OF THE U N I VERS ITY OF ILLINOIS C34K IS^><3 Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. A charge is made on all overdue books. University of Illinois Library u ti. BUG 11 1953 OEC -3 !35 3 ! 7 19, jul i & ms MW 0 3 1!H4 MAY 03 1S34 L161—H41 HALL MARKS ON GOLD AND SILVER PLATE a BY THE SAME AUTHOR Marks and Monograms on Pottery and Porcelain Of the Renaissance and Modem Periods, WITH HISTORICAL NOTICES OF EACH MANUFACTORY. Eighth Edition, revised and considerably augmented, with 3000 Potters' Marks and Illustrations, &c. &c. Royal 8vo, cloth, 42s. TENTH THOUSAND. THE COLLECTOR’S HANDBOOK OF Marks and Monograms on Pottery and Porcelain, With nearly 3000 Marks and a valuable Index. Fcap. 8vo, limp cloth, 6s. THE COMPANION TO “HALL MARKS ON GOLD AND SILVER PLATE." dtiltia ^urtfakrontnt. Or a History of English Goldsmiths and Plateworkers and their Marks stamped on Plate, copied in fac-shnile from Celebrated Examples and the Earliest Records preserved at Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, with their Names, Addresses, and Dates of Entry, 2500 Illustrations ; also, Historical Account of the Goldsmiths’ Company and their Hall Marks and Regalia; the Mint Shop Signs ; a copious Index, &c. 267 pp., Royal 8vo, cloth, 12s. 6d. Communion ^er^tce. Easton M audit, Northamptonshire. Date , 1630-76. l>aU Jlflarfcs ON GOLD AND SILVER PLATE ILLUSTRATED WITH REVISED TABLES OF ANNUAL DATE LETTERS EMPLOYED IN Cfie astfap Offices of (England, Scotland, and Ireland, AND A FAC-SIMILE OF A COPPER-PLATE OF MAKERS’ MARKS AT GOLDSMITHS’ HALL. TO WHICH IS NOW ADDED, A HISTORY OF L’ORFEVRERIE FRANCAISE, WITH EXTRACTS FROM THE STATUTES, ORDINANCES, &c., AND TWELVE PLATES OF FRENCH HALL MARKS. BY WILLIAM CHAFFERS, AUTHOR OF “MARKS AND MONOGRAMS ON POTTERY AND PORCELAIN,” “ THE KERAMIC GALLERY," “THE COLLECTOR’S HANDBOOK OF MARKS AND MONOGRAMS ON POTTERY AND PORCELAIN,” “PRICED CATALOGUE OF COINS,” “OBJECTS OF INTEREST AT THE LEEDS NATIONAL EXHIBITION OF WORKS OF ART IN 1868,” “ GILDA AURIFABRORUM, OR A HISTORY OF LONDON GOLDSMITHS AND PL ATE WORKERS,” ETC. “Opus quale sit, ignis probabit.” — i Cor. iii. 13. (Motto 0/the Goldsmiths' Company 0/Rouen.) JEtgbtb JEDltion. TMitb JntroDuctorg lEssag BY CHRISTOPHER A. MARKHAM, F.S.A. LONDON: REEVES AND TURNER, WELLINGTON STREET, STRAND. E 1896. [All rights reserved. j Printed by Baleantyne, Hanson & Co. At the Ballantyne Press 73? C.34*/ /fok DEDICATED TO &fje dMbsmitljs’ Contpaitg of lonbon, WITH THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE WARDENS AND COURT OF ASSISTANTS, Accompanied by the following gracious reply , signed by the Clerk of the Company. London, E.C., Goldsmiths’ Hall, fune i, 1874. Dear Sir, I beg to inform you that I have brought before the Court of Assistants of the Goldsmiths’ Company your letter of the 15 th of May last, and that the Wardens and Court of Assistants accept with pleasure your proposal to dedicate to the Goldsmiths’ Company your next edition of your valuable book on Hall Marks on Gold and Silver Plate. I am, dear Sir, Yours truly, (Signed) WALTER PRIDEAUX W. Chaffers, Esq. THE GOLDSMITHS’ COMPANY ' I ''HE following account of the Goldsmiths’ Company is from * a plate of their arms in the Secretary’s office :— “To the Master, Warden and Wardens with the rest of the worthy Members of the R l Worsh 11 Comp y of Goldsmiths. “ T B wisheth event of all Felicity and humbly dedicates this plate. “ The Worsh 11 company of Goldsmiths, London, bear for their Ensigne Armoriall : Quarterly, gules and azure ; In the ist and 4th a Leopard’s head Or. In the 2nd and 3rd a Cup covered between two Buckles of the last. On a helmet a wreath of their colours ; A denty * Lady her arms extended proper, in the dexter hand a pair of scales, and in the sinister an ingot as the third. Supported by two Unicorns, gold. Underneath on an Escrole for their motto justitia virtutum regina. Patron, St. Dunstan. “It is to the very great honour of this Company, that severall persons of eminent worth in Antient and Modern times, have been inrolled among them (particularly) in the reigne of Henry the 1st Leofstane goldsmith was provost of this City. That Henry Fitz Alwyn Fitz Leofstane goldsmith was Maior of London, 1st of Richard 1st 1189. That Gregory * Dainty, an old word for Jine or elegant, here used for an elegantly dressed lady. VI n THE GOLDSMITHS’ COMPANY. Rokesley goldsmith continued Maior 7 year together. That Will" 1 Farringdon goldsmith was Sheriff 8th of Edward 1st 1280. And his son Nicholas after him Lord Mair 4 times in the reigne of Edw d 2nd 1308. Besides King, Prince, Earle, and Lord Maiors. They were incorporated 16th Richard 2nd 1392. W m Stonden Lord Maior; Gilbert Mafield, Tho* Newington, Sheriffs. “Their Mansion Hall scituate Foster Lane London. “ Printed for T. Bower Painter and are to be sold at his shop at the Kings Head in Budge Row , London." Their crest and supporters were granted in 1591. Preface to the First Edition , 1863 T HE Tables of Assay Office Letters here given will be found more complete than any hitherto published. Of those which have already appeared, the first printed about thirty years since by a printer in St. Anne’s Lane was a short list of alphabetical letters from the year 1697; but they were badly formed, and printed without being compared with the actual marks on the plate itself. Mr. Octavius Morgan, in 1853, produced an improved Table of the Annual Assay Office Letters of the Goldsmiths’ Hall of London, tracing them back to the fifteenth century, and carefully comparing his lists with the marks on the plate, consulting also the Records and Minutes of the Goldsmiths’ Company for confirmation. He tells us that from the year 1558 regularly formed escutcheons were used to enclose the letters, but unfortunately did not show us what their forms were, only giving the letters. I have endeavoured to supply this defect by placing each letter in its proper shield,—a most important aid in determining the date of a piece of plate, where several alphabets of different dates are similar. Some years since I also printed a small sheet of Assay Office Letters. All these are now out of print, and, at the request of numerous friends, I have been induced to publish one on a more extended scale, embracing the Marks used at the principal Assay Offices of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Although a great proportion of the plate made in England was stamped in London, yet other towns, from an early period, had the like privilege. Scotland also had its Assay Office at Edinburgh, and I ix X PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. am enabled, through the perseverance and untiring zeal of Mr. J. H. Sanderson of that city (in carefully consulting the Records of the Goldsmiths’ Company, and comparing them with pieces of old Scotch plate), to give a correct Table of the Assay Letters used there from the year 1681. I take this opportunity of thanking him for his trouble and kind assistance. In Ireland, the principal Assay Office was at Dublin, and the Corporation of Goldsmiths of that city, through their Master, Edmond Johnston, Esq., liberally granted me permission to examine their Re¬ cords, and, with the assistance of Mr. Thomas Ryves Metcalf, their Clerk (who furnished me with extracts from the local Acts by which they are governed), I am enabled to give a List of Assay Office Letters used there since 1646. Impressions in wax or gutta-percha of early stamps on ancient plate, especially those with engraved dates of presentation, will be very acceptable, that the blanks in the earlier cycles may be filled up satisfactorily. W. CHAFFERS. ‘Preface to the Seventh Edition , 1891 I N offering this Edition of “ Hall Marks on Plate,” a few prefatory remarks are necessary to explain that numerous additions have been made in the various sections. All the recent enactments have been consulted and the important clauses embodied in the work, among which is the total abolition of the duty on manufactured Silver Plate in 1890 ; but the duty on gold remains the same as heretofore. The whole volume has undergone careful revision, and as it is essentially a book of reference for Plate Collectors and Goldsmiths, due attention has been paid in giving facilities for that purpose. The recent Act, abolishing the use of pennyweights and grains, and dividing the Troy ounce into thousandths, has caused some difficulty to Goldsmiths in weighing plate by the new weights, but tables of comparison are given to remedy the temporary inconvenience of the decimal system. The Report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons in 1879 on the Hall-marking of Gold and Silver will show what reforms were considered desirable. In consequence of the importation of vast quantities of foreign plate of an inferior quality, its sale has been prohibited in the United Kingdom by an Act of 1875, unless assayed and stamped at the Halls, with an additional mark denoting its foreign manufacture. The tables of Date Letters of the London and Provincial Assay Offices have received especial attention, and a number of Hall Marks of the Provinces hitherto unappropriated are inserted under their respective cities and towns, with hints for the further elucidation of the subject, thereby preventing the destruction of many interesting pieces which from being unknown have hitherto been consigned to the crucible. A pleasing duty remains to be performed, viz., to express our grateful thanks to several gentlemen who have given us important in¬ formation, and have assisted us materially in elucidating many obscure portions of our History of Hall Marks on Plate. Their names will be xi PREFACE TO THE EIGHTH EDITION. x ii found recorded in the body of the work, yet a few must be specially noticed in anticipation. The urbanity and great help accorded us on all occasions by the Wardens of the Goldsmiths' Company and their Clerk, Mr. Walter Prideaux, aided by the obliging attention of the Deputy Warden, Mr. W. Robinson, merit our warmest thanks. Our inquiries and communications made to the Assay Masters of Chester, Sheffield, and other provincial offices have met with immediate attention. To Mr. Horatio Stewart, of the firm of Messrs! Hancocks & Co., our especial thanks are due in supplying us with careful drawings of Hall Marks, taken by their artist from all pieces of ancient plate which have come under their notice for the last twenty }^ears. W. CHAFFERS. ‘Preface to the Eighth Edition , 1896 I N issuing the Eighth Edition of this work, the publishers have the pleasure of adding to it an Essay by Christopher A. Markham, Esq., F.S.A., on the History of Plate, which they trust will increase the value of the book. Their thanks are due to Messrs. H. Hancock Dove and Alfred G. Dove, of Messrs. Hancocks & Co., Bond Street. The publishers regret to record the death last year of Mr. William Chaffers, the author of the book ; but in this work, and his elaborate volume on Pottery and Porcelain, his careful and industrious labours still remain to the public. TABLES OF DATE LETTERS OF BIRMINGHAM . CHESTER .... DUBLIN .... EDINBURGH EXETER .... GLASGOW .... LONDON .... NEWCASTLE SHEFFIELD .... YORK. ASSAY OFFICES PAGE . 157 141 . 199 .168 . 149 . 1 75 95-100 . *53 .i 59 .i37 INTRODUCTION “ Money spent in the purchase of well-designed plate, of precious engraved vases, cameos, or enamels, does good to humanity." —Ruskin, “The Stones of Venice,” II. vi. 18. W HAT more beautiful craft has ever been practised by mankind than the craft of the gold and silver smith ? From the earliest times of which we have any record, vessels of gold and vessels of silver, made “ for pleasure and for state,” have been objects of universal admiration. Great artists have expended their power in producing articles made from the precious metals. Dominico Ghirlandajo, who flourished towards the end of the fifteenth century, and who was the master of Michael Angelo, worked as a goldsmith ; Verochio, the master of Leonardo da Vinci, worked as a goldsmith; Ghiberti, the artist who designed and constructed those wonderful bronze gates of the Baptistery at Florence, which, as Michael Angelo said, might serve as the gates of Paradise, worked as a goldsmith; Francia of Bologna, whose real name was Raibolini, and who often signed himself on his pictures Aurifex, and on his jewellery Pictor, thus indicating the double craft, worked as a gold¬ smith ; and Benvenuto Cellini of Florence, one of the most artistic men of his time, and a cunning workman, was the prince of goldsmiths and autobiographers. Not only have great artists devoted themselves to the goldsmith’s craft, but “ true goldsmith’s work, when it exists, is generally the means of education of the greatest painters and sculptors of the day.” No matter whether we go to the old Egyptian records graved or painted on stone, to the Bible, or to the classics, we everywhere meet the workers in gold and silver. The Egyptians were exceeding!}' skilful in the use of metals of all kinds, and understood the mixing of various alloys. The paintings at Beni Flasan, drawn about 2500 years before Christ, show the whole process of converting gold dust into jewellery. We see the workmen washing the dust, weighing it in the scales, the clerk writing down the weights on his tablets, the use of the blowpipe to produce sufficient heat to melt the gold in the crucible, and the final working of the metal into XVI INTRODUCTION. vases, and articles of jewellery. The paintings in the tombs at Thebes also show the goldsmiths at their work, together with beautiful specimens of gold and silver articles.* The Egyptians also had store of earrings, bracelets, and jewels of gold and silver in very early times; and these the Israelites obtained on leaving Egypt, for they “ borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver and jewels of gold.”-f- If we go to the ancient account of gold-mining in Egypt written by Agatharchides, who lived in the first century before Christ, we find a very full account of the process by which the gold ore was obtained from the mines, the manner in which it was broken up, the earthy portions washed away, the final smelting of the ore, and the production of the pure gold. We also find a very vivid picture of the terrible life led by the slaves who worked in the mines. In the book of Job, one of the oldest, if not the oldest history in the world, there are numerous references to gold and silver. “ Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.”! The chapter commencing with these lines refers to the mining and working of precious metals. The Israelites thoroughly understood the method of working in gold; they appreciated the malleability of it when “they did beat the gold into thin plates,” and the ductility of it when they did “cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work." § The early Greeks were dexterous in working gold and silver, and their skill and refinement were very great, as early as six centuries before Christ. They were especially clever in using solder, or other metallic cement, by means of which they fixed on the level surface of the articles they made, excessively small pieces of gold, which enabled them to build up the tiny ornaments with which they decorated their work. The great age of Greek art did not, however, commence until about 330 B.C., when the highest stage in the history of all art was reached. Amongst the most remarkable of the Greek sculptures were those composed of ivory and gold, known as chryselephantines. There were many of these in Greece, the most famous being those of Zeus at Olympia, of Here at Argos, and of Athene at Athens, which were executed by Phidias about 433 B.C., and were of immense size. The statue of Zeus was said to be from fifty to sixty feet high, without reckoning the pedestal. That of Athene was somewhat less. The framework of these figures was of olive wood, the faces and all uncovered parts were of ivory, while the dress was of gold, with beautifully wrought borders. Both ivory and gold were very thin, and in the case of the Athene, at any rate, the golden drapery could be taken entirely off. || * Wilkinson’s “Ancient Egyptians,” 1854, vol. ii. p. 136. f Exodus xii. 35. + Job xxviii. I. § Exodus xxxix. 3. II Jupiter Olympien , by Quartermere de Quincy. INTRODUCTION. XVII Diana, great of the Ephesians, was certainly a patroness of the silver¬ smith, for we read that “ a man, Demetrie bi name a worcker in siluer makide siluer housis to Diane.” * Passing from the Greeks to the Romans, we leave a most artistic and highly trained people, for a people certainly not artistic in the higher sense of the word. The Romans were not great goldsmiths, but if they could not produce beautiful articles, they appreciated what was good, and they employed Greeks whose skill was well known. Many beautiful silver vases have been found at Pompeii, Rome, and other places, most of which were no doubt made by the Greeks. A number of silver vessels were some years ago unearthed near Hildesheim, in Hanover, and placed in the Museum at Berlin. They are of a good period, and comprise drinking-vessels, some being parcel gilt; dishes, ladles, pieces of tripods, and other articles. These vessels pro¬ bably formed part of the camp equipage of some Roman commander, for it is known that the sets of silver plate carried by the Romans on their expeditions, were both large and costly. Copies of all these articles may now be seen in the South Kensington Museum.*f* The number of gold and silver vessels, each with its name, used by the Romans was very great. There was the crater, used for mixing the wine and water; the cylix, used for drinking; the cyathus or oenochce, used as a ladle to fill the cylix; the carchesium, or goblet with or without handles; the prochons, or jug; the patera, or saucer; and many others. Small silver tripods were also used for tables. The decline of classic art commenced after the close of the third century, and before many years, all traditions of good classic art had died out. After the decay of Roman art, the remains of the Roman power, and what was left of the traditions of their art, were transplanted to Con¬ stantinople, and formed the foundation of the great art called Byzantine, which lasted from the fourth to the eleventh century. In this style architectural forms were much used ; these were orna¬ mented by scrolls and conventional foliage, interlaced with figures, animals, fabulous creatures, and legends in most complicated patterns. “ Human figures no longer represented gods and goddesses, the images of natural strength and beauty, the pride or the passions of mankind. As the old religion had inspired the earlier art, so did the solemnity of the Christian religion set its mark on the new. Its austerities, its strife with the world, its contempt of pleasure, its future hopes—all these found expression in the heads and bodies of prophets, apostles, and martyrs. Instead of the smoothness of face and roundness of limb of the Greek artists, those of Byzantium represented the wasted shapes of hermits, * “ Deeds of Apostles,” xix. 21, Wycliffe’s Version, t Pollen’s “ Gold and Silver Smiths’ Work.” XV111 INTRODUCTION. the sorrows of the mother of the Redeemer, and the mystery of the Cross.” * The Gloucester candlestick, which is mentioned hereafter, is an excellent example of Byzantine ornamentation. Passing on to a time nearer the present day, we find that the first working goldsmith of whom we hear in England was Dunstan, who was born at Glastonbury about the year 925. He built a cell near the Abbey of Glastonbury, containing an oratory, and also a forge. There he made censers and crosses, chalices and patens, as well as articles for domestic use. He successively became Abbot of Glastonbury, Bishop of Wor¬ cester, and of London, and Archbishop of Canterbury. After his death in 979 he was buried in Canterbury Cathedral, canonised, and made the patron of all good goldsmiths. The London Goldsmiths’ Company especially honoured S. Dunstan, always subscribing towards the light of S. Dunstan in the Church of S. John Zachary, keeping his day as a holiday, and designating him in their books as “Seynt Dunstan, our blessed Patron, Protector and Founder.”-f* The Anglo-Saxons were, indeed, always reckoned skilful in the use of gold and silver. We are told that after the Conquest, when William returned to Normandy, he carried with him the choicest wealth of England, as gifts to S. Stephen’s at Caen, and other churches which he visited. “ Men gazed with wonder upon the rich spoils of the conquered island. In arts of skill and adornment England and other Teutonic lands were allowed to outdo the nations of the Romance speech. And if the women of England were renowned for the art which had wrought the Raven on the banner of Ragnar, and the Fighting Man on the banner of Harold,” the men were no less renowned for the art which wrought the cups of gold, the cups of silver, and the many other articles which adorned the tables of the great. Theodoric, the goldsmith, was settled in England in King Eadward’s time, and held lands in various shires both under that King and under Earl Harold. He was a man of unrecorded nationality, and was no doubt one of those craftsmen from the Teutonic land, whose presence in England had been encouraged by a constant tradition, probably going back to the days of Eadgar. Immediately after the Conquest, William granted to him estates in Berkshire. In Essex and Suffolk we find a tenant called “ Otto aurifaber ,” or “ Otho aurifex ,” who must have been a clever workman, for he was employed on William’s own tomb; and in Wiltshire, also, “ Grimbaldus aurifaber ” was one of the King’s Thegns. In the eleventh century a great revival of art took place throughout Europe, the movement being to a large extent ecclesiastical in character. Most of the workers were monks, who founded their monasteries in all parts * Pollen’s “ Gold and Silver Smiths’ Work.” + Chaffers’ Gilda Aurifabrorum (Reeves & Turner). INTRODUCTION. xix of the land, raising the most wonderful structures, adorned with images and sculpture, with altar fronts, crosses and candlesticks, with chalices and patens, and with reliquaries and lamps. Brithnodus, the Abbot of Ely, at this time was a worker in gold and silver, and the jewelled images made by him were given to turn the wrath of the Conqueror from the Abbey of Ely. Robert, the Abbot of St. Albans, was a skilful goldsmith, and the maker of two remarkable reliquaries with golden images; and Baldwin and Anketil, fwo monks of the same monastery, were also celebrated as goldsmiths and the makers of elegant cups and candlesticks. In the twelfth century we read of many gold-workers; amongst them Leofstane, a celebrated goldsmith, who was appointed by the King Provost of London, a title antecedent to that of the Lord Mayor. Ralph Flael was a goldsmith, and Alderman of London, and in the twelfth century he was one of those amerced for practising in a guild without the King’s license. In 1180 a guild of goldsmiths existed in London, but it was simply an association of manufacturers working together as a trade union, pro¬ bably using the leopard's head as a trade-mark, but unrecognised by the legislature, and having no charter or other privilege. The first Mayor of London was a goldsmith, Henry Fitz-AHveyn by name, who held this high office from 1189 to I2I 3- The reputation of the .gold-worker for honesty, does not, however, appear to have been very high, for in 1238 the King issued a mandate commanding the Mayor and Aldermen to choose six of the more discreet goldsmiths to superintend the craft, to inquire as to the pureness of gold and silver used, and to prevent any one from working in private. Neither does it appear that the gold-workers were a very peaceful race, for, as the guild became powerful, it is recorded that in 1268— “In this liii yere [of Henry III.] in y e moneth of Nouembre, fyll a varyaunce atwene the felysshyppes of goldsmythes and taylloures of London, whiche grewe to makynge of parties, so that . . . moche people nyghtly gaderyd in the stretes in harneys, and at length as it were prouyded, the thirde nyght of the sayd parties mette vpon the nombre of v.c. men on both sydes, and ran togyder with such vyolence that some were slayne and many wonded. Then outcry was made, so that y e shyreffes, with strengthe of other comons, came to the ryddynge of theym, and of theym toke certayne persones, and sent theym vnto dyuers prysons. . . . Then vpon the Fryday folowynge saynt Katheryns daye, sessyons were kepte at Newgate by the mayre and Laurence de Broke iustyce and other, where xxx. of the sayd persones were arregned of felony, and xiii. of theym caste and hanged.”* * “The Chronicles,” by Robert Fabyan, 1S11, p. 364. XX INTRODUCTION. At the end of the thirteenth century we meet with the name of William Torel, who was a goldsmith and citizen of London, and maker of the beautiful recumbent statue of Eleanor of Castile, of brass, gilt with gold ; and at the same time, Ade, a goldsmith, made many gold and silver vessels for Edward I. Sir William Faryngdon, who gave his name to the City Ward, and who was Sheriff and Mayor of London in 1280, was a goldsmith, as was also his son, Sir Nicholas Faringdon, who was four times Mayor » of London. The first time any mark was officially mentioned as being impressed on articles of silver, was in 1300, when it was enacted that gold should be no worse than the touch of Paris, and silver should be of the sterling alloy, or in any case no worse than money. Silver articles were to be marked with a leopard’s head by the wardens of the craft, but no mark was ordained for gold articles.