10,000 tons of sugar a year. Sugar was used in baking, cooking, beverages and shaken over food as well. To shake sugar over food, a suitably designed shaker needed to be developed. The first sugar shaker or casters were developed in the reign of Charles II (1630-1685) of England, but these were very rare. These early casters and those of the William III period were very simple cylinder forms on a footed rim, with a detachable pierced top secured by fittings and topped with a finial. In the Queen Anne period casters became a more globular vase form and began to have push fit tops instead of fittings. The caster’s decorative form continued to have small modifications and additional ornamentation, but the basic design remained generally unchanged from the early forms of William III and Queen Anne. By the Queen Anne period casters were also being used for pepper and other spices. Casters continued to be used in this form into the 20th century, still a beautiful and useful kitchen utensil with a history over three hundred years old.