* Gold of the touch of Paris and silver of the sterling of England, were both at that time, everywhere, the recognised standards for precious metals. John de Louthe and William de Berkinge were celebrated jewellers about 1307, and they made for Isabella, queen of Edward II., “A chaplet of gold set with balays, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds and pearls; a crown of gold set with sapphires and rubies of Alexandria; a circlet of gold, and other articles.” Twenty years later the Goldsmiths’ Company was incorporated by Edward III., by letters patent, in the first year of his reign, under the name of “ The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths of the City of London.” This charter especially provided for the pro¬ tection of the home industry; and after reciting that private merchants and strangers from foreign lands counterfeited sterling, kept shops in obscure streets, made jewellery in which they set glass of divers colours, covered tin with silver so subtilely and with such sleight that the same could not be separated, and otherwise misbehaved themselves, the King- granted that only plate of fine silver should be imported, that men of the trade should only keep shops in Cheap, that honest and sufficient men should be chosen to reform defects and punish offenders, and that in the trading cities of England the same ordinance should be observed, and that certain from such towns or cities should carry the wares to London, in order that, after the touch of gold had been ascertained, their works might be marked with the puncheon of the leopard’s head, as it was anciently ordained. This charter speaks of the leopard’s head as being even then an old mark, and only provides for the marking of gold articles, the marking of silver articles having been directed by the previous statute. * 28th Edward I. cap. 20. INTRODUCTION. xxi In 1336 the ordinances of the Company speak of three marks, “the owner’s and sayer’s marks and the Liberdshede crowned ”; the first mark being the maker’s, the second the assayer’s, and the third that of the Goldsmiths’ Hall, the crown being for the first time mentioned. Another statute in 1363 provided that every master goldsmith should have a mark for himself, which he was to set on his work, after it had been assayed and the surveyor had set on it the King’s mark.* Sir John de Chichester was a celebrated goldsmith, and the maker of the wedding jewellery for the son of Edward III. and the Lady Blanche. He was Mayor of London in 1369. In 1379 it was more specifically enacted that every goldsmith should have his own proper mark upon his w r ork, and also that Mayors of cities and boroughs should assay the work; and that the same should bear the mark of the city or borough where it was assayed, and, after the assay, that the work should be stamped with another mark to be appointed by the King.j* In 1392 the Goldsmiths’ Company received their second charter, giving them license to be a community, and to choose out of their own number four wardens to govern the community.^; In 1403, in consequence of fraudulent artificers having daily made articles of copper and latten, gilt and silvered, it was enacted that no artificer should gild or silver any article made of copper or latten; but ornaments made for the church might be gilt or silvered, pro¬ vided a piece of the foot were left plain, though chalices were always to be of pure metal. In 1414, in consequence of the goldsmiths refusing to sell gilt wares for less than double the price of the weight of the silver in the same, an Act was passed fixing the price of silver gilt of the English sterling, at 46s. 8d. for a pound troy.§ As the two last-mentioned Acts were not sufficient to prevent frauds, another Act was passed to forbid the gilding of any metal except silver, the only things excepted being church ornaments and knights’ spurs.[| In 1407 the second Goldsmiths’ Hall was built by Sir Drugo Barentyne, and endowed by him with fair lands. He was a goldsmith, and twice Mayor of London. In 1423 it was ordained that the gold or silver smiths sell no worked silver in the city of London, unless it be of the fineness of silver; and that no harness of silver be sold before it be touched with the touch of the leopard’s head, if it may reasonably bear the same, and also be marked with the workman’s mark. The cities of York, Newcastle- * 37th Edward III. cap. 7. t 2nd Richard II. X 16th Richard II. § 2nd Henry V., Stat. 2, cap. 4. || 8th Henry V. cap. 3. XX11 INTRODUCTION. upon-Tyne, Lincoln, Norwich, Bristol, Salisbury, and Coventry were each to have a distinct touch, to be fixed by the Mayor, bailiff, or governor of the same town.* Sir John Pattesley, goldsmith, was the maker of a “tablett of golde with a crucifixe garnized with sapphires and perles weyng about xiiij unc,” for Queen Katherine, in 1437. He also was Mayor of London. In 1462 the Goldsmiths’ Company received a third charter, con¬ stituting them a body corporate, with perpetual succession and a common seal, much enlarging their powers, and giving the wardens authority to search and try all sorts of gold and silver in the city of London, and in all other places throughout the kingdom of England, to punish and correct all defects, and to break all deceitful works and wares of gold and silver. This charter has since been many times confirmed and enlarged by later sovereigns. In 1477 it was enacted that gold should be of the fineness of 18 carats, and silver as fine as sterling; and that all articles of silver sold within London, or within two leagues thereof, should be touched with the mark of the worker and the leopard’s head crowned. Sir Edmund Shaa or Shaw was Mayor of London in 1482, and attended as cup-bearer at the coronation of King Richard III. He was goldsmith to the King, and sold to him “4 pots of silver parcel gilt, 3 pots and 5 bowes, 12 dishes, 11 saucers silver with gilt borders, 2 chargers, 10 saucers, an ewer parcel gilt and 8 other chargers. The weight of the said plate was 275 pounds 4 ounces of troy weight, and came to ^550 13s. 4d.” He founded a free school at Stockport, in Cheshire, and by his will provided for its endowment; he also directed “ 16 rings of fine gold to be graved with the well of pitie, the well of mercie, and the well of everlasting life,” and given to his friends. Sir Hugh Bryce was a goldsmith, Governor of the Mint, and Mayor of London in 1485. He gave a goodly and rich hearsecloth to the Goldsmiths’ Company, who recorded in a minute that whenever it was used the company assembled were to pray for the donor’s soul. Thomas Wood was an opulent goldsmith about 1491, and the builder of Goldsmiths’ Row, Cheapside, which “ containeth in number, ten fair dwellings and fourteen shops, all in one frame.” Sir Bartholomew Reade, goldsmith, was Mayor in 1501. He purchased Crosby Place, where he resided, and where he received the ambassadors of the Emperor Maximilian, when they visited England to condole with Henry VII. on the death of his queen Elizabeth, and his son. Sir John Shaw, goldsmith, who was probably the son of Sir Edmund * 2nd Henry HI. caps. 13, 14. INTRODUCTION. xxm Shaw, was Mayor of London in 1508. He made for King Henry VII. “a George of Diamants iiij li. iiij sh .,” and “ iij rings of gold viij li.” Robert Amades in 1518 was goldsmith to Cardinal Wolsey, and made a quantity of plate for him, including an image of Our Lady and six great candlesticks made at Bruges with leopards’ heads and cardinals’ hats. The leopards’ heads were no doubt the Hall-marks. Were the cardinals’ hats also used as Hall-marks ? It will be remembered that one of the indictments against this ambitious prelate was the charge of stamping his cardinal's hat on the coin of the realm. Many other Acts were passed in the reigns of Henry VII., Henry VIII., and Elizabeth, all of which aimed at keeping the standard of gold and silver in a high state of fineness, and preventing frauds. In 155° the great Sir Thomas Gresham was a goldsmith, and carried on business at the “ Grasshopper ” in Lombard Street. He was present at Queen Elizabeth’s first council at Hatfield, and was treated by her with marked favour. Sir Martin Bowes, goldsmith, was Sheriff and Mayor of London five times from 1545 ; and Member of Parliament four times from 1546 to 1 55 5. He was butler at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, and presented to her his gold cup, out of which she drank to the Goldsmiths’ Company. Sir Richard Martin, goldsmith, was Mayor in 1589, and kept his mayoralty in a house in Goldsmiths’ Row, Cheapside; and Sir James Pemberton was a goldsmith, and Mayor in 1611. Sir Thomas Vyner, goldsmith, was Sheriff of London in 1640, and Lord Mayor in 1653. He was knighted by Cromwell, and created a baronet by Charles II. Alderman Francis Meynell, who was a goldsmith and banker, was Sheriff of London in 1662. He is mentioned several times by Pepys, who on one occasion at least went “by invitation to dinner to Sheriff Maynell’s, the great money man.” Sir Robert Vyner, goldsmith, of Lombard Street, was Sheriff in 1666 and Mayor in 1675. He made the crown jewels for the coronation of King Charles II., and he entertained the King at a banquet in the Guild¬ hall during his mayoralty. Both Pepys and Evelyn allude to him in their Diaries. In 1697 the standard for worked silver was raised above that of the coinage, which was sterling, in order to prevent the custom of melting silver coins. The Hall-marks were therefore changed to the lion’s head erased, the figure of Britannia, the date letter, and the maker’s mark.* Sir Francis Child, who was a goldsmith, and who succeeded to the business of Robert Blanchard, was Sheriff in 1690 and Lord Mayor in 1699. He was the first of a race of Childs who were jewellers, gold- * 8th & 9th William III. cap. 8. XXIV INTRODUCTION. smiths, and bankers; as were also Mr. James Hoare and Mr. James Coutts, who both founded houses well known at the present day. William Gamble, of Foster Lane, was a celebrated goldsmith and plate- worker, and the maker of a great number of valuable articles. Anthony Nelme, also, of “Avie Mary Lane,” was a most prolific goldsmith. And David Willaume, of the “ Golden Ball,” was also a well-known goldsmith. So we come to the great Paul de Lamerie, who lived at the “ Golden Ball,” Windmill Street, and who entered his name at Goldsmiths’ Hall in 1712. For forty years Lamerie carried on his business as an artist, designer, and worker in gold and silver. He was the royal goldsmith, and much employed by the nobility and gentry, being the first artist of his time. After his death in 1751 no one succeeded to his business. The higher standard introduced in 1697 did not last long, for in 1719 the old standard was again made lawful and the old Hall-marks were revived, although the higher standard was still legal.* The last goldsmith, perhaps, that we need mention, was Richard Gurney, who entered his name at Goldsmiths’ Hall in 1734, in partner¬ ship with Thomas Cook. His place of business was “The Golden Cup” in Foster Lane. In 1739 the new mar k °f Richard Gurney & Co. was registered, and this mark is found on a very great number of silver vessels throughout the country. In 1739 the maker’s mark was altered from the first two letters of his surname, to the first letters of his Christian and surname. All gold and silver smiths, therefore, destroyed their punches and procured new ones. In 1771 the Goldsmiths’ Company was again insubordinate, and on the 5th June in that year, at a Common Council held in London, the master and wardens of the Goldsmiths’ Company were disfranchised for disobeying the Lord Mayor’s precept.J* In 1784 duties were made payable on all gold and silver plate, and the sovereign’s head was impressed as a fifth mark, to denote the payment of the duty. In 1823 the mark of the leopard’s head appears for the first time without the crown, and it is so stamped at the present time. In 1890 the duty on both gold and silver articles was abolished, and consequently the sovereign’s head ceased to be impressed on assayed articles. Many other Acts have been passed at various times regulating the working and sale of the precious metals, which are hereinafter more particularly specified; the effect of the more important only of these Acts being given in this sketch. * 6 th George I. cap. 2. t Allen’s “ London,” vol. ii. p. 81. INTRODUCTION. XXV And many other great goldsmiths have lived and worked, full par¬ ticulars of whom will be found in Chaffers’ Gilda Aurifabronun. ecclesiastical plate- “ And he look the cuppe and dide thankyngis, and zaf to hern , and seide , Drynke ze alle herof.” —Matt. xxvi. 27 (IVyclijfe s Version). Chalices and Patens. The earliest records we have of Communion plate, show the chalice similar in form to a classic drinking-cup, having a large bowl, round spreading foot, and two handles. About the beginning of the twelfth cen¬ tury the use of the handles came to an end, and chalices with smaller bowls were introduced ; although the cup was not absolutely forbidden to the laity until the order of the Council of Constantine in 1414. Most of the Communion plate in use was given by individuals, and such gifts are frequently recorded in mediaeval wills. Thus in 1246 King Henry III. gave a chalice to the Church of All Saints, and smaller vessels to the other parish churches in the town of Northampton. * The earliest chalices and patens now remaining are those which have been discovered in the coffins of bishops and priests who died during the twelfth and following centuries, it having been the custom to bury silver vessels with the higher, and pewter vessels with the lower digni¬ taries of the Church, as symbols of their calling. The chalices which date from 1200 to 1250 always have a circular foot. The oldest now remaining is quite plain, with a broad and shallow bowl, having a slight lip, a short stem with knop, and plain foot. Of this type only three examples remain; two of these are coffin chalices, and the third was, until recently, used at Berwick, S. James’, Wilts, and is now in the British Museum. The patens of the same date have two depressions, the first circular, the second quatrefoil, with a central device, the Manus Dei often being used. The next type of chalice has the stem and knop wrought separately from the rest of the vessel, and either stem or knop, or both, lobed or polygonal. The patens belonging to this type have the lower depression, or single depression, octofoil or multiple, and some device in the centre. In York Minster there is a good chalice and paten of this period, which were found in the grave of an archbishop. The next type of chalice, which was made at the end of the thirteenth * Bridges’ “Northamptonshire,” vol. i. p. 426. XXVI INTRODUCTION. century, is similar to the last, except that the foot is ornamented. At Dolgelly a silver-gilt chalice and paten were recently discovered. They are large and massive. The chalice has a wide and shallow bowl, with a slight lip; the knop is circular, and divided into twelve lobes by ribs; the stem is ornamented with vertical leaves; the foot is broad and circular, with twelve lobes ending in trefoils; between and below these are larger trefoils, beautifully engraved with Early English foliage; and between these again is similar foliage. The paten is sunk in two depressions, the first circular, the second sexfoil, with symbols of the evangelists in the spandrils, and the seated figure of Our Lord in the centre. Both chalice and paten were made by Nicholas of Hereford about 1280.* During the next half-century, the pattern changed but little, except that the bowl of the chalice became deeper and more conical. Only one chalice of this period is known, which was found in the grave of William de Melton, Archbishop of York. About the middle of the fourteenth century, chalices with six-pointed feet were first made. The reason for abandoning the round foot, was that the custom of laying down the chalice to drain was introduced, and the polygonal foot prevented the vessel from rolling. The earliest chalice of this fashion is that at Hamstal Ridware, Co. Stafford. This is of silver, parcel gilt, the bowl conical, the stem short and thick, the knop formed of curved lobes, and the foot having six points. Its paten is also silver, parcel gilt, sunk in circle, and again in sexfoil, with plain cusps, and the Manus Dei in the centre. The next example was probably made about a hundred years later. It is silver, parcel gilt, the bowl quite plain and conical, the stem hexagonal, the knop also quite plain and hexagonal, the foot mullet-shaped, having six points, and on the front is engraved the ifjc, and round the edge a double row of small-leaved flowers. From 1450 to 1520 the chalices became somewhat more ornate. Of this period several still remain, most of which have their patens. At this time the bowl becomes deeper, and is generally plain; the stem is much taller and hexagonal, also plain, but sometimes buttressed at the angles ; the knop is more beautiful, having on its six faces masks or roses; the foot is either plain with six points, or the points are ornamented with loops, and on the front is usually engraved or enamelled the crucifix or the tf)C. The patens at this time have a single circular depression, with lt)C or Xf)0 as the device in the centre. A little later the foot of the chalice becomes sexfoil in plan, instead of having six points. The best example of this type is the chalice of gold at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, which, with its paten, was given to the College by Bishop Fox, when it was founded in 1516. Arclueologia, vol. liii. p. 575. INTRODUCTION. XXVll The last type of chalice, made immediately before the Reformation, is still more elaborate. The bowl is flatter, more like the Early Norman shape, and generally bears a legend; the stem is tall and hexagonal, sometimes being pierced with tracery; the knop has six sides, and is much like those before described ; where the stem joins the foot there is a kind of parapet, and the foot is formed into a wavy-sided hexagon, on the front of which is engraved the crucifix, and it generally also bears a legend. The patens belonging to this period have a single circular depression, with the vernicle as a central device, surrounded by a glory of rays, and also having a legend engraved round the edge. From this sketch it will be seen that the amount of mediaeval Com¬ munion plate remaining is very limited. Throughout England there are not above forty chalices and about twice that number of patens now in existence. The display of gold and silver plate, much of it being ornamented with jewels, in our cathedrals, abbeys, and churches previous to the Reformation, must have been wonderfully beautiful. The number of vessels possessed was considerable, and the value of the same must have been great. As a typical example of the utensils of a great cathedral, even as late as the sixteenth century, a short summary of the inventory of the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin at Lincoln, which was taken in 1536, is here given * :— Chalices. —A chalice of gold with pearls and precious stones set in the foot and knop, and a paten with the figures of Our Lord and the Apostles. A great silver and gilt chalice with the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, and the salutation of the Virgin on the foot; and a paten with the coronation of the Virgin, weighing 74 ounces. A silver and gilt chalice and paten, with gilt spoon ; and three other large silver and gilt chalices and patens. Feretories ,-f*—A great silver and gilt feretory with steeple, twelve pinnacles, and images of the Virgin and S. Hugh. Four other fere¬ tories, silver and gilt and crystal. Phylacteries .J—A silver and gilt phylactery with red and blue stones, containing the bones of S. Stephen. A similar phylactery, containing the bones of S. Agnes. Another phylactery with a knop of beryl, containing the bones of S. Vincent. A phylactery of crystal and silver, containing a tooth of S. Hugh. Ampulla? zvitlt Reliquies.% —Six ampullae of crystal, with feet and covers of silver and gilt, containing relics of various saints. Tabernacles .j| —Six tabernacles of ivory or wood, one containing relics. Images. —An image of Our Saviour, silver and gilt, with a cross in the hand. A great image of Our Lady, crowned, sitting in a chair, * Ai'cJuzologia, vol. liii. p. 13. t A shrine. + A reliquary. § A covered vessel. || A receptacle for the Sacrament. XXV111 INTRODUCTION. silver and gilt, with the Holy Child on her knee, also crowned. Relics of virgins in a silver and gilt vessel. Chests for Relics. —Twenty-four chests, some made of silver and gilt, some of crystal, and some covered with cloth of gold or needlework. Pyxes .*—A round pyx of crystal, ornamented with silver and gilt, containing the relics of saints. Four pyxes of ivory, bound with silver and gilt, or with copper. A pyx of crystal, with foot of silver and gilt. And a silver and gilt pyx. Crosses .—A cross of silver and gilt, with a crucifix in the centre, S. Mary and S. John on either hand, and the evangelists at the corners, weighing 57 ounces. Fifteen other crosses, of divers materials and sizes. A silver and gilt cross, similar to the first, but weighing 84 ounces. Candelabra .—Two great candlesticks of gold, for eight candles each, weighing 22 and 10 ounces respectively. Six other candle¬ sticks, silver and gilt. Thuribles .\—A pair of great censers, silver and gilt, weighing 88 ounces. Four other smaller pairs of censers. And a silver and gilt ship, having a spoon with a cross, weighing 34 ounces. Bowls , &c .—Two fair basins of silver and gilt, chased with double roses and enamelled, one weighing 81 ounces, the other 79 ounces. Three other pairs of basins of silver and gilt, of smaller size. A patte of silver for holy water. Two saucers of silver gilt. A sacring bell of silver. Two-squared sconce of silver and gilt. A calefactory, silver and gilt. Two fioles of silver and gilt. Staves .—A staff covered with silver and gilt, with an image of Our Lady at one end, and an image of S. Hugh at the other. Four other staves of silver and gilt. And four staves of wood, two of which have plates of silver. Pastoral Staves .—The head of a bishop’s staff, silver and gilt, with a knop of pearls and stones, an image of Our Saviour on one side, and an image of S. John Baptist on the other, weighing 18 ounces. The head of a staff, copper and gilt. Two staves for the same. Texts of the Evangelists .—A text after S. Matthew, covered with a plate, silver and gilt, and with divers stones. Six other similar texts. And three texts for Lent and the Passion. Chrismatory .—A chrismatory, silver and gilt, with sixteen images, enamelled, weighing 26 ounces. A mp idles for Oil .—Three ampullae, silver and gilt, each with a cover, and a spoon with an acorn. Morses, Seventeen morses, silver and gilt, some set with stones and pearls, others enamelled. * Vessels of precious metal to contain the Eucharist, t Vessels in which to burn incense. + The metal fastenings of a cope. INTRODUCTION. XXIX Serta .—Three garlands, silver and gilt, enriched with pearls and stones. Such were the holy vessels and utensils of a great church in the Middle Ages. After 1534 the work of spoliation commenced, and has been carried on more or less ever since. First came Henry VIII., who in 1539-40 suppressed all religious houses throughout the realm, and of course appro¬ priated their possessions, including their vessels of gold and silver. In 1548 Edward VI. sent his commissioners throughout the land, with orders to take all plate, except one, two, or more chalices, according to the size of the parish. And a few years later further orders were issued, that “monuments of feigned miracles, pilgrimages, idolatry and superstition ” were to be entirely done away with and destroyed. Then it was that churchwardens and incumbents, feeling that all church property was insecure, sold a good deal of the Communion plate, and expended the proceeds in the repairs of their churches and other ways. Cups made in the time of Edward VI. are as rare as pre-Reformation chalices. At S. Margaret’s Church, Westminster, there are two large silver-gilt cups of this date.* At Clapton and Great Houghton, Co. Northampton, are two beautiful silver-gilt cups, made in 1548 and 1553 respectively; *f* and a few others may be found throughout the country. The cups and patens made about the year 1570 are all of the same design, no matter in what part of England they are found. They are mostly of elegant form, and as different from the chalices out of which they were made as they can well be. A cup of this period has a conical bowl with slightly hollowed sides and somewhat flat base, engraved with one or two belts of strap work enclosing foliage. The stem is always evenly balanced, with a circular knop in the centre, on a flat fillet, and it is joined to the bowl and foot by either horizontal or vertical mouldings. The foot is generally high and dome-shaped, resting on a flat flange, on which is sometimes en¬ graved the egg and tongue pattern. The paten is made so as to serve as a cover for the cup, the foot forming a handle; sometimes the paten is engraved with strap ornamentation like the cup, and sometimes the date is engraved on the foot or button. An enormous number of Elizabethan cups and patens still remain, but no two are alike, although the same type is used for all. During the reigns of James I. and Charles I. the type of cup and cover changes but little. The cups were, however, often taller, slighter, and less elegant, the engraved belt round the bowl being often omitted. Cover patens were also used. Another type of cup at this time was made with a bell-shaped bowl and baluster stem, and this form of cup does not appear ever to have been used with a cover paten. * Freshfield’s “ Communion Plate in the County of London.” t Markham’s “ Church Plate of the County of Northampton,” 1894, pp. 70, 162. C XXX INTRODUCTION. During the Commonwealth but little plate of any kind was made in England. Two patterns of cups were used at this time. One of these has a somewhat large bowl, with flat base, baluster stem, and flat foot. The other has a large bell-shaped or conical bowl, a thick stem with a flat flange or plate for knop, swelling gradually to form a plain foot. A cup of this type generally has a cover paten, with a single depression, made to fit it face upwards. During the reigns of Charles II. and James II. some magnificent cups and patens will be found, and also some which are very plain and ugly. The same pattern of cup before described continued to be manu¬ factured, and at the same time a new form of cup was introduced. The bowl of this cup is cylindrical, deep, and of great capacity; the stem short and thick, and swelling out to rest on a flat flange and form the foot; the whole is large and clumsy. The paten corresponding with the cup, but not used as a cover, is also clumsy, being of large size, sunk in a single depression on short thick foot. In the eighteenth century the form of the cups and patens still further degenerated. The cup at this time has a large bell-shaped bowl; an evenly balanced stem, generally with a circular knop in the centre ; and the foot is formed of horizontal mouldings. The paten is large, with a broad edge and one circular depression; the foot is quite plain, and generally large and high. Sometimes the paten fits the cup foot upward. Frequently the knop and foot of the cup, and the foot of the paten are ornamented with rope or rolled moulding. In the present centuiy the same kind of vessels are made, and the earlier of these are not very beautiful. But now the pre-Reformation types are being again introduced, and some of the Communion sets now manufactured are of excellent design and workmanship. Flagons. The earliest flagons at present existing are those made during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. These are generally of “ the round-bellied type.” At Cirencester Church; S. Margaret’s Church, Westminster; S. George’s Chapel, Windsor; and a few other places, are flagons which have high feet, round bulbous bodies, straight necks, domed lids, and curved handles. Flagons of this shape are far from elegant in appearance. This type of flagon was only made for a few years, for the tankard type came into fashion about 1600, and has ever since been used. A tankard-shaped flagon is generally handsome and massive, though quite plain. It has straight sides, dome-shaped lid, high, straight purchase, rather large curved handle, and broad spreading foot; the handle often ending in a heart-shaped plate. The Communion service now at Easton Manduit, Northamptonshire, is INTRODUCTION. XXXI represented in the frontispiece of this volume. The paten and cup were made of silver gilt in 1630, and are marked with the initials of the donor, the Right Reverend Thomas Morton, who was successively Bishop of Chester, Lichfield and Coventry, and Durham. The flagon is a very beautiful vessel, made in 1672, of silver gilt repousse work. The alms- dishes are quite plain, and are also silver gilt. In the parish register there is an entry relating to this silver, signed by the Rev. Thomas Percy, author of “The Reliques of Ancient English Poetry,” who was once vicar of the parish. Coronation Plate* “ A crown of pure gold on his head .” —Psalm xxi. 3. TPIE English regalia is now kept in the Tower of London, and consists of the following :— The crown of Queen Victoria, resplendent with diamonds, having on the cross the inestimable sapphire, and in the front the heart-shaped ruby said to have belonged to the Black Prince. S. Edward’s crown of gold, embellished with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls, and sapphires. The Prince of Wales’ crown of pure gold, unadorned with jewels. The ancient Queen’s crown, used at Coronations of the Queen Consort. The Queen’s diadem, adorned with diamonds and pearls, which was made for Marie D’Este, the consort of James II. S. Edward’s staff of pure gold, 4 feet 7 inches long. The sceptre with the cross, which is placed in the Sovereign's hand, at the Coronation, by the Primate. The sceptre with the dove. The Queen’s sceptre. There are several other articles of gold and silver, including the Coronation spoon, of which more hereafter. The present regalia is but a small portion of what it used to be.* In 1625 the first dispersion of the crown jewels took place, when Charles I. pawned a portion of the regalia to Holland, in order to raise money for his war with Spain. The remainder of the jewels was in 1644, in conformity with an order of the House of Commons, consigned to crucible. Thus, unique jewels were destroyed without mercy, and “the produce employed to buy horses.”+ Rymer’s Fxdera. t Chaffers’ Gilda Aurfabrorum. XXX11 INTRODUCTION. Corporation Plate. “ Jack Cade. Strike off their heads , and bring them both upon two poles . . . for with these borne before us instead of maces , will we ride through the streets .” —Shakespeare, “2nd Pt. Henry VI.,” Act iv. sc. 7. The only articles used by corporate towns that we need consider now are maces; for, although such towns often possess loving-cups and other vessels, they are not, like maces, used officially. Maces were once used as weapons of warfare. Thus, at the Conquest of England, Duke William and Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, fought with maces ; and it is said that Odo carried this terrible and crushing instrument, in lieu of a sword, because the canons of the Church forbade a priest to shed blood.* Afterwards maces were used as symbols of authority, and are found in almost every borough in England. And first as to sergeants’ maces. The earliest of these is of the fifteenth century; this is silver parcel gilt and 25 inches long, with an iron grip, and a later crown at the top. It is now at Hedon, in Yorkshire. At Stratford-on-Avon and a few other places there are maces of about the same date, none of which has a crown. In the sixteenth century the heads of the maces became more bowl-shaped, and the lower end lost its mace-like character, and appeared with small brackets at the base. In the course of the seventeenth century the head was enlarged to give room for various symbols, such as the royal arms, or the initials of the sovereign, and a crown was added above the bowl, surmounted by a globe and cross. The small brackets also were carried upward; first they were placed at the lower end, then half-way up the handle, and finally immediately beneath the bowl. About 1650, sergeants’ maces ceased to be manufactured; at least hardly any were made after that time. Secondly, as to great maces which were borne before the Mayor as a sign of authority. The earliest of these now in existence, is the fine one at Chichester, which is of the early part of the seventeenth century. The maces at Stafford, Grimsby, and York are only a little later in date- These maces, though somewhat more ornate, are made on the same lines as the sergeants’ maces before noticed. The mace of the House of Commons, which was made in 1649-60, is a good example of maces of that date. In the eighteenth century many of the maces were made with baluster stems, the other parts remaining unaltered. * Freeman’s “History of the Norman Conquest.” INTRODUCTION. XXXlll Maces of exceptional form are sometimes found. Thus, maces shaped like oars are now at Dover and other seaport towns. That at Dover is a plain silver oar, and is a symbol of the Admiralty jurisdiction, being held by the town clerk of Dover as registrar; it is probably of the time of Queen Elizabeth. The mace of the Tower Ward in London is also uncommon. It was made in 1671, and is surmounted by a model of the Tower, with small turrets at the corners, each having a weather-vane, with the letters C.R. A few societies, such as the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries, also have the privilege of using a mace. Further information about maces will be found in “ The Corporation Plate ” by Llewellyn Jewitt and W. H. St. John Hope, 1895. IDometftic plate* li A bowl or mazer curiously carved —Dryden’s “Virgil.” Mazers. MAZERS are ancient wooden drinking-vessels, on which much has been written and learning expended. Even the meaning of the word is disputed, although the general opinion obtains that it was derived from “maserle,” or maple wood. For in early times platters and bowls, and other articles for the table, were frequently made of beech or maple wood, often having silver mountings. The Bishop of Chichester, in his will in 1253, speaks of his great cup of mazera; and such mazers are mentioned for a little over three hundred years from this date, in all kinds of inventories and wills, the spelling of the name, of course, varying very much. After 1590 no more mazers were made. Simon the Goldsmith, who lived in 1369, and who was a benefactor to the Goldsmiths’ Company, was called Simon le Maserer, from his skill in making silver-mounted mazers. Early mazers had a rim above, and a small rim for foot below, being wide and shallow, and generally having an inscription round the upper rim. The later ones are generally deeper, and often mounted on high feet. Inside, in the centre, there is usually a flat plate called the print, or boss, often ornamented with a shield of arms or other design. The object of this was, no doubt, to cover the flaws made in completing the turning of the bowl. The earliest mazer now known is at Harbledown Hospital, near Canterbury, and has a plain gilt foot or stem, a plain rim, a silver-gilt XXXIV INTRODUCTION. medallion, with the figure of Guy, Earl of Warwick, and an inscription. This vessel is of the time of Edward II. After this comes the “ Scrope Mazer," which is now at York; it has a long inscription on the rim, which fixes the date of it as being about 1400. It stands on feet made of small heads, and is altogether a most interesting specimen. At All Souls’ College, Oxford, there is a set of mazers, one of which, made in the middle of the fifteenth century, is a very fine specimen of such a cup. This is mounted on a high circular foot, and has a deep rim round the edge, both being silver gilt and somewhat plain. On the bottom, inside, there is a boss, or print, bearing the arms and initials of the donor, Thomas Ballard. A cup made of polished maple, in the collection of the late Mr. E. P. Shirley of Eatington, bore the legend on the rim:— “In the name of the Tirnite Fille the kup and drinke to me.” At the Armourers’ Hall, London, there is a large deep bowl nearly a foot in diameter. The silver-gilt foot and rim of this bowl are united by bands in the same manner as are those of cocoa-nut cups. Oriel College, Oxford, is the possessor of a very fine mazer, made about 1470. This has a low, circular foot, ornamented with stiff leaves, points downward. The upper rim is deep, and also ornamented with similar leaves, points upward, and the legend in black letter:— “SEtr ractonc btbas non quob petit atra Poluptas sic raro casta batttr Its ltng;uc suppe&ttatnj:.” * A vessel called the Narford Mazer, now in the collection of Sir A. W. Franks, P.S.A., bears the London Hall-marks for 1532 on the silver-gilt rim, on which are the words— “CIPHUS REFECTORII ROFENSIS PER FRATREM ROBERTUM PECHAM," in Tudor capitals, black letters having ceased to be used after the end of the fifteenth century.-f* Another of Sir A. W. Franks’ mazers has a very low rim for foot, and a somewhat deep rim above, ornamented with small pendent leaves, and the text in large letters:— “MISEREMINI: MEI : MISEREMINI : MEI : SALTEM: VOS: AMICI: MEI.” At All Souls’ College, Oxford, is a deep but somewhat small bowl, * Cripps’ “Old English Plate,” 1891, p. 243. t Archceologia , vol. xiii. p. 392. INTRODUCTION. XXXV which is mounted on a tall foot and stem composed of clustered shafts, so that the whole forms a standing cup; it was made in 1529. With the Inquest plate at St. Giles’, Cripplegate Without, London, there is a mazer bowl of maple wood, mounted with a broad silver-gilt rim and foot, round the stem of which is a scroll ornament, above which is inscribed : “ Ihon Birde Mead This In Anno Domine 1568;” the foot is engraved with various ornaments, and on the print inside is a merchant’s mark.* Nothing more remains to be said about mazers, as the manufacture of them entirely ceased towards the end of the sixteenth century. ^tanDinn; Cup& “ And guf hem eclione Couppes of dene gold and coppcs of silver.” —“Piers Ploughman,” p. 39. The State cups possessed by the great men of the land in the Middle Ages were often of great value and beauty. Sometimes these cups were made of solid gold or silver, and sometimes of cocoa-nuts or ostrich eggs mounted with silver. Some of these are of early date, for at the end of the thirteenth century we find the Bishop of Durham bequeathing a cocoa-nut cup with a foot and mountings of silver; and such cups are very frequently mentioned in old wills and inventories. Many of the City companies have specimens of these cups. The Ironmongers possess a good cocoa-nut cup, made at the commencement of the sixteenth century.-f" The Armourers and Vintners also possess such cups, that of the latter having been made in 1518; and Mr. E. P. Monckton, M.P., has a good cocoa-nut cup which was made in London in 1586-74 At Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, there are the remains of what is probably the oldest cup formed by an ostrich egg in the world. It dates from the fourteenth century, although the present silver mounts are not older than 1592. The well-known ostrich egg cup at Exeter College, Oxford, is somewhat later in date, having been made in 1610, but it is a fine example of this particular form. The foot is of the shape usual at that time; the stem is formed of three ostrich legs, supporting the egg, which is held in position by three bands, and on the cover an ostrich stands on a plume of feathers. § The Earl of Ducie has a unique silver-gilt cup which was made in London in 1584, shaped as an ostrich egg, with hinged straps and a foot surmounted by four dolphins. * Ai-cJueologia , vol. 1 . p. 167. t Cripps’ “Old English Plate.” £ Pro. Soc. Antiq., vol. xv. p. 249. § Cripps’ “Old English Plate.” XXX VI INTRODUCTION. “ Cups made of the horn of the wild bull of the English woods, and tipped at either end with gold or silver,” were likewise used in very early times. At Queen’s College, Oxford, there is such a cup, the horn of which it is made being twenty-five inches long; the end is tipped by metal formed into an animal’s head, and is supported by two claw-shaped feet attached to bands, and round the upper end of the horn is also an inscribed band. The lid, surmounted by an eagle, is of later date. At Christ’s Hospital, London, there is a somewhat similar horn, but in this case the two claw-shaped feet are attached to a single band, and are side by side instead of being in front of each other. The Cawdor horn is also celebrated, although it is not the original one, but was made in the time of Henry VII. The horn is borne by the royal supporters, and is highly ornamented. Of standing cups made entirely of the precious metals there are many notable examples still remaining. The cup at Lynn is supposed to have been given to that town by King John; it is silver gilt, richly ornamented with enamelled figures; the stem is slender, the foot circular, the height fifteen inches, and it is of the fourteenth century.* The Foundress’ Cup at Christ’s College, Cambridge, of the fifteenth century, is a quaint, if not altogether pleasing, piece of work; the stem, bowl, and cover are ornamented with broad twisted bands composed of conventional foliage in repousse work. At Pembroke College, Cambridge, there is a fine speci¬ men known as the Athena Cup, bearing the London Hall-marks for 1481, and it is one of the earliest dated vessels in existence. The second earliest cup with a date mark is the “Leigh Cup,” now at the Mercers’ Hall, London. This is of silver gilt, richly ornamented by raised ropes, which form lozenges, containing alternately heads of maidens and flasks; round the bowl and lid is a record of the gift of this cup, on the foot and bowl is an open cresting, and the lid is surmounted by a virgin with a unicorn. At Christ’s College, Cambridge, there is a handsome standing cup or stoup, covered with diaper work enclosing double roses, fleur-de- lis, and portcullis in the centre of each lozenge, and a daisy at each intersection, which was made early in the sixteenth century. The Richmond Cup, now at Armourers’ Hall, made about the same time, is of a different type, having raised ribs, which form the bowl, cover, and stem. The silver-gilt hanap or standing cup at Portsmouth was made in 1590, and presented by Robert Lee to the Corporation. At Corby Church, Co. Northampton, there is a beautiful silver-gilt covered cup that was made in 1601. The bowl and cover form a perfect oval, entirely covered with repousse work of bands of leaves; on the cover is a pyramid, with three sides; the stem is baluster in form, with a high foot.f This cup was evidently made for secular purposes, though now * “ Examples of Art Workmanship.” t Markham’s “Church Plate of the County of Northampton,” p. 77. INTRODUCTION. XXX V11 used in the church. A somewhat similar cup will be found at Braunstone Church, Co. Leicester.* A very fine standing cup with cover, made of silver gilt, repousse with fruit and foliage, strap work and dolphins, with the London Hall-marks for 1604-5, bears the legend:— “ This Cupp was Made of the Greate Seale of Irelande In Anno Domini 1604 After the Deathe of The Blessed Queene Elizabetlie The Moste Blessed Prince That Euer raigned Adam loftus lord Archbisshopp of Dublin was then And Is Now lorde Chaunceller of Irelande and was Three Tymes lorde Iuftice and Gouernor of the fame realme.” This cup belongs to Mr. J. Dunn Gardner, and is now in the South Kensington Museum. A highly enriched gourd-shaped cup, called “The Berry Cup,” forms part of the Corporation plate of the town of Ports¬ mouth; it is silver gilt, and was made in 1608-9. At the Cloth workers’ Hail there is a large and well-worked cup, which was given by Samuel Pepys in 1678. The bowl of this is formed of two parts, the inner being plain, and the outer one, which is removable, is ornamented with flowers and scrolls of elaborate form. The designs in the eighteenth century were somewhat different, being more urn-shaped, and having two, or sometimes three, handles. A fine example of such a two-handled covered cup, made in 1739 by the celebrated Paul de Lamerie, is now at the Goldsmiths’ Hall in London. This is simple in outline, but richly decorated with masks and flowers in repousse work. Many of the standing cups made at this period are of the same pattern as the Wedg¬ wood ware designed by Flaxman; indeed, some of the silver vessels made at this time might almost as well have been made in china as in silver. Tankards. These are large vessels, with a handle and cover, used for drinking. The earliest were made in the middle of the sixteenth century, and many excellent examples are still in existence. At Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, there is a very old silver tankard which is used as a flagon. And at the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford there is a fine tankard which was made in 1574; this has straight sides, partly ornamented with the incised patterns used on early Communion cups, and partly with the egg and tongue pattern, and heads in medallions, in the Renaissance style. At Clare College, Cambridge, there is the celebrated Poison Cup, which is made of glass, enclosed in silver filigree casing, of about the same date. * Trollopes “Church Plate of Leicestershire,” p. 321. XXXV111 INTRODUCTION. A little later the tankards are made somewhat taller and narrower; and in the middle of the seventeenth century they assume a tall cylindrical shape, often adorned with strap work or semi-classical ornamentation. Still later the tankards were made shorter, and of much larger diameter, often being quite plain. Such tankards were almost always used in churches as flagons immediately after the Restoration, and until flagons made of the round-bodied type came into fashion. Other smaller cups are known by special names, such as Tazze, Beakers, Porringers, and Caudle Cups. A TAZZA is a small but elegant cup, with a wide but shallow bowl, a tall, slender baluster-shaped stem, and circular foot, similar to the ordinary shallow champagne glasses of the present day. A very curious silver- gilt tazza, called a loving-cup, made in London in 1525-6, was given to the Corporation of Portsmouth by Mrs. Bodkin; it is low, with a large foot, and on the bowl, which has a straight side, is inscribed, “ Si Deus nobiscum qvis contra nos.” There is also an elegant little tazza made in 1582-3 belonging to the same Corporation. A BEAKER is a small cup without handles, like a little tumbler, and only slightly ornamented. These came into use at the commencement of the seventeenth century, and were more commonly made in Holland or Germany than in England. At the Mercers’ Hall in London there is a gilt beaker which was made in 1604, ornamented with three maidens’ heads on the side. At Upton Church, Northamptonshire, there is an elegant little beaker of about the same date, which was probably made in Germany; the upper part is plain, and the lower is covered with an engraved ornament, and in three medallions are as many heads, appa¬ rently of Dutch or German folk, At the neighbouring church of Sutton there is also a little beaker-shaped cup; it is rude, and has no Hall¬ marks, and was probably made in the locality.* A PORRINGER is a little vessel shaped like a modern sugar-basin, with a wide mouth, two handles, and often a loose lid. A CAUDLE Cup commonly has a small mouth, swelling out below into a bowl form. At Loddington Church, Northamptonshire, there is a pretty little silver porringer or caudle cup with two handles, covered with leaves and flowers in repousse work, that was made in 167i.f Both porringers and caudle cups were used for drinking posset; they were mostly made in the seventeenth or in the early part of the eighteenth centuries, and are often of most elegant form and ornamentation. * Markham’s “Church Plate of the County of Northampton,” pp. 276, 291. t Ibid., p. 179. INTRODUCTION. XXXIX OBtoct# anD 'Basing “ As you know, my house within the city Is richly furnished with plate and gold; Basins and ewers to lave her dainty hands.” —Shakespeare, “Taming of the Shrew,” II. i. 348. In the Middle Ages ewers and basins were much used at meals, for when people ate more or less with their fingers, it was essential that these vessels should be carried round after each course, in order that the guests might wash their hands. The introduction of forks in the seventeenth century rendered the use of the ewer and basin, to a large extent, unnecessary, and they therefore ceased to be made for that purpose. At Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, there is an early ewer and salver of the year 1545. The ewer has eight sides, somewhat like a large coffee-pot, with spout, handle, and lid, and ornamented with engraved arabesques. The salver is also ornamented with arabesque work round the edge, the centre being raised with a coat-of-arms on a boss. The Duke of Rutland has a fine silver-gilt ewer and basin of the dates 1579 and 1581, which were exhibited at South Kensington in 1862. The Corporation of Bristol possess a good ewer and salver, orna¬ mented with engraving and repousse work, which were made in 1595. The Corporation of Norwich also possess a fine set, made in 1617. The ewer is vase-shaped, with a high foot, spout, and high handle, and is covered with classic figures in repousse work. The salver also is covered with similar figures in repousse, having an elegantly ornamented border, and a high boss or print in the centre. At Peterborough Cathedral there is a very beautiful silver-gilt dish * 19J inches in diameter, which was made about 1650. The broad border of this is ornamented with fruit and flowers in high relief. This was probably made for a domestic salver, though it is now used as an alms-dish. At Towcester Church, Northamptonshire, there is a large and hand¬ some, but plain, ewer and basin,* which were made in 1691, and given to the church in 1755 by Thomas Farmor, Earl of Pomfret. At Easton Neston, in the same county, there is an ewer* which is an excellent specimen of Paul de Lamerie’s work, and was made in 1735. It is beaker-shaped, without stem, the foot formed by a double-rolled ornament, the lower portion enriched by a raised Romanesque pattern, * Markham’s “Church Plate of the County of Northampton,” pp. 112, 232, 287. xl INTRODUCTION. the upper portion quite plain; the spout is curved, and also enriched with a raised pattern; the handle is partly formed of foliage. The lid is large and very ornate, formed of double-rolled mouldings, which curve up to a centre-piece; this is high, formed of several members, and is clasped by three little brackets, above which is an ornate shield bearing the arms of Fermor and Jeffreys, and surmounted by an earl’s coronet. It was given by the Earl of Pom fret. Another beautiful ewer belonging to the Goldsmiths’ Company, made by Lamerie in 1741, was exhibited in 1862 at South Kensington. It is helmet-shaped. “ On the lower part of the vase is a winged mermaid with two tails, accompanied by two boy-tritons blowing conches. The foot consists of marine flowers, shells, and reptiles. On the upper part of the vase are festoons of flowers, and the company’s badges, the leopards’ heads. The handle has a very bold half-length figure of a sea-god, terminating in foliage.” The Company also own a salver to correspond, which is ornamented with Louis Quatorze scrolls and figures of boys. After this time the work becomes plainer, engraving being used instead of repousse work. In the time of Queen Anne these vessels were also engraved and chased. The salvers often had the edges shaped, and were mounted on small feet. A little later they took the form of an elliptical tray wfith handles. ^tantung %alt& “ Where is the salt; where are the hospitable tables ? ” —Potter, “Antiquities of Greece,” B. iii. c. 21. VESSELS to contain salt played an important part in the economy of the house in the Middle Ages, the great standing salt marking the line between the higher and lower guests at the table. The earliest salts are shaped like hour-glasses, and are sometimes with and sometimes without covers. At Corpus Christi College and New College, Oxford, and a few other places, there are specimens of this type, which were all made towards the end of the fifteenth century. In the sixteenth century the type changed to a cylindrical form, richly ornamented with repousse work, and covered with a lid. Of this pattern is the fine standing salt at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, which was made in 1554. There is also a good standing salt belonging to the Corporation of Norwich. It is of silver gilt, 15^ inches high, cylindrical in shape, and the cover is surmounted by a statuette resting INTRODUCTION. xli on a spear, with a shield bearing the city arms; the date of it is 1567-8. At Portsmouth there is, with the Corporation plate, another fine standing salt, made in 1615-16, with cylindrical body, having a bowl for salt at the top, then three brackets supporting a second bowl, and three more brackets supporting a cover, which is surmounted by a three-cornered ornamental spike.* Standing salts of this period are also found of square form, and in appearance more like caskets than salts. Such a salt is that belonging to the Vintners’ Hall, London, which is of silver gilt, and a most beautiful specimen. Somewhat later the salt assumed a bell shape, and it was sometimes divided into several compartments, fitting one above another, in order to contain salt and spices. In the seventeenth century salts of more simple form came into use, which were low and plain, sometimes circular, sometimes square, and sometimes octagonal. Small trencher salts were also used; these were circular or triangular, with a small depression in the centre to contain the salt. A very remarkable silver salt, made about 1698, is the exact model of the original Eddystone lighthouse. This is made in stories. The lower is large and empty, and appears to be made of piles bound together; the next has a lid perforated for pepper, and appears as if made of masonry; the upper story is also of masonry, having a depression above to contain the salt; this is surrounded by a gallery and surmounted by the lantern, which is perforated for pounded sugar ; above this again is scroll work, terminating in a weather-vane. Outside there is a little ladder from the base to the first story, where it joins a little winding staircase lead¬ ing to the gallery. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries small open salts, standing on feet, and often being simply a cage or frame to contain a small glass vessel holding the salt, came into use. ^pooniGu “ Therfore behoveth him a fill long spone That shal ete with a fend." —Chaucer, “The Squiere’s Tale,” 10,916. SOME elegant specimens of Anglo-Saxon spoons have been found in different parts of England. Two of these are figured in Archceo- logia.-y The first, made of silver jewelled with garnets, was found at Chatham, and is an interesting example; the second was found at * “Corporation Plate,” by LI. Jewitt and W. H. St. John Hope, t Vol. liii. pp. 116, 117. xlii INTRODUCTION. Desborough, Co. Northampton, and is also probably Anglo-Saxon; the bowl is large and oval, the stem plain, tied in at intervals by small bands; the handle also is oval and flat, and ornamented with an incised pattern. Silver spoons appear to be first mentioned in the will of Martin de S. Cross in 1259,* and from that time they are frequently referred to in mediaeval wills. One of the most beautiful spoons now in existence is that known as the Coronation spoon. Although the date of this cannot be accurately determined, it is supposed to be of the twelfth or thirteenth century. It is made of silver gilt, with four pearls on the lower part of the handle ; the bowl is elegantly ornamented with an engraved arabesque pattern, and the handle also is well moulded.* 1 * This spoon is used to hold the oil for anointing the sovereign at the Coronation, and is now kept with the regalia in the Tower of London. A very early domestic silver spoon, of slender make, with fig-shaped bowl, “ six-sided stele,” and gilt “dyamond poynte,” is mentioned by Mr. C. J. Jackson.J In the bowl is stamped the leopard’s head, un¬ crowned, but surrounded by a circle of dots; and the spoon probably belongs to the early part of the fourteenth century. Spoons terminating with the head and shoulders of the Virgin Mary are known as “ Maidenhead spoons,” and such spoons are recorded in an inventory of Durham Priory made in 1446 ;§ and several good examples of these spoons are still in existence. Other examples have knops shaped as acorns, diamond points, animals, birds, or other terminations. Sometimes the handle was simply cut off, and such a spoon was said to be “ slipped in the stalk,” and, being almost painfully plain, obtained favour with the Puritans. An apostle spoon made in 1490-1 appears to be the earliest still remaining, though there are many of later date. The most perfect set is probably that made in 1626-7, now belonging to the Goldsmiths’ Com¬ pany. This set consists of thirteen pieces, one being the “ Master spoon,” bearing the figure of Christ; the others bearing the figures of the twelve apostles, each with his symbol. At Dallington, Co. Northampton, there is a pretty little spoon with S. Andrew bearing the cross saltier, which was made in York in 1599-1600, and which is now used as a strainer spoon in the church.|| In the seventeenth century the form of the stem changed, becoming flatter and wider at the top, and often turned up; and a little later the stem was continued at the back of the bowl, forming the rat-tail type. “Wills and Inventories” (Surtees Society, 2), i. 9. t Archtzologia, vol. liii p. 118. + Ibid., vol. liii. p. 130. § “Wills and Inventories” (Surtees Society, 2), i. 91. II Markham’s “Church Plate of the County of Northampton,” p. 89. INTRODUCTION. xliii In the middle of the eighteenth century the “Onslow” pattern of spoon was introduced ; the handle of this is curved like an Ionic volute, only downward instead of upward, as had previously been the case. Then followed the many varieties of the “ King ” and “ Fiddle pattern ” spoon, which are in use at the present day. jForfes. “ Then must you learne the use, and handling of your' silver forke at meales." —Ben Jonson, “The Fox,” iv. i. SILVER forks are of comparatively modern use, the earlier ones no doubt being made of steel. The oldest now known, are probably the set of twelve which were made in 1667, and are now at Cotehele, Co. Cornwall. These have three prongs, with plain flat handle, cleft at the top. Another three-pronged fork, made during the reign of Charles II., w T as dug up in Covent Garden. This has a flat round handle, nicked at the top, on which is engraved a coat-of-arms.* Four-pronged forks were first made in 1726, although there is one with the Musgrave crest that was made in 1683, but it is possible that this was fashioned out of a spoon. All modern forks are made with four prongs, the handles generally matching the spoons with which they are used. Candlestick “ A candlestick all of gold." —Zec. iv. 2. The celebrated candlestick made in the twelfth century at Gloucester, of white metal gilt, is the earliest, as well as one of the finest, in the country. It has a large head with pricket, a straight stem with three bosses, interlaced bands, knots, monsters, and other objects, on a tripod of dragon’s claws, and is of Byzantine character. It was given by Abbot Peter of Gloucester to the Church of S. Peter at that city, and is now in the South Kensington Museum.*}* After this solitary specimen there is nothing to be noticed until the reign of Charles II. We then meet with candlesticks having square * Cripps’ “ Old English Plate,” 1891, p. 313. f Pollen’s “Gold and Silver Smiths’ Work.” xliv INTRODUCTION. basses, stems composed of clustered columns, and a square rim. In the seventeenth century baluster stems of simple form came into fashion, and a little later more ornate patterns were employed. In the eighteenth century the Corinthian column was introduced for candlesticks, movable candle sockets being then first used. About the same time baluster stems were used. The candlesticks were then enriched with festoons of flowers looped to bosses or masks in high relief, the whole being very ornate and often of great beauty. During the present century all the old designs have been reproduced for candlesticks. In this sketch it has not been possible to do more than give an outline of the history of the working of the precious metals, of the makers, of the various vessels wrought, and of the changes of form that have obtained at different times. Still, it is hoped that these notes may not be without interest to those who appreciate old, curious, or beautiful workmanship. CHRISTOPHER A. MARKHAM, F.S.A. f^all Jtflarfts on ipiate AND TAXATION OF GOLD AND SILVER GOODS, &c., IN ORDER OF DATE, JTrom tl)e Ctoelfti) to t \)t jsmeteentt) Century. The Statutes now in force relating to the Duties and to the Hall-marking of gold and silver plate are very numerous. There are certainly not less than thirty different statutes which are more or less in force, and it seems most desirable that they should be consolidated into one Act of Parliament. The Parliamentary Committee of 1856 strongly recommended that the law should be consolidated, but the suggestion was not carried out. In the following table those which are not repealed are marked N.R. TABLE OF STATUTES AND ORDINANCES REFERRED TO IN THIS BOOK. 1180. 26 Henry II. Goldsmiths’ Company amerced for being adulterine. 1238. 22 Henry III. cl. m. 6. Assay of Gold and Silver. 1300. 28 Edward I. c. 20 . Leopard’s head. Assay. 1327. 1st Edward III. First Charter to Goldsmiths’ Com¬ pany. 1336. Ordinance of the'Goldsmiths’] Maker’s mark, leopard’s head, and Co. f date letter. 1363. 37 Edward III. c. 7 . Assay: marks. O69. 43 Edward III. cl. m. 35 ... Relating to the Goldsmiths’ trade. A 2 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 1379. 2 Richard II. . 1381. 5 Richard II. c. 2. 1392. 16 Richard II. 1403. 5 Henry IV. c. 13. 1414. 2 Henry V. c. 4 . 1420. 8 Henry V. c. 3 . 1423. 2 Henry VI. c. 14. 1457. James II. (Scots). 1462. 2 Edward IV. 1473. James III. (Scots). 1477. 17 Edward IV. c. 1 . 1483. James III. (Scots). 1488. 4 Henry VII. Pari. 3, c. 2... 1504. 20 Henry VII. 1555. Mary (Scots). 1573. 15 Elizabeth. 3576. 18 Elizabeth, c. 15 . 1587. James VI. (Scots). 1 597 - Goldsmiths’Company Records 11638. Charles I. (Irish) . 1675. Goldsmiths’ Order. 1687. James VII. (Scots) . 1696. 8 & 9 William III. c. 8. 1698. 9 & 10 William III. c. 28... 1700-1. 12 & 13 William III. c. 4 1701. 1 Anne, c. 9, s. 3. 1719. 6 George I. c. 11, s. 1, 3, 41 Marks of maker, City or Borough, and assayers. Exports forbidden. Second Charter to Goldsmiths’ Com¬ pany. Gilding and plating inferior metals prohibited. Regulating the prices of gold, gild¬ ing silver, &c. Gilding inferior metals prohibited. Provincial offices, standard of gold and silver, Hall marks, n.r. Appoints deacons, marks. Another Charter to Goldsmiths’ Company. Places appointed to mark gold. Maker’s mark and leopard’s head crowned. Standard of 18 carats. Marks on Goldsmiths’ work. Relates to the assays. Sale re¬ stricted. Charter to Goldsmiths’ Company. Standard and marks. Standard of gold and silver and marks : 22 carat revived. Standard and price of gold and silver, n.r. Search for inferior gold and silver. Marks : lion, leopard’s head, and alphabetical mark. Charter to the Dublin Goldsmiths’ Company. Marks of the lion and leopard’s head. Charter to the Edinburgh Gold¬ smiths’ Hall. New standard of silver of 11 oz. 10 dwt. : Hall marks, n.r. Exports permitted. Provincial offices reappointed. As¬ says, marks, n.r. Newcastle Act. n.r. Old silver standard of 11 oz. 2 dwt. revived. Duty imposed, n.r. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 3 1730. 3 George II. (Irish) c. 3, s. 32 1739. 12 George II. c. 26 . 1742. 15 George II. 1756. 29 George II. c. 14 . 1758. 31 George II. c. 32 . 1 759. 32 George II. c. 24 . 1 773. 13 George III. c. 52. 1784. 24 George III. c. 20, 53, 64 1785. 25 George III. c. 64. 1789. 30 George III. c. 31. 1797. 37 George III. c. 90. 1798. 38 George III. c. 69 & c. 24 1803. 43 George III. c. 69. 1804. 44 George III. c. 98. 1807. 47 George III. 1812. 52 George III. c. 59. 1815. 55 George III. c. 185 . 1819. 59 George III. c. 28. 1820. 1 George IV. c. 14 . 1824. 5 George IV. c. 52 . 1825. 6 George IV. 1836. 6 William IV. c. 69 . 1842. 5 & 6 Victoria, c. 47, 56, 82 1844. 7 & 8 Victoria, c. 22. 1849. 12 & 13 Victoria . 1854. 17 & 18 Victoria, c. 96. 1855. 18 & 19 Victoria, c. 60. 1866. 29 & 30 Victoria, c. 64. 1867. 30 & 31 Victoria, c. 90. Ireland : Standards. n.r. Standards of gold and silver. New makers’ marks. Assay, n.r. Silver wire. Annual duty—5 s. for every IOO oz. Repealed. Licence in lieu of duty. n.r. Licence duty increased, n.r. Birmingham and Sheffield, n.r. Plated goods : Duty increased and exemptions. King’s head mark. N.R. Duty. Drawback. Watch-cases, n.r. Exemptions of silver. n.r. Duty—gold at 8s., silver is. Re¬ pealed. Gold standard lowered to 18 carat. N.R. Licences. Drawback on plate. Re¬ pealed. Duty—16s. on gold, is. 3d. on silver. Repealed. Ireland, n.r. Duty. Drawback. n.r. Duty—17s. on gold and is. 6d. on silver. Repealed as regards silver plate 1890. Glasgow, n.r. Duty. Drawback, n.r. Birmingham Act. n.r. Irish. Scotland, n.r. Foreign plate to be assayed and stamped. n.r. Criminal Law Consolidation Act. Distinctive mark on 22 carat gold. N.R. Duty. n.r. Reduced standards of gold —15, 12, and 9 carats, n.r. Wedding-rings. n.r. Duty. Drawback, n.r. Additional mark for foreign plate. Duty. n.r. 4 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 1869. 3 2 Victoria . 1870. 33 & 34 Victoria . 1876. 39 & 40 Victoria, c. 35, 36... 1876 & 1878 . 1878 . 1890. 54 Victoria . Additional mark for foreign plate. Duty. n.r. Licence and watch-cases, n.r. Counterfeit English marks on foreign plate, n.r. Notices by the Goldsmiths’ Com¬ pany. Parliamentary Commission Report. Duty on silver plate abolished. extracts front Statutes anti ©rtitnances. REGULATING THE MANUFACTURE AND STAMPING OF PLATE IN ENGLAND, WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES. a.d. 1180. 26 Henry II. A fraternity or Guild of Goldsmiths was in existence at this early period, although no Charter of Incorporation had been granted ; for in the year above named the Company was, amongst other guilds, amerced for being adulterine , i.e., set up without the King’s licence. The leopard’s head, taken from their arms, was probably used by them to denote the proper standard, for in their first charter it is spoken of as being anciently ordained. a.d. 1238. In the Close Rolls of 22 Henry III. m. 6. A mandate was issued entitled “ De auro fabricando in Civitate Londoniarum.” That in consequence of the frauds which had been practised by the gold and silver smiths, it became necessary to prescribe some regulations for their trade, because the mixing too much alloy in the composition of these wares naturally tended to encourage the melting down of the coin of the realm. It was therefore ordained that no one should use any gold of which the mark was not worth one hundred shillings at the least, nor any silver worse than the standard of the coins (“ quod non valeat in se, quantum valeat moneta Regis ”). STANDARDS: LEOPARD’S HEAD. The assaying of the precious metals was a privilege conferred upon the Goldsmiths’ Company of London by the following statute :— a.d. 1300. 28 Edward I., c. 20, commonly called Articuli super cartas. 11 It is ordained (inter alia ) that no goldsmith of England, nor 6 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. none otherwhere within the King’s dominions, shall from henceforth make or cause to be made any manner of vessel, jewel, or any other thing of gold or silver, except it be of the true allay (that is to say) gold of a certain touch and silver of the sterling allay, of the coin or better at the pleasure of him to whom the work belongeth (argent del alloy de le esterling ou de meilleur), and that none work worse silver than money ; and that no manner of vessel of silver depart out of the hands of the workers, until it be assayed by the wardens of the craft; and further, that it be marked with the leopard's head (e q’ele soit signee de une teste de leopart) ; and that they work no worse gold than of the touch of Paris (tuche de Parys); and that the wardens of the craft shall go from shop to shop among the goldsmiths, to assay, if their gold be of the same touch that is spoken of before ; and if they find any other than of the touch aforesaid, the gold shall be forfeit to the King : * [and that none shall make rings, crosses, nor locks :] and that none shall set any stone in gold except it be natural; and that gravers or cutters of stones, and of seals, shall give to each their weight of silver and gold as near as they can upon their fidelity ; and the jewels of base gold which they have in their hands, they shall utter as fast as they can ; and from thenceforth if they buy any of the same work, they shall buy it to work upon and not to sell again ; and that all the good towns of England where any goldsmith be dwelling, shall be ordered according to this statute as they of London be ; and that one shall come from every good town for all the residue that be dwelling in the same, unto London for to be ascertained of their touch. And if any goldsmith be attainted hereafter, because that he has done otherwise than before is ordained, he shall be punished by imprisonment, and by ransome at the King's pleasure,” &c. The touch of Paris was referred to in this statute because there were no English gold coins which could be made a standard for the goldsmiths’ work. The French coins of that time were of fine gold. The touch of Paris therefore was as celebrated over Europe as the sterling of England. Note .—This statute is prior to the first charter granted to the Gold¬ smiths’ Company, and shows that the company was then a corporation, and that all plate then made in the King’s dominions was assayed by them. GOLDSMITHS’ CHARTER. 1327. 1 Edward III. The first Charter was granted by Letters Patent from Edward III. to “the Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths of the City of London.” It is quoted at length in Herbert’s “ History of the London Livery Companies,” both in French * The portion between brackets repealed 21 Jac. 28. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 7 and English. “ That the Goldsmiths had by their petition exhibited to the King and Council in Parliament holden at Westminster, shown that theretofore no private merchants or strangers were wont to bring into this land any money coined, but plate and silver to exchange for our coin ; that it had been ordained that all of the trade of Goldsmiths were to sit in their shops in the High Street of Cheap, and that no silver or gold plate ought to be sold in the City of London except in the King’s Exchange or in Cheap, among the Goldsmiths, and that publicly, to the end that persons in the trade might inform themselves whether the seller came lawfully by it; but that of late both private merchants and strangers bring from foreign lands counterfeit sterling whereof the pound is not worth sixteen sols of the right sterling, and of this money none can know the right value but by melting it down ; and that many of the trade of Goldsmiths do keep shops in obscure streets, and do buy vessels of gold and silver secretly without inquiring whether such vessels were stolen or come lawfully by, and immediately melting it down, make it into plate, and sell it to merchants trading beyond sea, and so make false work of gold, silver, and jewels, in which the}' set glass of divers colours, counterfeiting right stones, and put more alloy in their silver than they ought, which they sell to such as have no skill in such things ; that the cutlers cover tin with silver so subtilely and with such sleight that the same cannot be discerned nor separated, and so sell the tin for fine silver; to the great damage and deceit of us and our people : We, with the assent of our lords spiritual and temporal and the commons of our realme, will and grant for us and our heirs that henceforth no one shall bring into this land any sort of money, but only plate of fine silver, and that no plate of gold or silver be sold to sell again, or be carried out of the kingdom, but shall be sold openly for private use : That none of the trade shall keep any shop except in Cheap, that it may be seen that their work be good : that those of the trade may by virtue of these presents elect honest and sufficient men, best skilled in the trade, to inquire of the matters aforesaid, and that those who are so chosen reform what defects they shall find, and inflict punishment on the offenders, and that by the help of the mayor and sheriffs, if need be ; that in all trading cities in England where Goldsmiths reside, the same ordinance be ob¬ served as in London, and that one or two of every such city or town for the rest of the trade shall come to London to be ascertained of their touch of gold, and to have their works marked with the puncheon of the leopard's head as it was anciently ordained." The powers conferred by this charter were put in force in many cases, especially against persons for making articles of inferior silver, and for gilding and silvering laton and brass and passing them off as pure silver. In Riley’s “Memorials of London” we find that several charges were brought before the notice of the mayors and aldermen of 8 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. London for counterfeiting silver cuppebonds of mazer or wooden cups and bowls. These mazers were usually mounted with silver circlets which ran round the foot and mouth of the vessel connected by vertical bands which enclosed the bowl. “ In 1372, Thomas Lauleye, contriving to deceive the common people, had circlets of latone gilded, and with them bound divers cups, which he afterwards sold and exposed others for sale, as well in the citye as without , asserting that the same circlets were made of silver gilt and paid for accordingly. And in like manner for that he had pledged two cups so bound with circlets of gilded latoune to one William de Stoke, taillour, for xxxij. shillings, asserting that the same were of silver gilt. He was sentenced to stand in the pillory on several days with the cups hung round his neck. “In 1376, one Peter Randolfe, a latoner, was charged with exposing for sale two circlets for mazers which were of mixed silver, and not good or pure, in deceit of the people. He was let off mildly, however, on promising not to interfere again with the goldsmiths’ trade. “In 1376, Edward Bor was attached to make answer to the mayor and aldermen for that he silvered 240 buttons of latone and 34 circlets of latone for purses called gibesers (gipcieres) and had maliciously pur¬ posed and imagined to sell the same for pure silver in deceit of the people ; whereupon he said that one, Michael Hakeneye, had given him the said buttons and circlets to silver. Both were committed to prison in Newgate, the former for one week, the latter for three weeks. “In 1414, one John of Rochester, was taken by the master of the trade of goldsmiths there for counterfeiting mazer bonds in copper and brass plated over with silver, or gilded, and brought up to London, having sold them within the City.” These cases show that the Goldsmiths’ Company had jurisdiction not only in the Metropolis, but elsewhere within the kingdom of England. THE GOLDSMITHS’ ORDINANCES. The Company’s Ordinances of the year 1336 enjoin, that none do work gold unless it be as good as the assay of the mystery ; or in silver, unless as good or better than the King’s coin or sterling, and that when done it shall be brought to the Hall to be assayed, and that such as will bear the touch shall be marked “ with the owners and sayers marks, and afterwards be touched with the Liberdshede crowned.” It will be ob¬ served here that three distinct marks are spoken of—(1) The goldsmith’s mark, viz., his initials ; (2) The assay mark, probably a letter of the alphabet; and (3) The mark of the Goldsmiths’ Hall, a leopard’s head crowned. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 9 ASSAY: MARKS. a.d. 1363. 37 Edward III. c. 7. “Item, it is accorded that gold¬ smiths as well in London as elsewhere within the realm, shall make all manner of vessels and other works of silver, well and lawfully of the allay of good sterling ; and every master goldsmith shall have a mark by himself, and the same mark shall be known by them which shall be assigned by the King to survey their work and allay ; and that the said goldsmiths set not their marks upon their works, till the said surveyors have made their assay, as shall be ordained by the King and his council : and after the assay made, the surveyor shall set the King’s mark, and after the goldsmith his mark, for which he will answer; and that no goldsmith take for vessel white and full for the weight of a pound (that is to say) of the price of two marks of Paris weight, but eighteen pence as they do in Paris ; * [and that no goldsmith making white vessel shall meddle with gilding, nor they that do gild shall meddle to make white vessel :] and they which shall be so assigned in every town shall make their searches as oftentimes as shall be ordained ; and for that, which shall be in the goldsmith’s default they shall incur the pain of forfeiture to the King, the value of the metal which shall be found in default.” The laws which regulated the goldsmiths’ trade were rigorously enforced, and we read (Cl. 43 Edw. III. m. 35) that William de Mulsho and John de Newenham, in 1369, were commanded to examine by the touch, or by other methods, certain vessels of silver and belts of gold which William de Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, had caused to be made by goldsmiths of London of less fineness than the ordinance required, and to report the assay to the King in Chancery. MARKS APPOINTED. a.d. 1379. 2 Richard II. It was enacted by Parliament that whereas the gold and silver worked by English goldsmiths was often¬ times less fine than it ought to be, because the goldsmiths were their own assayers, from that time every goldsmith should have his own proper mark upon his work , and that the assay of touch should belong to the mayors and governors of cities and boroughs, with the assistance of the Master of the Mint, if there should be occasion ; and that the work should bear the mark of the city or borough where it was assayed. And also that the King should assign such persons as he should please to make the said assay, as well in London as elsewhere, as often as should be neces¬ sary ; and after the assay should be made to stamp the work with another mark , to be appointed by the King. And it was agreed that the ordinance should commence from the said feast of St. John, and continue until the next Parliament, to try whether it would be advantageous or not. * The clause in brackets relating to gilding was repealed 21st Jac. iS. IO HALL MARKS ON PLATE. EXPORTS FORBIDDEN. a.d. 1381. 5 Richard II. c. 2. The export of gold and silver in any shape is forbidden (“ or et argent si bien monoie vessell plate et joialx ”). In 1402 this provision was reinforced by another Act, forbidding any person to carry gold or silver in money, vessel, or plate out of the realm without the King’s licence. GOLDSMITHS’ CHARTER. a.d. 1392. 16 Richard II. Another charter to the Goldsmiths’ Company bearing date the 16th of February of this year granted and gave licence to the men of the said craft of goldsmiths of the City of London to be a perpetual community or society of themselves, and elect yearly out of themselves four wardens to oversee, rule, and duly govern the said craft and community, and every member of the same. IRISH STATUTE. a.d. 1447. It was ordained that no persons except knights and prelates of the Holy Church should use any gilt bridles, peytrells, or other harness ; and that if any other should be found with such harness, it should be lawful for every man that would to take the said man, his horse and harness, and to possess the same as his own goods. This statute was not repealed until 10 and 11 Charles I., 1635. GILDING INFERIOR METALS PROHIBITED. a.d. 1403. 5 Henry IV. c. 13. Recites , ‘‘That many fraudulent artificers do daily make locks, &c., of copper and latten, and the same do over gild and silver like to gold and silver, to the great deceit, loss and hindrance of the common people, and the wasting of gold and silver; ” and ordains , “ That no artificer, nor other man, shall gild nor silver any such locks, rings, beads, candlesticks, harness for girdles (buckles), chalices, hilts nor pommels of swords, powder boxes nor covers for cups, made of copper or latten, upon pain to forfeit to the King 100 shillings every time, and to make satisfaction to the party grieved for his damages ; but that (chalices always excepted) the said artificers may work ornaments for the Church of copper and latten, and the same gild or silver, so that always in the foot or some other part of HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 11 such ornament the copper and latten shall be plain, that a man may see whereof the thing is made, for to eschew the deceit aforesaid.” * In the same Act, c. 4, “ It shall be felony to use the craft of multi¬ plication of gold or silver” (repealed 1 William and Mary). CUTLERS AND GOLDSMITHS. a.d. 1405. A contest happened between the Companies of the Goldsmiths and Cutlers, with regard to certain privileges, claimed by the former, of inspecting all the gold and silver work made by the latter. At length the Goldsmiths appealed to the Parliament, and by the authority of the King, the affair was referred to the Lord Mayor of London, who, having carefully examined into the affair, reported, that according to the ancient immunities of the City, the Cutlers had a right to work in gold and silver; but that all things made by them were to be assayed by the Goldsmiths ; whereupon the Goldsmiths’ Charter was confirmed by Parliament, and additional privileges were granted. PRICE OF GILT SILVER LIMITED. a.d. 1414. 2 Henry V., s. 2, c. 4. Recites, “That the Goldsmiths of England, of their covin and ordinances, will not sell the wares of their mystery gilt but at the double price of the weight of the silver of the same, which seemeth to the King very outrageous and too excessive a price, the King, for the ease of his people, willing to remedy the same, hath ordained and established, that all the Goldsmiths of England shall gild no silver worse than of the allay of the English sterling, and that they take for a pound of troy gilt but Forty-six shillings and eightpence at the most, and of greater weight and less, according to the quantity and rate of the same sum : and that which shall be by them gilt from henceforth shall be of reasonable price, and not excessive ; and if any goldsmith do contrary to this statute, he shall forfeit to the King the value of the thing so sold.” a.d. 1420. 8 Henry V., c. 3. Ordains, “That none shall gild any sheaths, nor metal but silver and Church ornaments ; nor shall silver no metal but Knight’s spurs, and all the apparel that pertaineth to a Baron, and above that estate ; upon pain of forfeiture to the King ten times as much as the thing so gilt is of value, and shall have one year’s imprison¬ ment ; and he that will sue for the King shall have the third part of the said pecuniary forfeiture.” This statute seems to have been made because the two last were found ineffectual to prevent frauds. * Louis XI., King of France, in an ordinance to the goldsmiths of Tours, January 1470, authorises them to employ only for ecclesiastical utensils , such as reliquaries, &c., gold and silver of base alloy, which pieces were to be inscribed “ non venundeturf to certify that they were not destined for commerce. 12 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. STANDARD OF GOLD AND SILVER: PROVINCIAL OFFICES. a.d. 1423. 2 Henry VI. c. 14. “ It was ordained that no gold¬ smith or ivorker of silver within the City of London sell no work¬ manship of silver, unless it be as fine as the sterling; and that no goldsmith nor jeweller, nor any other that worketh harness of silver, shall set any of the same to sell within the city, before that it be touched with the touch , and also with a mark or sign of the workman of the same, upon pain of forfeiture of the double value thereof. And that the mark or sign of every goldsmith be known to the wardens of the craft. And if it may be found that the said Keeper of the Touch touch any such harness with the leopard's head , except it be as fine in allay as the sterling, that then he shall forfeit for everything so proved, the double value to the King, and to the party who shall prove it. And it is also ordained that in the city of York, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Lincoln, Norwich, Bristol, Salisbury and Coventry, there shall be divers touches, according to the ordinance of Mayors, Bailiffs, or Governors of the said towns. And that no goldsmith nor other workers of silver, nor Keepers of the said touches, within the said towns, shall set to sell, nor touch any silver in other manner than is ordained before Avithin the City of London, upon pain of the said forfeiture. And that no goldsmith or other worker of silver in England, where no touch is ordained, shall work any silver except it be as fine in allay as the sterling, and that he set thereon his mark before he set it to sale ; and if it is not as fine, he shall forfeit double value as in London ; and justices, &c., shall hear, inquire, and determine offences, and make due execution by their discretions.” It appears that before the last statute all the gold and silver plate made in England was assayed and marked Goldsmiths’ Hall in London. EXPORTS. a.d. 1432. II Henry VI. In this year the laAVS which prohibited the exportation of money and plate were partially suspended. The Pope’s Ambassador had licence to pass out of the kingdom with gold, money, and jewels to the amount of one hundred pounds. And the Bishop of Worcester, being about to attend the General Council at Basle, had permission to carry with him goods, jewels, and vessels of silver to the value of one thousand pounds. The Bishop of Winchester had licence to carry out of the realm money and plate to the amount of ^20,000 of sterlings. And about the same time a certain Spaniard had permission to take his horses, silver, plate and money out of the kingdom. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. J 3 GOLDSMITHS’ CHARTER. a.d. 1462. Another Charter to the Company of Goldsmiths in London bears date the 30th of May, 2 Edw. 4, and grants (inter alia ) as follows : u And for the credit of the men of the said craft, dwelling and residing in the said city, for the time being, and for the preventing and avoiding the damage and loss, which do or may daily happen and arise, as well to us as to any of our liege people, for want of a due and provident care in regulating certain of our subjects and others using and exercising the said trade, without any regard to the credit of the said company, and also for the preventing and taking away the subtilties and deceits practised in the said trade. We have further granted, and by these presents do grant to the said now wardens and commonalty, and their successors for ever, that the wardens of the said mystery for the time being shall and may for ever have the search, inspection, tryal and regulation of all sorts of gold and silver, wrought or to be wrought, and to be exposed to sale within the City of London, and the suburbs thereof, and in all fairs and markets, and all cities, towns, and boroughs, and all other places whatsoever throughout our kingdom of England ; and also shall and may have power to punish and correct all defects that shall be found in the working of gold and silver ; and also by them¬ selves, or any of them, to break all such deceitful works and wares of gold and silver, of what sort soever, if any such they shall find, to be made, wrought, and exposed to sale, in deceit of our people.” This privilege has been since so materially enlarged, that they have the power of inspecting all gold and silver wares in the following particular places, viz., Chester, Newcastle, Norwich, Exeter, Birmingham and Sheffield, with the power of punishing all offenders concerned in working adulterated gold and silver, and of making bye-laws for their better government. STANDARD OF 18-CARAT GOLD. a.d. 1477. Stat. 17, Edward IV. c. 1, directs {inter alia') “that no goldsmith, or worker of gold or silver, shall work, or put to sale, any gold under the fineness of 18 carats, nor silver, unless it be as fine as sterling, except such thing as requireth solder ; also, that no goldsmith work, or set to sale, harness of silver plate, or jewel of silver, from the feast of Easter, within the City of London, or within two leagues * of London, before it be touched with the leopard’s head crowned, such as may bear the said touch, and also with a mark or sign of the worker of the same so wrought, upon pain of forfeiture of the double value of such silver wrought and sold to the contrary ; that the mark or sign of every This statute is in Norman French ; this word in the original is “ leukez.” HALL MARKS ON PLATE. goldsmith be committed to the wardens of the same mystery, and if it be found that the keeper of the touch of the leopard’s head crowned, do mark or touch any harness with the leopard’s head, if it be not as fine m alloy as sterling, he shall forfeit double the value of the silver, and that the craft of goldsmiths of London shall be answerable for the non- sufficiency of the warden.” This statute was enacted for seven years, and was afterwards re-enacted for twenty years in 1489, and again for twenty years in 1552 by 7 Edw. VI. c. 6. ASSAY OF GOLD AND SILVER. a.d. 1488. 4 Henry VII. parl. 3, c. 2, sets forth, “That it was of old time used and continued till now of late years, that there was, for the avail of the King and the Realm, Finers and Parters of gold and silver by fire and water, under a Rule and Order belonging to the Mints of London, Calais, Canterbury, York, and Durham, and other places where mints be holden, and at the Goldsmiths’ Hall in London, to fine and part all gold and silver, belonging and needful for the said Mints and Fellowship of Goldsmiths, for the amendment of money and plate of the realm : that everything might be reformed to the right standard, as well in money as plate, to the least cost, for the weal of the King’s noblemen of the land and common people. But now that such finers and parters dwell abroad in every part of this realm, out of the Rules aforesaid, and buy gilt silver from the mints, changes and goldsmiths, and part and fine it; and for the most part of the silver so fined, they do allay in divers manners ; and sell it to every man that will buy of them, to make such works as pleaseth the buyers ; therefore man can get no fine silver, when they need it, for their money, for the amend¬ ment of money and plate as hath been in times past, wherefore it causeth money and plate, in divers places of the realm to be made worse in fineness than it should be, as it appeareth evidently in divers places, to the great hurt of the King’s noblemen and common people.” And enacts, “ That no Finer nor Parter of gold and silver allay any fine silver or gold, ne none sell in any otherwise, ne to any person or persons, but only to the officers of mints, changes and goldsmiths within this realm, for augmentation and amending of coin and plate ; ne that no Finer nor Parter sell to no person any manner of silver in mass, molten and allayed, on forfeiture of the same,—one half to the King, and the other half to the finder, that can prove and will sue for it in the Exchequer.” * * As this Act makes no mention of any country Assay Offices, it is probable that all or most of them were now discontinued. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. J 5 GOLDSMITHS’ CHARTER. a.d. 1504. Another Charter granted to the Goldsmiths' Company of London', bearing date 3rd February, 20 Henry VII., mentions "that divers persons in divers parts of this Kingdom do work and expose to sale gold and silver wrought worse than standard, and neither fear nor doubt to be punished ; as due search, or due punishment, is seldom executed out of London. And that the common standard, or assize of gold and silver (according to the ordinances in that behalf made), is kept in Goldsmiths’ Hall in London ; and that all works and wares in gold and silver there tried and assayed, and affirmed for good, shall be stamped with their marks, which they use for that purpose; and all defective works utterly condemned.” STANDARDS OF GOLD AND SILVER : 22-CARAT GOLD REVIVED. a.d. 1573. 15 Elizabeth. Commissioners were appointed to inquire into the standard of gold and silver, which had not been attended to, in consequence of the disgraceful state of the coinage, and the low degree of baseness in which that and goldsmiths’ work generally had recently fallen, but which had then got again to its former purity. The Commis¬ sioners called before them the Master and Wardens of the Goldsmiths’ Company, to see how far they had complied with the standard ; and they were compelled to give security that in future no gold wares should be of less fineness than 22 carats, and silver wares 11 oz. 2 dwts. in the pound. STANDARDS AND PRICE OF GOLD AND SILVER: 22-CARAT GOLD. a.d. 1576. 18 Elizabeth. In this Parliament the abuses in gold¬ smiths’ work were taken into consideration ; and it was enacted that, after the 20th of April, no goldsmith should work, sell, or exchange, or cause to be sold, &c., any wares of gold less in fineness than 22 carats, and that he should use no sother, amell, or other stuffings whatsoever, more than should be necessary, and that he should not take above the rate of twelvepence for the ounce of gold, besides the fashion, more than the buyer should or might be allowed for the same at the Queen’s Exchange or Mint, upon pain to forfeit the value of the thing so sold or exchanged. That he should not put to sale any wares, &c., of silver before he should have set his mark thereon, to so much as might conveniently bear it, upon pain of forfeiture of the same. And if in any goldsmith’s i6 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. ware, &c., touched, marked and allowed for good by the Wardens and Corporation of that mystery, after the said 20th of April, there should be found any falsehood or deceit, then the Wardens and Corporation of that mystery, for the time being, should forfeit the value of the said wares. The Goldsmiths' Company of London is entrusted with the custody of the pile of troy weights made in this Queen’s reign, and no country office is mentioned in this Act. CJ)e <£olD0mttfe’ HDrDer. London , Goldsmiths’ Hall, 2yd February 1675. Whereas complaints have been made to the Wardens of the Company of Goldsmiths, London, that divers small works, as buckles for belts, silver hilts, and the pieces thereto belonging, with divers others small wares, both of gold and silver, are frequently wrought and put to sale by divers goldsmiths and others, worse than standard, to the great abuse of his Majesty’s good subjects, and great discredit of that manu¬ facture, and reproach in foreign parts to the English goldsmiths ; and that there are also divers pieces of silver plate sold, not being assayed at Goldsmiths’ Hall, and so not marked with the leopard's head croivned, or lyon, as by law the same ought to be : And whereas the Wardens of the said Company, to prevent the said frauds, have formerly required all persons to forbear putting to sale any adulterate wares, either of gold or silver : but that they cause the same forthwith to be defaced : And that as well plate workers as small workers shall cause their respective marks to be brought to Goldsmiths’ Hall, and there strike the same in a table kept in the Assay Office ; and likewise enter their names and places of habitations in a book there kept for that purpose, whereby the persons and their marks might be known unto the Wardens of the said Company ; which having not hitherto been duly observed, and many of the offenders seem to be incorrigible ; these are therefore to give notice to, and to require again all those who exercise the said art or mystery of goldsmith in or about the cities of London and Westminster and the suburbs of the same, that they forthwith repair to Goldsmiths’ Hall and there strike their marks, first approved by the Wardens in Court, in a table appointed for that purpose, and likewise enter their names with the places of their respective dwellings in a book remaining in the Assay Office there.* * The table here alluded to was a copper plate of nine columns, which is still preserved at the Hall. It contains punches of the makers’ marks from the date of this order, 1675, U P 10 the passing of the Act altering the standard in 1697 ; but the book in which their names and places of abode were entered is unfortunately lost. A copy of the first five columns of this plate is placed opposite our title-page; the remaining marks are of the second size for small pieces of plate. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 17 And that as well the worker as shopkeeper, and all cutlers and girdlers and all others working or trading in gold or silver wares of what kind soever or quality they be, forbear putting to sale any of the said works, not being agreeable to standard, that is to say, gold not less in fineness than 22 carats, and silver not less in fineness than 11 oz. 2 dwts. ; and that no person or persons do from henceforth put to sale any of the said wares, either small or great, before the workman's mark be struck clear and visible thereon, and upon every part thereof, that is wrought asunder, and afterwards soldered or made fast thereto, in finishing the same, unless it be such sort of work adjudged by the wardens, that it will not conveniently bear the worker’s mark. And that all manner of silver vessels, and all manner of silver hilts for swords, and all manner of silver buckles for belts and girdles, and other harness of silver, be assayed at Goldsmiths’ Hall and there approved for standard, by striking thereon the lion and leopard's head crowned , or one of them, before they be exposed to sale. And hereof all persons concerned are required to take notice, and demean themselves accordingly : otherwise the wardens resolve to make it their care to procure them to be proceeded against according to law. And will reward every person for their pains in discovering before them (in court) the matter of fact of any transgressor (in the premises) upon the conviction of the offender. a.d. 1696. By the Act 7 and 8 William III. c. 19, s. 3. “No retailers of liquors to use or expose any wrought plate, except spoons, on pain of forfeiture,” &c. NEW STANDARD OF SILVER (of ii oz. 10 dwts.) AND MARKS. a.d. 1697— 8 . William III. c. 8, s. 1. Enacts that any persons that shall bring any sort of wrought plate, between the 1st January 1696 and the 4th November 1697, into any of his Majesty’s mints, &c., shall be paid 5s. 4d. per ounce for the same ; and that the master and worker of the mints shall receive all such wrought plate, which shall plainly appear to have thereon the mark commonly used at the Hall, belonging to the Company of Goldsmiths in London, besides the work¬ man’s mark, as sterling silver, without tarrying till it be melted and assayed. And where the wrought plate, so brought, shall not have the said marks thereon, then the party bringing such plate shall have the same forthwith melted and assayed, and shall be allowed 5s. 4d. per ounce for every ounce of sterling silver found therein. Cap. 8, Sect. 9. “ And whereas it might reasonably be suspected that part of the silver coins of the realm had been, by persons regard¬ ing their own private gain more than the public good, molten and converted into vessels of silver or other manufactured plate, which B i8 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. crime had been the more easily perpetrated by them, in regard the goldsmiths or others, workers of plate, by the former laws and statutes of the realm, were not obliged to make their plate of finer silver than the sterling or standard ordained for the monies of the realm.” It was therefore enacted that, from and after the 25th day of March 1697, no silver plate should be made of less fineness than that of 11 oz. 10 dwts. of fine silver in every pound troy, and that no silver vessels, &c., made after that time, should be put to sale until such vessels, &c., should be marked, except silver wire or such things as, in respect of their small¬ ness, were incapable of receiving a mark. That the marks should be— that of the worker, to be expressed by the two first letters of his surname ; the marks of the mystery or craft of the goldsmiths, which, instead of the leopard’s head and the lion, should be for this plate the figure of a lion’s head erased,* and the figure of a woman, commonly called Britannia ; and a distinct variable mark to be used by the Warden of the said mystery, to denote the year in which such plate was made ; and that those marks should be affixed, on pain of forfeiture of all silver vessels, &c., that should be exposed for sale. Wrought plate not marked with the Hall mark of the Goldsmiths’ Company of London was not to be received by the officers of his Majesty’s mints as sterling, but as uncertain silver. This enactment was made in consequence of the practice of melting the coin of the realm by silversmiths to convert it into plate, being the readiest way of obtaining silver “ as good as sterling,” both the coinage and the standard of plate being sterling, that is, 11 oz. 2 dwts. ; and in consequence of the immense quantities of plate that had been sacrificed in the preceding reign for the use of the King and Parliament by con¬ verting it into money or siege pieces of equal value ; the opulent gentry Avere desirous of replenishing their tables and sideboards Avith plate, as they were before the Civil War, so they set about turning the tables, by converting money back again into plate. This was carried to such an extent that the King had recourse to legislation to remedy the inconvenience, and the plan was carried out of raising the standard of plate above the sterling of the coinage, rendering the latter less avail¬ able to the silversmith. The inducement held out by the same Act to bring wrought plate to the mint was the offer of purchasing any Avhich bore the mark of the Goldsmiths’ Hall at 5s. 4d. the ounce, which doubtless led to a still further destruction of ancient plate. In this Act the assay offices of the provinces were not mentioned ; and they appear, therefore, to have been deprived of the power of marking silver plate, because they were not empowered to use the marks for the new standard, and to work the old was illegal; hence from April 1697 until May 1701 plate was only assayed and marked at the Goldsmiths’ * This standard lasted until 1720. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. J 9 Hall, London, to the entire exclusion of the provincial assay offices during that period. a.d. 1698. 9 & 10 William III. c. 28. Recites, “ That by an Act of the 7 & 8 William III. c. 19, no wrought plate can be shipped off, under the great penalties therein named, whereby no home-wrought manufactured plate, though never so beneficial to the artificers and trade of this kingdom, is permitted to be exported ; ” which was at that time a good and wholesome law, and tended to the benefit of the kingdom by keeping bullion at home to be coined. And that a great benefit may accrue to many artificers and to the kingdom in general, by giving liberty to export watches, sword hilts, wrought plate, and several other manufactures, made within this kingdom, being of the fineness prescribed in the last recited Act, it is enacted that after the 24th June 1698, “it shall be lawful to export such watches, plate, &c., according to the rules prescribed in the said last recited Act, as shall be yearly allowed by the Commissioners of the Customs." The same Act, c. 39, says, “ No gilt wire to be covered with verdi- grease, &c. Six ounces of plate to cover four ounces of silk.” PROVINCIAL OFFICES REAPPOINTED. a.d. 1700. 12 William III. c. 4. Recites that the goldsmiths, silver¬ smiths, and plateworkers remote from London are under great diffi¬ culties and hardships in the exercise of their trades, for Avant of assayers in convenient places to assay and touch their wrought plate ; and there¬ fore, for remedy thereof, and for preventing all frauds and corruptions therein— Sect. 1. Appoints the several cities where the mints were lately erected for recoining the silver money, viz., York, Exeter, Bristol, Chester, and Norwich, for the assaying and marking of wrought plate, and for executing the powers, authorities, and directions given by this Act. Sect. 2. Incorporates the goldsmiths, silversmiths, and plateworkers, freemen of, and inhabiting within, any of the said cities, and having served an apprenticeship to the said trade, the Company of Goldsmiths of such city respectively, and enables them annually to choose two wardens, who shall continue for one year, and no longer, unless re¬ elected. Sect. 3. Enacts, that no goldsmith, &c., there, shall work any silver plate less in fineness than the standard, nor put to sale, exchange, or sell the same until marked with the worker’s mark, the lion’s head erased, the Britannia, the arms of the city, and a variable yearly Roman letter. 20 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Sect. 4. Enacts, that each of the said companies shall elect an able and skilful man, experienced in assaying of gold and silver, who may detain eight grains per pound troy of silver he shall assay, four grains whereof shall be put into the diet-box, and the other four grains shall be allowed him for his waste and spillings in making the said assays ; and appoints the oath he shall take immediately after his election before the Mayor. Sect. 6. Enacts, that the diet-box shall be locked up with three keys, kept by the wardens and assayer, and shall be at the company’s charge conveyed annually (if required by the Lord Chancellor or Keeper) to the Mint at the Tower, and the diet therein tried as the pix of the coin is tried ; and if any falsehood or deceit therein, the company shall forfeit £50, to be recovered against such company, or any member thereof in his private capacity : and if any plate shall be touched, marked, or allowed for good by the assayer, and any deceit found therein, he shall forfeit double the value thereof. Sect. 7. Enacts, that every goldsmith, &c., inhabiting there or elsewhere, shall first enter his name, mark, and abode with the wardens of such company of that city or place where an assayer is or shall be appointed, which shall be done without fee. And if such goldsmith shall not enter his mark, or shall strike any unentered mark on plate, he shall forfeit double the value thereof. Sect. 8. Enacts, that if any person shall counterfeit any of the stamps appointed by this Act to be used by the said wmrdens or assayers for marking wrought plate, or any of the stamps used by the wardens of the Company of Goldsmiths of the City of London, such person shall for every such offence forfeit the sum of .£500, to be re¬ covered and disposed as aforesaid. Sect. 9. Recites, that it is not the intent or meaning of this Act to hinder any goldsmith, silversmith, or plateworker, not inhabiting within any of the cities aforesaid, from exercising his trade ; yet for preventing of abuse or corruption therein, it enacts that every such goldsmith, &c., shall first fix his mark upon his plate, and then shall send the same to some city or place where an assayer is or shall be appointed, who shall assay and mark the same as he is by this Act required to mark the plate of his company, and he shall be paid towards his charge and trouble in making such assays a sum not exceeding 6d. per pound troy. Nearly all these cities, it will be seen, were chosen for the same purpose as early as 2 Henry VI. a.d. 1424, but many had probably never availed themselves of the privilege, or had long since discontinued it, or it would have been unnecessary to reappoint them expressly by this statute. As the King’s subjects had, in the year 1697, sold most of their wrought plate to the mints to be coined into money, and the said Act 8 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 21 William III. c. 8 had abolished the old standard of II oz. 2 dwts. and established the new standard of 11 oz. 10 dwts. for wrought silver plate, and had only entrusted the said Company of Goldsmiths in London with assaying and marking all the new standard plate of the kingdom ; and as a large demand now arose for wrought plate, and the goldsmiths in the remote parts of the kingdom were under great difficulties to supply their customers, therefore the goldsmiths, &c., in the above cities (where mints were lately erected) obtained the above Act, which con¬ ferred the same privileges upon the cities therein named, but from 1696 to 1701 no plate had been assayed or stamped anywhere but in London. In the parts of England distant from the metropolis it was the custom, as enacted by 2 Rich. II. 1379, "that every goldsmith should have his own proper mark set upon his work,” and also that “ the work should bear the mark of the city or borough where it was assayed.” In the Acts of 1423 and 1462, York, Norwich, Lincoln, Newcastle, and other cities were appointed to assay gold and silver, and were directed to use “ divers touches according to the ordinance of the Mayor, Bailiff, or Governor of the said towns ; ” hence it seems they could adopt any mark they thought proper; but in 1700, when these assay towns were re-established, Sect. 3 expressly defined the five marks to be (1) the arms of their cities , (2) the maker's mark, (3) a variable Roman letter to show the year in which the plate was made, (4) the lion's head erased, and (5) Britannia. THE NEWCASTLE ACT. a.d. 1701. i Anne c. 9, s. 3. Recites the Act of 12 William III. c. 4, and adds, “ that in the town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne there is, and time out of mind hath been, an ancient Company of Goldsmiths, which, with their families, by the said penalty are like to be ruined, and the trade utterly lost in the said town ; ” and recites, that by the statute 2 Hen. VI. c. 14, the town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne is one of the places appointed to have touches for wrought silver plate ; therefore this Act appoints the said town for the assaying and marking wrought plate, as fully as if named in the said Act of 12 Will. III. c. 4. OLD STANDARD SILVER OF n OZ. 2 DWTS. REVIVED— DUTY OF 6d. PER OZ. IMPOSED. a.d. 1719. Stat. 6 Geo. I. c. Il, Sect. 1. Recites, that it is found by experience that the manufactures of silver which were made accord¬ ing to the old standard are more serviceable and durable than those which have been made according to the new standard ; and therefore 22 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. enacts, that the said old standard of silver plate, made after the 1st of June 1720, shall be restored, revived, and take place instead of the said new standard. Sect. 2. Enacts, that no goldsmith, &c., shall be obliged to make silver plate according to the said new standard. Sect. 3. Enacts, that no person shall make any silver plate less in fineness than 11 ounces 2 pennyweights per pound troy, or put to sale, exchange, or selling any silver plate (unless wire or things by smallness not capable of a mark) until touched, assayed, and marked in manner prescribed by the laws, for marking the new standard of 11 ounces 10 pennyweights fine in case the same standard had continued ; and that all former laws for preserving the said new standard shall be put in execution for preserving the old standard. Sect. 4. Grants to his Majesty a duty of 6d. per ounce on all silver plate imported into and made in Great Britain, to be paid by the importer and makers respectively; and subsequent sections provide for the levying of it. Sect. 41. Recites, that it may be requisite, for encouraging the several manufactures of wrought plate, to continue both the new and the old standards, for the better accommodating all buyers of plate, and the workers and dealers therein : And therefore enacts, that all wrought plate shall not be made less in fineness than 11 ounces 10 pennyweights, or 11 ounces 2 pennyweights ; which two different standards of wrought plate shall be severally marked with distinguishing marks, viz., plate of 11 ounces 10 pennyweights, with the workman’s mark, the warden’s mark, the lion’s head erased, and the Britannia ; and plate of 11 ounces 2 pennyweights, with the worker’s mark, the warden’s mark, a lion passant, and a leopard's head. And that it shall not be lawful to make silver plate of a coarser allay, under the penalties by any of the laws in being concerning wrought plate. The contemplated alteration of the standard, in 1719, from the new one of 11 oz. 10 dwts. to the old one of 11 oz. 2 dwts. was not generally approved of by the goldsmiths ; for although the quality of the silver was reduced, yet the price was raised to the public by reason of the additional duty of 6d. per oz. The goldsmiths therefore memorialised the House of Commons, as shown in the following case. It was probably in consideration of their alleged grievances that Sect. 41 was added to the Bill, giving the workers an opportunity of choosing the new or old standard ; but they do not appear to have availed themselves of adhering to the new standard to any great extent after 1720. “ Case of the Working Goldsmiths. In relation to a Bill now depending in the Honourable House of Commons for reducing the standard of wrought silver plate and laying a duty thereon. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 2 3 “ 1st. It must be acknowledged by all who are workers of silver plate that the new standard of 11 oz. io dwts. is of much finer colour and better adapted for curious w r ork than the old standard of 11 oz. 2 dwts., which will not stand the fire to receive proper ornaments. So that foreign courts (where a coarser allay is used) give frequent com¬ missions for their most valuable plate to be made in London, to the great profit of this kingdom. But should the standard be altered, as by the Bill is intended, it would be impossible for the finest artist to finish so compleat a work in silver of the old standard as it is now performed in the new standard. Besides that, there are some instances where plate of the old standard will require more silver than the same piece of plate were it made of the new standard. “ 2nd. That the laying a duty will ruin the goldsmiths’ trade is apparent; for where a duty is laid on any manufacture, the consumption of which is not absolutely necessary, the consequence must be the sinking or destroying that trade, because every person is at liberty to use or refuse it. And if 6d. per oz. be laid on plate, the manufacturer must, for all weighty plate, pay as much, or more, than he receives for the fashion (besides the loss to the buyer at every time of exchanging such plate). And it must further be observed that the old standard, with the duty, will be 3d. per oz. dearer than the new standard now is ; whereby so great decrease will be made in the trade that not only the duty will fall short of what is expected from it, but many numerous families will be deprived of their subsistence. “ 3rd. The liberty of search by officers by night or day objected to. “ 4th. Complains of the delay in getting their work assayed and marked at Goldsmiths’ Hall. “ Objects to the duty on small plate such as snuff boxes, watch cases, sword hilts, shoe buckles, and other small toys, as well as the annoyance of search by night or day, &c. “ 6th. That Government will be deprived of the advantage received by wrought plate when bullion was wanting should the manufacture of silver decay in this kingdom, ‘ as certainly it will, should this Bill pass .’”—Guildhall Library. MAKERS TO DESTROY EXISTING MARKS AND ADOPT FRESH TYPES. a.d. 1739. Stat. 12 George II. c. 26. Recites the Acts of 28 Edward I. c. 20 ; 2 Henry VI. c. 14; 18 Elizabeth c. 15 ; 12 William III. c. 4; recites also, that “ the wardens and commonalty of the mystery of goldsmiths of the City of London are, and have been, a guild or corporation time out of mind, with divers privileges confirmed and 24 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. enlarged by several Charters from his Majesty’s Royal predecessors, Kings and Queens of this realm (amongst other things), for the searching, assaying, supervising, marking, and regulating wrought plate, in order to ascertain the standard thereof, for the good and safety of the public ; ” recites also the Charter of 18th of Charles II. ; and recites, that “the standards of the plate of this Kingdom are both for the honour and riches of the realm, and so highly concern his Majesty’s subjects that the same ought to be most carefully observed, and all deceits therein to be prevented as much as possible ; but, notwithstanding the aforesaid several Acts of Parliament and Charters, great frauds are daily com¬ mitted in the manufacturing of gold and silver wares for want of suffi¬ cient power effectually to prevent the same.” Sect. i. Enacts, that in England no ware of gold shall be made, sold, or exported less in fineness than 22 carats of fine gold in every pound weight troy, and no ware of silver less in fineness than 11 oz. 2 dwts. of fine silver in every pound weight troy, under a penalty of £10 for every offence. Sect. 2. Provides that the Act shall not extend to jewellers’ work, except mourning rings. Sect. 3. Provides how shopkeepers may be exempted from prose¬ cutions. Sect. 4. Provides that there shall be no trial against them, unless within four terms. Sect. 5. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, that from and after the said twenty-eighth day of May, one thousand seven hundred and thirty-nine, no goldsmith, silversmith, or other person whatsoever, making or selling, trading or dealing in gold or silver wares shall sell, exchange, or expose to sale within that part of Great Britain called England any gold or silver vessel, plate, or manufacture of gold or silver whatsoever made after the said twenty-eighth day of May, one thousand seven hundred and thirty-nine, or export the same out of this kingdom until such time as such vessel, plate, or manufacture of gold (being of the standard of twenty-two carats of fine gold per pound troy), and such vessel, plate, or manufacture of silver (being of the standard of 11 oz. 2 dwts. of fine silver per pound troy) shall be marked as followeth ; that is to say, with the mark of the worker or maker thereof, which shall be the first letters of his Christian and surname , and with these marks of the said Company of Goldsmiths in London, viz., the leopard’s head, the lion passant, and a distinct variable mark or letter to denote the year in which such plate shall be made ; or with the mark of the worker or maker, and with the marks appointed to be used by the assayers at York, Exeter, Bristol, Chester, Norwich, or Newcastle-upon-Tyne ; or plate (being of the standard of n oz. 10 dwts. of fine silver per pound weight troy) with the mark of the worker or maker thereof, which shall HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 2 5 be the first letters of his Christian and surname as aforesaid, and with these marks of the said Company, viz., the lion’s head erased, the figure of a woman commonly called Britannia, and the said mark or letter to denote the year as aforesaid; or with the mark of the worker or maker, and the marks of one of the said cities or towns, upon pain that every such goldsmith, silversmith, or other person, for every such offence shall forfeit and pay the sum of ten pounds , to be recovered and disposed of as hereinafter is men¬ tioned, and for default of payment shall be committed by the Court in which judgment shall be given thereon to the House of Correction for the county, city, or liberty where convicted, there to remain and be kept to hard labour for any time not exceeding the space of six months, or until payment be made of the said forfeiture. Sect. 7. Recites and repeals the clause in 12 William III. c. 4 which provides that any person counterfeiting the stamps shall be liable to a penalty of £500. Sect. 8. Imposes a penalty of ^"ioo on any person who shall forge the marks, or sell wares with forged marks on them. Sect. 10. Provides that there shall be no drawback of duty on the exportation of silver plate above seven years old. Sect. 11 of this Act states the great frauds in the trade, and par¬ ticularly in using too much solder, and entrusts the wardens, &c., with determining what solder is necessary, and whether wrought plate is forward enough in workmanship, and has all the pieces affixed together or not. Sect. 20. Empowers the wardens, after three assays, to break any parcel of plate reported to be of a coarser allay than the said respective standards. Sect. 21. Enacts that every person who shall make, or cause to be made, any manufacture of gold or silver, shall first enter his name, mark, and place of abode, in the assay office of the Goldsmiths’ Company of London, or in the assay office at York, &c., on pain to forfeit ;£io, and ^"10 more for using any other mark. By the same Act it was ordered that the makers were to destroy their existing marks, which were the two first letters of their surname, and substitute the initials of their Christian and surnames on both standards in a different type or character to that previously used. 26 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. EXEMPTIONS. (12 George II. c. 26, and 30 George III. c. 31.) All Gold and Silver Wares are required to be Assayed, Marked, and Duty paid except the under-mentioned Wares, which are specially exempted, being printed in italics :— Gold. Jewellers’ Work, wherein any Jewels or other Stones are set (other than Mourn¬ ing Rings'). Rings ( Wedding Rings and Mourning Rings excepted). Collets, for Rings or other Jewels. Chains. Necklace Beads. Lockets. Buttons, Hollow or Raised. Sleeve Buttons. Thimbles. Coral Sockets and Bells. Ferrules. Pipe Lighters. Cranes for Bottles. Very Small Book Clasps. Stock or Garter Clasps, Jointed. Very Small Nutmeg Graters. Rims of Snuff Boxes, whereof Tops or Bottoms are made of Shell or Stone. Sliding Pencils. Toothpick Cases. Tweezer Cases. Pencil Cases. Needle Cases. Filagree Work. Tippings or Swages on Stone, or Ivory Cases, Mounts, Screws, or Stoppers to Stone or Glass Bottles, or Phials. Small or Slight Ornaments, put to Amber or other Eggs or Urns. Wrought Seals, or Seals with Cornelian or other Stones set therein. Watch Rings. Watch Keys. Watch Hooks. Ear Rings. Necklaces. Eye Glasses. Spectacles. Shirt Pins. Shirt Studs. Silver. Chains. Necklace Beads. Lockets. Filagree Work. Shirt Buckles or Brooches. Stamped Medals. Spouts to China, Stone, or Earthenware Tea Pots. Tippings, Swages, or Mounts not weigh¬ ing ten pennyweights each, except Necks and Collars for Castors, Cruets, or Glasses, and appertaining to any sort of Stands or Frames. Silver Wares not weighing five penny¬ weights each, except the following articles :— Neck Collars and Tops for Castors, Cruets, or Glasses, apper¬ taining to any sort of Stands or Frames. Buttons for Wearing Apparel . Solid Sleeve Buttons and Solid Studs, not having a bezilled edge soldered on. Wrought Seals. Blank Seals. Bottle Tickets. Shoe Clasps. Patch Boxes. Salt Spoons. Salt Shovels. Salt Ladles. Tea Spoons. Tea Strainers. Caddy Ladles. Buckles (Shirt Buckles or Brooches before mentioned excepted). Pieces to garnish Cabinets or Knife Cases, or Tea Chests, or Bridles, or Stands or Frames. Note. —All these Wares printed in italics are excepted out of the exemp- HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 27 GOLD— Continued. Bracelets. Head Ornaments. Waist Buckles. Any Gold or Silver Vessel, or Manu¬ facture of Gold or Silver, so richly En¬ graved, Carved, or Chased, or set with Jewels or other Stones, as not to admit of any Assay being taken of, or a Mark to be struck thereon, without damaging, prejudicing, or defacing the same. Things which, by reason of their small¬ ness or thinness, are not capable of receiv¬ ing the Marks, and not weighing ten pennyweights each. Silver — Continued. tion, and are liable to be Assayed and Marked. All Gold and Silver Wares liable to be Assayed and Marked are charge¬ able with Duty (Watch Cases only excepted). Gold Wares, not required to be Assayed and Marked, may, neverthe¬ less, be Assayed and Marked, and are not thereby liable to the Duty, but this does not extend to Silver Wares. Notwithstanding that in this Act of 12 George II. a penalty of ^10 for every offence against any infraction relating to the standards and the proper marking of wares, it does not altogether invalidate the penalties which may be inflicted under the ancient Acts here recited which were not actually repealed, and since the passing of this Act prisoners have been sentenced to imprisonment and fine under the old Acts of Parliament for making silver plate worse than standard. DUTY. a.d. 1756. Stat. 29 George II. c. 14. Grants an annual duty to his Majesty for all silver plate in Great Britain, from 100 to 4000 ounces, of 5s. for every 100 ounces from 5th July 1756. LICENCE OF £2 IN LIEU OF DUTY. a.d. 1758. 31 George II. c. 32. An Act to repeal the statute of the 6th of Geo. I., by which a duty of 6d. had been imposed upon every ounce troy of silver plate imported into, or made in, Great Britain ; and a duty of forty shillings for a licence, to be taken out by every person trading in, selling, or vending gold or silver plate, was granted in lieu of it; to take place from and after the first day of June 1758, and the licence to be taken out annually, on forfeiture of twenty pounds for neglecting so to do, and for discontinuing all drawbacks upon silver plate exported. By the same Act, the statute of the 12th of the King, for the better preventing frauds and abuses in gold and silver wares, was likewise repealed, because the punishment which was enacted by it against counterfeiting stamps and marks upon gold and silver plate was not sufficiently severe to prevent that practice, and the said crime 28 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. was now made felony, without benefit of clergy. This penalty was, in 1 773, commuted to transportation for fourteen years. LICENCE INCREASED TO £$• a.d. 1759. Stat. 32 George II. c. 14, s. 1. Exempts persons trad¬ ing in gold not exceeding two pennyweights, or in silver not exceeding four pennyweights, in one piece of goods, from taking out a licence ; and Sect. 3 grants an annual duty of £$ (instead of 40s.) to his Majesty for every licence by each person trading in gold plate of two ounces or upwards, or in silver plate of thirty ounces or upwards. SILVER WIRE. a.d. 1742. 15 George II. c. 20, s. 1. All metal inferior to silver to be spun on thread, yard, or incle, only, under a penalty of 5s. for every ounce. Silver thread to hold 11 oz. 15 dwts. of fine silver upon the pound weight troy ; and gilt silver thread 11 oz. 8 dwts. and 4 dwts. 4 grs. of fine gold, on penalty of 5 s. for every ounce. BIRMINGHAM AND SHEFFIELD. a.d. 1773. 13 George III. c. 52. This Act was passed for the appointment of wardens and assay masters for assaying and stamping wrought silver plate, in the towns of Sheffield and Birmingham. Silver goods “ shall be marked as followeth ; that is to say, with the mark of the maker or worker thereof, which shall be the first letter of his Christian and surname ; and also with the lion passant, and with the mark of the Company within whose Assay Office such plate shall be assayed and marked, to denote the goodness thereof, and the place w T here the same was assayed and marked ; and also with a distinct variable mark or letter, which letter or mark shall be annually charged upon the election of new wardens for each Company, to denote the year in which such plate is marked.” DUTY. MARK OF THE KING’S HEAD. a.d. 1784. 24 George III. c. 53. From December 1st, 1784, the following duties upon gold and silver plate are to be paid to his Majesty :— Sect. 1. For gold plate imported into or made in Great Britain, an additional duty of eight shillings per ounce troy, over and above all other duties already imposed thereon. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 29 For silver plate imported into or made in Great Britain, an addi¬ tional duty of sixpence per ounce. Sect. 4. From Dec. 1st, 1784, all goldsmiths and manufacturers shall send to the Assay Offices of the Goldsmiths’ Companies in London or Edinburgh, or to the Birmingham and Sheffield Companies, or to the Wardens and Assayers of York, Exeter, Bristol, Chester, Norwich, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with every parcel of gold or silver, a note or memorandum, fairly written, containing the day of the month and year, the Christian and surname of the worker or maker, and place of abode, and the species, number, and weight, &c., of each parcel, and the sum payable for duty upon the total weight. Sect. 5. Enacts that the Wardens or Assay-Master shall mark with the following new mark, that is to say, with the mark of the King’s head, over and besides the other marks directed by law, all and every parcel or parcels of gold or silver plate so sent to be touched, marked, and assayed, &c. Sect. 7. An allowance of part of the Duty to be made for goods sent to be assayed in a rough state, of one-fifth in weight and duty. Sect. 8. Gold or silver plate, made after Dec. 1st, 1784, not to be sold, exchanged, or exported until marked as hereby directed, on penalty of Fifty pounds and forfeiture of the goods. Sect. 9. This Act not to extend to any jewellers’ work (that is to say) any gold or silver wherein any jewels or other stones are set (other than mourning rings), nor any jointed ear-rings of gold, springs of lockets, &c. Sect. 11. The new duties paid for plate shall be drawn back on exportation thereof. Sect. 12. From 1st Dec. 1784, and the better to prevent the fraudulent relanding of any plate in this kingdom after the drawback has been paid, it is hereby enacted that all wrought plate of gold and silver, which shall be intended to be exported from this kingdom, shall be brought by the owner to the Assay Office, and shall be there stamped or marked with the figure of a Britannia, in order to denote that such plate is entered and intended for exportation, and to be allowed the drawback thereon. Sect. 16. From 1st Dec. 1784, any person who shall counterfeit any stamp to be used in pursuance of this Act, or shall stamp any wrought plate, &c., with any counterfeit stamp, or shall remove from one piece of wrought plate, &c., to another any stamp to be used by the said Com¬ panies or Assayers, &c., or shall sell or export any plate with such counterfeit stamps thereon, &c., shall suffer death as a felon, without benefit of clergy. 1785. 25 George III. c. 64. Recites and repeals the two clauses in 3 ° HALL MARKS ON PLATE. the Act of 24th Geo. III. relating to the stamping of the drawback mark on plate. “And whereas by the said recited Act it was also further enacted, That all wrought gold and silver plate, which should be intended to be exported from this kingdom into any foreign parts, should, before the same was shipped, be brought to the Assay Office, and should there be stamped with the figure of a Britannia , in order to denote that such plate was intended for exportation, and to be allowed the drawback thereon; And whereas the striking of the Britannia mark on many articles of wrought gold and silver plate, in their finished state, can in no way be practised without doing material damage to such wrought plate; be it therefore enacted, That from and after the 24th day of July, 1785, the said two last recited clauses in the said Act shall be repealed." By the same it was enacted, That from and after July 24th, 1785, the person appointed to receive the duties payable for marking of plate may make an allowance of one-sixth part of the duty for all plate brought in an unfinished state, instead of one-fifth, as directed by the previous Act (24 Geo. III.). By the same Act—The exporters of gold and silver watches shall mark or engrave in the inside of every case or box of each watch enclosing the works thereof, the same numbers and figures which shall be respectively marked or engraved on the works of the watch. This appears to have been the law until 1871, when the provision was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act of that year. DUTY INCREASED. a.d. 1797. 37 George III. c. 90. By this Act the duty on gold was placed at eight shillings per ounce, and silver at one shilling. a.d. 1803. 43 George III. c. 69. The former Act of 24 Geo. III., as regards the licence, was repealed, and new licences appointed, viz.— For trading in gold more than two pennyweights and under two ounces, and in silver over five pennyweights and under thirty ounces, £2 , 6s. per annum ; for trading in gold of two ounces in weight and upwards, and in silver of thirty ounces and upwards, ^5, 15 s. per annum. a.d. 1804. 44 George III. c. 98. The duty was increased, on gold to sixteen shillings per ounce, and silver one shilling and threepence per ounce. a.d. 1815. 55 George III. c. 185. By this Act the duties were raised, on manufactured gold to seventeen shillings per ounce, on manu¬ factured silver to eighteenpence per ounce. Sect. 7. Makes the counterfeiting of the King’s head Duty mark a felony, punishable by death. This duty is paid to the assay officers at the time of handing the HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 3 1 articles for assay, but if they are cut at the Hall and sent back as being worse than standard, the duty is returned with the articles. DUTY ON WATCH CASES REPEALED. a.d. 1798. Stat. 38 George III. c. 24. 18-CARAT GOLD AND APPOINTED MARK. a.d. 1798. 38 George III. c. 69. An Act was passed to permit gold wares to be manufactured, for sale or exportation, of the standard of 18 carats of fine gold in every pound weight troy, such gold to be stamped with a crown and the figures 18, instead of the mark of the lion passant, not to the exclusion of, but concurrently with, the former standard of 22 carats. Sect. 7. The counterfeiting marks, &c., is made a felony, punishable by transportation for seven years. DRAWBACK ON PLATE. a.d. 1803. 44 George III. c. 98. Schedule referred to in Sect. 2 of this Act. Drawback for or in respect of gold plate and silver plate, wrought or manufactured in Great Britain, which shall be duly exported by way of merchandise to Ireland or any foreign parts, the whole duties which shall have been paid for the same. a.d. 1812. 55 George III. c. 59. Referring to the last-named Act, allows to private persons residing or going to reside abroad the same drawback as allowed on the exportation of merchandise. This Act contains only one section. FOREIGN PLATE TO BE ASSAYED AND STAMPED. a.d. 1842. 5 & 6 Vict. c. 47, Sect. 59. And be it enacted, that all gold and silver plate, not being battered, which shall be im¬ ported from foreign parts after the commencement of this Act, and sold, exchanged, or exposed to sale within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, shall be of the respective standards now required for any ware, vessel, plate, or manufacture of gold or silver, wrought or made in England; and that no gold or silver plate so to be imported as aforesaid, not being battered, shall be sold, exchanged, or exposed to sale within the said United Kingdom until the same shall have been assayed, stamped and marked, either in England, Scotland or Ireland , in the same manner as any ware, vessel, plate, or manufacture of gold and silver wrought or made in England, Scotland or Ireland respectively is 32 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. or are now by law required to be assayed, stamped and marked ; and that every goldsmith, silversmith, or other person whatsoever, who shall sell or expose to sale in England, Scotland or Ireland any gold or silver plate so to be imported as aforesaid, and not being battered, before the same shall have been so assayed, stamped and marked as aforesaid, shall be subject and liable to the like penalties and forfeitures in all respects, and to be recoverable in the same manner as the penalties and forfeitures now by law imposed upon goldsmiths and silversmiths sell¬ ing, exchanging, or exposing to sale in England, Scotland or Ireland respectively, any ware or manufacture of gold or silver plate made or wrought in England, Ireland or Scotland respectively, and not assayed, stamped and marked as required by law: Provided always, that no article or ware of gold or silver so to be imported as aforesaid shall be liable to be assayed, stamped or marked as aforesaid which would not be liable to be assayed, stamped or marked if it had been wrought or made in England. Sect. 69. And be it enacted, that in order that gold and silver plate so imported as aforesaid may be assayed, stamped and marked, it shall and may be lawful for any person to send the same to any Assay Office in the United Kingdom at which gold and silver plate is now by law required to be assayed, and when so sent it shall be assayed, tested, stamped and marked in such and the same manner, and be sub¬ ject to such and the same charges, other than stamp duty, as if the same were British plate by law assayable in such office; and the wardens and officers in each such Assay Offices, and the persons em¬ ployed by them, shall have such and the same powers of assaying, touching, testing, marking, cutting, breaking or defacing such gold or silver plate so sent to be assayed, as are now by law exercisable by such wardens, officers, and other persons in respect of gold and plate now by law required to be assayed in such Assay Offices. 5 & 6 Vict. c. 56, Sect. 6. Provides that ornamental plate made prior to the year 1800 may be sold without being assayed and marked. (Vide also 30 & 31 Vict. c. 82, sect. 24.) Note. —It is to be observed that these enactments do not oblige the importer to send foreign plate to be assayed and marked at the time of its importation, nor indeed at any time. CRIMINAL LAW CONSOLIDATION. MARK FOR 22-CARAT GOLD. a.d. 1844. Abstract of the Act of the 7th & 8th Victoria, cap. 22, entitled “ An Act to amend the Laws now in force, for preventing Frauds and Abuses in the Marking of Gold and Silver Wares in England.” HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 33 By Sect, i, the Act of the 13 Geo. III. c. 59, and that part of the 38 Geo. III. c. 69 which relates to the punishment of offenders, are repealed. By Sect. 2, the forging or counterfeiting any die used for marking gold or silver wares, or knowingly uttering the same ;—the marking w r ares with forged dies, or knowingly uttering any such ware;—the forging any mark of any such die used as aforesaid, or knowingly utter¬ ing the same ;—the transposing or removing any mark of any die used as aforesaid, or knowingly uttering any such transposed mark;—the having in possession any such forged or counterfeit die as aforesaid, or any ware of gold or silver, or any ware of base metal, having thereupon the mark of any such forged or counterfeit die as aforesaid, or any such forged or counterfeit mark, or imitation of a mark as aforesaid, or any mark transposed or removed as aforesaid, knowing the same respectively to have been forged, counterfeited, imitated, marked, transposed, or removed ;—the cutting or severing any mark, with intent to join or affix the same to any other ware ;—the joining or affixing to any ware, any cut or severed mark ;—and the fraudulently using any genuine die,—are respectively made felony , punishable by transportation for any term not exceeding fourteen nor less than seven years , or by imprisonment with or without hard labour for any term not exceeding three years. By Sect. 3, every dealer who shall sell, exchange, expose for sale, export, import, or attempt to export or import, or who shall have in his possession without lawful excuse (the proof whereof shall lie upon him) any ware of gold or silver, or base metal, having thereupon any forged or counterfeit mark, or any mark which shall have been transposed or removed, is made liable for every such ware to a penalty of ten pounds. N.B.—In the cases provided for by this section, it will be seen that it is not necessary for the Company of Goldsmiths, sueing for the penalty, to prove a guilty knowledge. By Sect. 4, dealers are exempted from the penalty of discovering and making known the actual manufacturer of any such ware, or the person for whom the same was bought, had, or received. By Sect. 5, it is enacted, that if any ware which shall have been duly assayed and marked, shall be altered, by any addition being made thereto, or otherwise, so that its character or use shall be changed, or if any addition shall be made thereto (although its character or use shall not be changed), the weight of which addition shall bear a greater pro¬ portion of the original weight than four ounces to every pound troy weight, every such ware shall be assayed and marked again as a new ware, and the duty shall be paid upon the whole weight. But if the weight of such addition shall not bear a greater proportion to the original weight than four ounces to every pound troy, and the character or use of such ware shall not be changed, the addition only c 34 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. may be assayed and marked, and the duty paid on the weight of such addition only; but before any such addition shall be made, the ware shall be brought to the Assay Office for inspection, and the nature and extent of the additions explained, and the assent of the Company to the making of such addition signified : And every dealer who shall alter, or add to, any ware which shall have been before assayed and marked, so that its character or use shall be changed, or so that the addition shall bear a greater proportion to the original weight than four ounces to every pound troy , without bringing the same to be assayed and marked as a new ware ; or if its character or use shall not be changed, or the addition shall not bear a greater proportion to the original weight than aforesaid, without first bringing such ware to the Assay Office, and explaining the nature and extent of the intended addition to the Company, and obtaining their consent thereto: and every dealer who shall sell, exchange, expose for sale, export, import, or attempt to export or import, or who shall have in his possession any such ware so altered, changed, or added to as aforesaid, is made liable for every such ware to a penalty of ten pounds; and every such ware may be seized. By Sect. 6, dealers are exempted from the penalty on discovering and making known the actual manufacturer of any such ware, or the person from whom the same was bought, had, or received. By Sect. 7, every officer of the several Halls who shall mark as standard any ware worse than standard is made liable to a penalty of twenty pounds; every such officer shall be dismissed; and every such ware may be seized. By Sect. 8, it is enacted, that every dealer who shall enter, or has already entered, his private mark, under the existing laws, with any of the Companies, shall give them the particulars of every place where he carries on his business, or keeps wares, and his place of abode, and so from time to time, under a penalty for every offence of five pounds. By Sect. 9, a penalty of five pounds for every offence is imposed on every dealer who shall fraudulently erase, obliterate, or deface any mark of the several Companies of Goldsmiths from any ware. By Sect. 10, the recovery and application of penalties is pro¬ vided for. By Sect. 11, Justices of the Peace are required, upon information by any of the several Companies of Goldsmiths, to grant such warrants to search for forged or counterfeit dies and false or illegal wares; and every such die and ware may be seized , but not any wares which by existing laws are not required to be marked, nor any of the wares following, viz. :— Watch-rings, watch-keys, watch-hooks, earrings, neck¬ laces, eye-glasses, spectacles of gold, shirt pins or stuas, bracelets, head ornaments, waist-buckle$. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 35 By Sect. 12, the disposal of false dies and wares seized is pro¬ vided for. Sect. 13 regulates the proceedings in actions and prosecutions against any person acting in pursuance or under the authority of this Act. Sect. 14 defines the meaning and interpretation of the words and terms used in the Act. Sect. 15 provides that after the 1st October 1844, gold wares of the standard of 22 carats of fine gold in every pound troy shall be marked with a crown and the figure 22, instead of the lion passant, by the Goldsmiths’ Companies in the Cities of London, York, Exeter, Bristol, Chester, and Norwich, and the towns of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Birmingham* Sect. 16 extends the powers, penalties, and provisions concerning the lion passant to the mark directed to be used instead thereof, by this Act. Sect. 17 declares that this Act shall not extend to Scotland or Ireland. Sect. 18 declares that it shall come into operation on the is^ October 1844. Sect. 19 declares that it may be amended or repealed in the then present session. Note. —It will be observed that throughout this Act the word “dealer” has been substituted for “maker,” as in former Acts, which enables the Goldsmiths’ Company to sue any person who deals in plate, or has any ware of base gold, silver, or other metal in his possession, having any forged or counterfeit mark, without lawful excuse (the proof of which lies with the dealer). The interpretation clause defines a dealer to be “ one who deals in gold or silver wares, including every goldsmith and silversmith, and every worker, maker, and manufacturer of and trader and dealer in gold and silver wares, or shall sell such wares.” This is the most recent statute, and must be taken as the guide and authority in all cases of forgery of the dies and marks used at the Assay Offices, and penalties for selling spurious plate, or having any such in possession, &c. REDUCED STANDARDS OF GOLD OF 15, 12, AND 9 CARATS. a.d. 1854. 17 & 18 Victoria. A Bill was passed allowing gold wares to be manufactured at a lower standard than before allowed by law, and to amend the law relating to the assaying of gold and silver wares. The first section recites that Her Majesty may, by Order in Council, allow any standard of gold wares not less than one-third part in 3 6 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. the whole of fine gold, to be marked with such mark or marks for dis¬ tinguishing the actual fineness, to be declared in such order ; and also to approve thereby of the instrument with which gold vessels, &c., shall be marked or stamped, setting forth in figures the fineness according to the standard declared. Sect. 2 provides that workers and dealers may have their wares assayed and marked at any established Assay Office which they may select. Sect. 3 provides that if any of the gold wares which are not liable to be assayed and marked, shall nevertheless be assayed and marked, such wares shall not be chargeable with the duty. Sect. 4 extends the provisions of existing Acts to the new standards. Sect. 5 imposes a penalty of £20 on any assayer or other officer who shall mark a gold ware of a lower standard with the mark appro¬ priated to a higher standard. In pursuance of this Act, an Order of Council of nth December 1854 fixes the new standards of 15, 12, and 9 carats, and provides that they shall be marked as follows, viz. :— The first with the figures 15 and the decimal mark .625. The second with the figures 12 and the decimal mark .5 (500). The third with the figure 9 and the decimal mark .3/5. Note .—The Goldsmiths’ Company of London advised against the introduction of these lower standards. The plain and intelligible manner in which it was ordered that wares of 15, 12, and 9 carats should be marked, has been, it is believed, the chief cause of the com¬ paratively small quantity of gold of these standards which is manu¬ factured. In the last year, ending 27th May (1878), at Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, gold wares weighing 7084 lbs. were marked, and the articles made of the higher standards (viz., 22 and 18 carats) weighed 6607 lbs. 7 oz. 14 dwts. 14 grains.—( Prideaux ’ evidence'). N.B .—All gold wares, whether manufactured of 22, 18, 15, 12, or 9 carats, are liable to the usual duty of 17s. per oz. as levied on gold plate; except watch-cases and certain wares mentioned in 12 Geo. II. c. 26, s. 6, and a few enumerated 7 & 8 Viet. c. 22, s. 11. WEDDING RINGS. a.d. 1855. 18 & 19 Victoria, c. 60. An Act for excepting gold wedding rings from the operation of the Act of the last session relating to the standard of gold and silver wares, and from the exemptions con¬ tained in other Acts relating to gold wares. Whereas an Act was passed in the 17 & 18 year of Viet, entitled “ An Act for allowing gold wares to be manufactured at a lower standard than that now allowed HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 37 by law, and to amend the law relating to the assaying of gold and silver wares,” whereby it is among other things enacted, that if any of the gold wares which by any statute now in force are not liable to be assayed and marked, shall, nevertheless, be assayed and marked as of one of the standards authorised by law, such wares shall not by reason thereof be chargeable with the duty now levied on gold plate. And whereas by certain statutes now in force, no gold rings, except mourn¬ ing rings, are liable to be assayed and marked, but gold wedding rings have nevertheless been assayed and marked; and whereas it is ex¬ pedient that gold wedding rings should be made liable to the provisions of the statutes now in force relating to the assaying and marking of gold plate : be it therefore enacted, &c., as follows :— 1. From and after the passing of this Act, gold wedding rings shall be assayed and marked in like manner as gold plate not exempted is required by the statutes now in force to be assayed and marked, and all the provisions of the statutes relating to the manufacture or sale of gold plate shall apply to gold wedding rings, anything therein contained to the contrary notwithstanding. 2. The 3rd section of the Act passed in the 18 Viet, herein re¬ cited is hereby repealed so far as the same might affect gold wedding rings. Note. —Gold wedding rings must not be sold without being duly assayed and marked. They can be made of any of the authorised standards, and are liable to the duty of 17s. per oz., of whatever standard they are. DRAWBACK BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. a.d. 1866. 29 & 30 Victoria, c. 64, s. 15, provides for allowing drawback on plate made in Great Britain exported from Ireland, and on Irish plate exported from Great Britain. All gold and silver plate which shall be imported from foreign parts, and which shall be sent to any Assay Office in the United Kingdom at which gold and silver plate is now or shall at any time hereafter be by law required to be assayed, and which when so sent shall be then assayed, tested, stamped, and marked, shall, in addition to the marks for the time being used at such Assay Office for the purpose of marking British plate, be marked with the further mark of the letter F on an oval escutcheon , in order to denote that such gold or silver plate was imported from foreign parts, and was not wrought or made in England, Scotland , or Ireland; and the wardens and officers in such and every such Assay Office, and the persons employed by them, shall have power to impress and mark, and shall impress and mark, such further and additional mark, before such plate shall be delivered out from such Assay Office. 38 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Cap. 82, sect. 24. Foreign plate of an ornamental character made before the year 1800 is exempted. Note .—This Act made it compulsory on gold and silver smiths, &c., to have all foreign plate assayed at the Hall, and if not of the standard allowed by law, shall be dealt with in every respect as made in the United Kingdom, the sale or exchange of such foreign plate being pro¬ hibited unless so assayed. Upon pain that every such gold or silver smith, &c., shall forfeit and pay the sum of ten pounds for every offence, and in default of payment shall be committed by the Court to the House of Correction, and kept to hard labour for any time not exceeding six months, or until payment be made of the said forfeiture. This important addition to our Hall-marks with regard to foreign silver was rendered necessary in consequence of the quantity of spurious silver from abroad which had found its way into this country, and notwithstanding an Act had been passed in 1841 prohibiting its sale unless of the proper standard, no notice had been taken until 1875, when proceedings were instituted by the Goldsmiths’ Company to recover penalties. In this respect the English Government tardily followed the example of the French, who for more than a hundred years had ordered all such silver from foreign parts to have a separate mark of E (etrange). The opportunities of importing plate without having it assayed and marked at Goldsmiths’ Hall are extremely easy, and no steps are taken by the Customs when it arrives in this country to test its quality. The officer takes the duty of is. 6d. per ounce on whatever stuff it may be, if it bears any resemblance to silver, and it is released without any mark being placed upon it. Although the traffic in unmarked plate is prohibited by law, the Customs take no cognisance of the prohibition, and are not in co-operation with the department who have the control of the standard, and whose duty it is to detect this base silver, and who would break it up when below the authorised standard, or if equal to it, after an assay, to place the marks of the Goldsmiths’ Hall, with the additional stamp of the letter F, denoting its foreign origin. A strong objection is raised to the system of placing the same marks upon foreign standard plate as upon English, for although the additional letter F is added, it can easily be obliterated and passed off as English, or even if left, few people would notice it, but look only to the lion and Queen’s head—the usual guarantee of British standard plate. One hardship in connection with the assay and stamping of foreign plate at Goldsmiths’ Hall is, that although the duty of is. 6d. per oz. may have been paid when imported to the Customs, unless the person sending the plate for that purpose can produce the certificate of its payment he would have to pay the duty over again at the Hall, and in many cases, where the plate had been in the owner's possession for HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 39 twenty or thirty years and could not produce proof, he would be liable to pay it a second time. Mr. Prideaux, in his examination before the Committee on Gold and Silver Hall-Marking in 1878, gave the following replies to the Chairman on the subject of sales by auctions :— Is a large quantity of foreign plate sold by auction at the present time ?—I have heard that a good deal has been sold. How is it that you do not put a stop to this ; you have the power, have you not, by Act of Parliament ?—No power whatever, but by proceeding for the penalties. That is very severe, is it not ?—;£io upon each article. Supposing there were a dozen spoons, the penalty would come to a large sum ?—Yes. Supposing that I have a set of foreign silver, and I send it to an auction room, and I sell it by the lot and not by the ounce, does not that get over the difficulty ?—I have not had occasion maturely to consider the question, but I should think not. Supposing that the auctioneer is not liable by the existing law, do not you think that he ought to be ?—Certainly ; and my opinion is that he is liable—he is the seller. ANNUAL LICENCES. a.d. 1867. 30 & 31 Victoria, c. 90, s. 1. Annual Licences are to be taken out by every dealer in gold and silver articles in respect of any shop, and by every hawker or pedlar.* If gold is above 2 dwts. and under 2 oz., or if silver is above 5 dwts. and under 30 oz., at . £2 6 O If gold is 2 oz. or more, or silver 30 oz. or more, at . . . . . . £5 15 o Every pawnbroker taking in gold or silver, in respect of every shop . . . £$ 15 O Every refiner, in respect of every shop . .^5150 * # * No licence required for dealing in gold or silver wire, or thread lace. a.d. 1869. 33 & 34 Victoria, c. 32, s. 4. No licence required by makers of watch-cases for selling watch-cases made by them. With regard to licences, we may refer to a case which was decided in 1877 in the Court of Exchequer. It was on an appeal from the decision of a metropolitan police magistrate with reference to the licence duty imposed by 30 & 31 Viet. c. 90, s. 1. It was contended that the * A penalty of £50 is imposed for dealing without licence. This penalty may be mitigated under the general regulations of the excise laws. 4 o HALL MARKS ON PLATE. weight of pure gold in a chain that had been sold was less than two ounces, and consequently that the lower rate of duty only was suffi¬ cient ; but the Inland Revenue contended that there was nothing as to pure gold in the statute, that the weight of the article sold as gold must be taken as the weight which regulates the rate of duty. The magistrate upheld the contention of the defendant in this case, and dismissed the information ; but on appeal to the Court of Exchequer they took the view of the Revenue against that of the magistrate, namely, that the higher duty attached to it, and it was held that the weight of the article sold as gold is the weight which regulates the rate of duty. a.d. 1876. By the Act 39 & 40 Victoria, c. 36, s. 42, clocks, watches, and other articles bearing a counterfeited British mark, or purporting to be the manufacture of the United Kingdom, may not be imported, and if imported may be seized and forfeited. FOREIGN PLATE.—NOTICE BY THE GOLDSMITHS’ COMPANY. a.d. 1876. It having been brought to the notice of the Goldsmiths’ Company that articles of silver plate in considerable quantities have been for some time past imported into this country from foreign countries and sold without having been assayed and marked as required by law, the wardens of the Company consider it their duty to remind dealers in gold and silver plate of the laws which prohibit the sale of foreign plate of gold and silver imported into this country, unless it be of one of the authorised standards, and shall have been assayed and marked ; and the wardens, at the same time, notify that they will consider it their duty to institute proceedings at law against offenders in every case of an offence committed in breach of the law which shall be brought to their notice and capable of proof. NOTICE TO THE TRADE ISSUED IN AUGUST 1878 BY THE GOLDSMITHS’ COMPANY. In which the clauses from Acts of Parliament relating to foreign plate were reprinted, and attention was drawn to the 12 Geo. II. and to the list of exemptions from compulsory marking. Also that in con¬ sequence of information given them of infringements of the laws, the wardens had been compelled to institute proceedings against several persons, the result of which had been the recovery of penalties in every case, and warning the trade and dealers generally that the wardens will not hesitate to put in force the powers vested in them to take such steps as will prevent all irregular and illegal practices. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 4i NOTICE BY THE GOLDSMITHS’ COMPANY.—£100 REWARD. “Whereas extensive frauds have been committed by counterfeiting the marks used by the Goldsmiths’ Company of London, and by the transposition of such marks. And whereas the wardens of the Gold¬ smiths’ Company, with a view to the prevention of fraud and the detec¬ tion of offenders, have determined to offer such reward as is hereinafter mentioned. Now I, the undersigned Walter Prideaux, Clerk of the said Company of Goldsmiths, for and on behalf of the said wardens, do hereby promise to pay the sum of .£100 to every person who shall give such information and evidence as shall lead to the conviction of any person who shall have forged or counterfeited any die or other instru¬ ment which is or has been used by the said Company of Goldsmiths for the marking of gold or silver wares, or who shall have marked with any such forged or counterfeit die any such ware, or who shall have uttered any such ware knowing the same to be marked as aforesaid, or who shall by any means whatever have produced an imitation of any such mark as aforesaid upon any ware of gold or silver, or who shall have transposed or removed, or shall have uttered knowing the same to be transposed or removed, any such mark from any ware of gold or silver, or any other ware, or shall have in his possession any such ware of gold or silver having thereupon the mark of any such forged or counter¬ feit die, or having thereupon any such imitation of a mark as aforesaid, or any mark which shall have been so transposed as aforesaid, knowing the same to have been forged, imitated, marked, or transposed. “Witness my hand this 4th day of June 1880. (Signed) “Walter Prideaux, Clerk." The Report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons on the Hall-Marking of Gold and Silver Plate, &c., issued in May 1879. The Committee have examined numerous witnesses upon the matter before them; and the Report of a Select Committee of this Honourable House that was appointed in the year 1856 “to inquire into the offices for assaying silver and gold wares in the United Kingdom,” and the evidence taken by that Committee, have been con¬ sidered by them. The inquiry before your Committee was directed to three distinct topics ; the first being the incidence and effect of the duties at present levied upon articles of gold and silver manufacture ; the second, the effect of the existing system of compulsory assay and Hall-marking; 42 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. and the third, certain complaints against the operation of the present law. It is in these days an accepted truism that every duty must operate as a fetter upon the manufacture on which it is imposed. To this the duties on gold and silver ware are no exception. It is true that the feeling of the trade is generally in favour of the retention of the duty. The close connection between the duty and the Hall-marking system has been prominently put forward as a reason why the tax is willingly borne by the trade. Probably, too, this feeling is, to some extent, due to an apprehension as to the effect of a remission of duty upon stocks in hand. The evidence establishes that the manufacture of gold and silver plate is not growing. It seems rather to be declining. But your Committee do not adopt the suggestion that this is entirely or even chiefly due to the duty. In England and Scotland duties were reimposed (in place of licences) in 1784, at the rate of 8s. per oz. on gold and 6d. per oz. on silver. They continued at that rate till 1798, when the duty on gold was raised to 16s. per oz. and on silver to is. per oz. In 1805 the duty on silver was again raised to is. 3d. per oz. The present duty (17s. per oz. on gold and is. 6d. per oz. on silver) was imposed in 1817. In Ireland, from 1730 down to 1806, the duty was 6d. per oz. on gold and silver alike, from 1807 till 1842 it was is. per oz. on gold and silver alike. Since 1842 it has been levied at the same rate as in England and Scotland. The returns of the amount of duty paid during these periods do not suggest that the successive increases of duty had any depressing effect on the manufacture. On the contrary, the maximum return (,£123,128) was in 1825, nine years after the imposition of the existing duty. For the year ending 1878 the total amount of duty was £ 78,610 only. This decline is to some extent due to change in fashion ; to some extent, also, to the durability of plate, which results in a large trade in second-hand silver, but in all probability is chiefly due to the development of the electro-plate manufacture, which seems to have become fully established in or about 1846, from which date a marked diminution in the yield of the plate duties is to be observed. That the trade in gold and silver articles (as distinguished from the manufacture of plate) is not diminishing is suggested by the returns of the licences granted to plate dealers, the proceeds of which have steadily increased from ;£i 6,898, 8s. 6d. in the year ending 1846, to £^44,216, 15s. 9d. in the year ending 1878. One evident objection to the duties on plate is to be found in the inequality of their incidence. The list of articles exempted from duty is long and apparently capricious. It seems to be based on no principle, except that of the necessity of collecting the duty by means of the Assay Offices, and consequently of exempting from duty all articles which cannot HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 43 be assayed without “ damaging, prejudicing, or defacing the same,” or which are “too small to be safely marked.” In consequence, a large number of articles in common use, such as chains and bracelets, escape payment of the duty, not because their material is different from similar articles which are liable to duty, but simply because, as the goods cannot be Hall-marked, the duty cannot be collected. Again, electro-plate pays no duty, though it is evident that a large amount of silver bullion is used every year in this manufacture. The imposition of a duty bearing so great a proportion to the intrinsic value of the raw material has a tendency to diminish the use of silver as an article of manufacture. Considering all the circumstances connected with this trade, and the importance of promoting the use of silver as an article of manufacture, the Committee recommend the abolition of this duty, both customs and inland, whenever the condition of the revenue will permit. To the principle of compulsorily assaying and marking articles of . gold and silver manufacture there are no doubt some objections. It is possible that if the matter were new, and it were for the first time in contemplation to establish an assay under the control of Government, these objections might prevail. But in this country the system has existed substantially in its present form since the reign of Edward I. Without speculating on its origin, and while making due allowances for its defects, it is established that it has resulted in the creation and the maintenance of a high standard of excellence for all British assayed wares, which has not only raised the reputation of British workmanship at home and abroad, but has also created a large amount of private wealth readily convertible by reason of the guarantees of value which the Hall¬ marks afford. As far as can be ascertained, every British manufacturer, and by far the largest number of the dealers, cling to the maintenance of the system with marked tenacity. The public do not complain of it. That the foreigner appreciates it, is shown by the fact that, rejecting the theoretical advantage of private marks and personal reputation, foreign w T atch-cases are sent to this country to be Hall-marked in yearly increasing numbers. Nor should the antiquarian or sentimental aspect of the question be altogether dis¬ regarded. At any rate this should prevail to the extent of throwing the entire burthen of proof on those w 7 ho propose the abolition of a system which has worked well for 500 years. The Committee do not consider that a voluntary or optional system of Hall-marking would be satisfactory. So long as the inland duty on plate is retained, no better means of collecting it than through the assay authorities has been suggested. But the Committee are of opinion that the abolition of the duty need not entail the abolition of compulsory Hall¬ marking. Watch-cases have been free from duty since 1798* but no difficulty has been experienced in enforcing the Hall-marking laws 44 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. with regard to them. Assuming that the system of compulsory Hall¬ marking, with or without the duty, is to be maintained, the Committee proceed to consider the operation of the Acts under which that system is carried on. Since the report of the Committee of 1856 the Assay Office at York has ceased to exist. In other respects the condition of the offices described in that report seems to have continued unaltered. The chief complaint against the operation of the existing law comes from the manufacturers of watches and watch-cases. They have estab¬ lished by evidence that within the last few years a practice has sprung up, and is rapidly increasing, under which foreign-made watch-cases are sent to this country to be Hall-marked with the British Hall-mark, and are afterwards fitted with foreign movements, and are then not unfrequently sold and dealt in as British-made watches ; and they assert that this not only injures their own reputation and lowers the credit of British workman¬ ship, but is contrary to the spirit and intention of our legislation. The Assay Offices are unable legally to refuse to Hall-mark these foreign watch-cases when brought for assay by registered dealers, though their officials are practically able to distinguish them from cases of British manufacture That Parliament has recognised the distinction between foreign and British plate is shown by the provisions of an Act 30 & 31 Viet. c. 82, s. 24, which requires all imported plate to be marked before sale with the letter F in an oval escutcheon, “ in order to denote that such gold or silver plate was imported from foreign parts, and was not wrought or made in England, Scotland, or Ireland.” Until the practice of Hall-marking foreign watch-cases sprang up, the British Hall-marks were taken to indicate British workmanship, and your Committee cannot doubt that foreign watches in watch-cases so Hall¬ marked are frequently sold as of British manufacture. The Committee are therefore of opinion that all foreign-made watch-cases assayed in this country ought to be impressed with an additional distinctive mark (the letter F, by reason of its resemblance to existing marks, is not suf¬ ficiently distinctive) indicative of foreign manufacture, and that the law ought to be altered accordingly. The Committee are further of opinion that the Acts now in force require to be amended in regard to the following matters:—(a.) The assay¬ ing authorities should be allowed to return imported articles which are found below standard, instead of breaking them up, as at present. ( b .) A dome made of base metal should not exclude watch-cases from being Hall-marked, (c.) The assay authorities should have power to mark articles which, though standard, have enamel or other metals or substances added for the purposes of ornament only. ( d .) The lower standards of gold, viz., 15, 12, and 9 carats (equal respectively to 15~24th, i2-24th, and HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 45 9-24U1 of pure metal), should be discontinued. A composition containing less than two-thirds of pure metal ought not to be called by the name of that metal. ( e .) The whole of the Assay Offices should be placed under the direct supervision of the Mint, so that uniform standard of quality shall be guaranteed. (/.) So long as a licence duty is maintained it should be levied at a uniform rate. It appears that in 1857 a Bill was prepared by the Commissioners of the Inland Revenue for giving effect to the recommendation of the Committee of 1856, that the Acts relating to the assaying of plate should be consolidated into one Act; but this Bill was never laid before Parliament. This is to be regretted. There seems to be considerable uncertainty in the application of the law in consequence of the number of statutes in which it is found, and the Committee now express their opinion that the consolidation and amendment of the law should be carried out as proposed without further delay. THE DUTY ON GOLD AND SILVER PLATE ABOLISHED. a.d. 1890. 53 Victoria. The Select Committee of the House of Commons, in their report on the Hall-marking of gold and silver in i 879, remarked that the imposition of a duty bearing so great a proportion to the intrinsic value of the raw material had a tendency to diminish the use of such metals as articles of manufacture. Considering all the circumstances connected with this trade, and the importance of promoting the use of gold and silver as mediums of manufacture, the Committee strongly recommended the abolition of this duty whenever the condition of the revenue would permit. That time having arrived, the Government, by the Customs and Inland Revenue Act, 1890, Part II., provided that on and after the first day of May 1890, the stamp duties and duties of Customs on plate of gold and plate of silver should cease to be payable. ALLOWANCE OF DRAWBACK ON SILVER PLATE. The following notice was issued by the Inland Revenue to silver¬ smiths with regard to the drawback of duty :— “ Regulations as to claiming drawback of duty on silver plate which is as to every part thereof new and unused, manufactured in the United Kingdom, and which has never left the stock of a licensed dealer. u Plate will be received by the collectors of Inland Revenue for examination at the various Assay Offices on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th June 1890. 46 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. “ The claimant must produce his current licence dated prior to the 17th April 1890: also his stock-book or some other satisfactory evidence to prove the date of purchase or manufacture of each article, and prove to the officer’s satisfaction that it has never left the stock of a manufacturer or licensed dealer. “ Care must be taken that only those articles which have actually paid duty and bear the impression of the duty mark (the sovereign’s head) are included in the claim. “ Foreign manufactured plate is not included in the claim.” Then follows a penalty of ^500 for making any false statement, &c. Cj )t ^tanDarth The English sterling, or silver standard, which term first occurs in the reign of Henry II., was of the fineness of 11 oz. 2 dwts. in the pound troy, and 18 dwts. of alloy, and it has remained so, nearly without interruption, for more than 600 years, with the exception of a period of twenty years, from the latter end of the reign of Henry VIII. to the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth, when at one time it was so debased that nine ounces of alloy were actually employed with only three ounces of silver. In the earliest accounts in which the standard of fineness is mentioned, it is always spoken of as the u old standard of England,” or “ esterling.” The Saxon pennies were of the same standard. In computing the standard of gold, it will be observed that the word karat is employed. This term is used by refiners, whereby they certify a certain composition of weights used in assaying and computing of standard gold, and this karat contains either the twenty- fourth part of a pound or the twenty-fourth part of an ounce troy.* The standard of gold, when first introduced into the coinage, was of 24 karats, that is, pure gold, and from Henry III. to Edward III. remained so; it was subsequently 23 karats 3 4 grains fine, and half a grain only of alloy. The gold was debased by Henry VIII. to 20 karats, but it was raised to 22 karats, which Charles II. made * The karat is a bean, the fruit of an Abyssinian tree called Knara. This bean, from the time of its being gathered, varies very little in weight, and seems to have been a weight for gold in Africa. In India it is used as a weight for diamonds, as well as in Europe. It contains four grains. The orthography of this word is varied, and we have, for the sake of uniformity, adopted the way it is spelt on the Continent: Karat for Carat. In France the term denier was used to denote the fineness of silver, in the same manner as we use the word karat for gold. It indeed agrees with the English ounce. The pound is divided into twelve parts, or deniers , and each denier or twelfth part into two obo!es y or twenty-four grains. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 47 standard, and which still continues to be so for coins of the realm. In the reign of Edward IV., a.d. 1477, an Act was passed which ordained that, as the Act had been daily broken in the manufacture of gold wares, the fineness of gold should be fixed at 18 karats, but it was raised again to the standard. One pound or one ounce of standard gold must contain 22 karats of fine gold, 1 karat of silver, and 1 karat of fine copper, which together make 24 karats, or one pound or one ounce troy weight. Sterling or standard silver contains #fzr of pure silver and of alloy. Silver coins are usually alloyed with copper in the above proportions, but gold coins, being sometimes alloyed with silver alone, sometimes with copper and silver together, no two sovereigns are of exactly the same colour, the former being of a pale gold, the latter more red. So long as the bars of gold sent to the Mint to be coined contain the correct proportion of pure gold, the nature of the alloy is not a matter of importance to the moneyer. Pure gold and silver are invariable in their qualities, from whatever mines they are produced. The marks for gold of 22 karats, and for silver of 11 oz. 2 dwts., were, up to the year 1844, the same; hence a great facility was afforded to fraud, and, consequently, many instances occurred. An article of silver of the standard above named, being duly assayed and marked, had only to be gilt, and who but those more skilled than ordinary purchasers could say it was not gold ? This was changed by 7 and 8 Viet. c. 22, s. 15, which required that all wares of 22-karat gold should be marked with a “crown and the figures 22, instead of the mark of the lion passant,” but the operation of this Act did not extend to Scotland or Ireland. A lower standard of gold was allowed by an Act, 38 Geo. III. c. 69, 1798, which w T as marked with a crown and the figures 18, instead of the lion passant. In 1854, 17 & 18 Victoria, still lower qualities of gold wares were allowed to be made, of 15, 12, and 9 karat pure gold in 24: stamped with the figures denoting the fineness, without the crown and Queen's head, but not without payment of duty. Gold and silver wares may be assayed at any lawful Assay Office wherever manufactured, without being liable to any forfeiture or penalty imposed by any previous Act. (No particular standard named in this Act, but to be directed by an order from the Privy Council.) This Act is in force throughout the United Kingdom. The Goldsmiths’ Company have unfortunately no jurisdiction over the manufacture of jewellery, hence the spurious nature of a great proportion of the jewellery sold in England; and there is no 4 8 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. real security to the public unless the articles have the Hall-mark; or wanting this, purchasers should insist on having the quality of the gold written plainly on the invoice as a guarantee of its genuineness, not only whether it is gold, for this admits of a wide interpretation, but the quality of it expressed in numerals, as equal to 22, 18, 15, 12, or 9 karat. Provided with such an invoice, he has always his remedy against the jeweller.* The value per ounce of the different qualities of gold permitted to be manufactured into plate, jewellery, watches, &c., by the various Acts of Parliament, and stamped accordingly, calculated at the highest Mint price,t is as follows :— £ s. d. ALLOY. 24 karat or pure gold . • 4 4 Hi None. 22 karat (first standard and currency) . • 3 17 iol ... 2 karat. 20 karat (Ireland only) . • 3 10 9 ? ... 4 „ 18 karat (second standard) • <5 • 3 3 8§ ... 6 „ 15 karat) ( 2 13 1 9 „ 12 karat > since 1854 . • ) 2 "> 5f ... 12 „ 9 karat ; (l 11 io| ... 15 „ If these variations in the value of the different qualities of gold were better known or attended to, the public would not so frequently be duped by dishonest tradesmen. Mr. Watherston, in his pamphlet “ On the Art of Assaying,” observes : “ Advertisements are sometimes thus ingeniously contrived : ‘ Fine gold chains weighing five sovereigns * From the following passage in The Comedy of Errors (Act iv. Sc. 1) we find that it was the custom in England, in Shakespeare’s time, for the Goldsmith to place on his invoice the weight , the standard, and the charge for fashion. Angelo the Goldsmith says :— ‘ ‘ Here’s the note. How much your chain weighs to the utmost karat, The fineness of the gold, and chargeful fashion.” We quote this passage as given in most of the editions, which as it stands is evidently an incorrect reading. Weighing a chain to its utmost karat is impossible, and the chargeful fashion incomprehensible. By placing the commas aright we arrive at the poet’s meaning, and find that three separate items are alluded to in the Goldsmith’s note. 1st. How much your chain weighs, that is always expressed in troy ounces, pennyweights, and grains. 2nd. To the utmost karat the fine¬ ness of the gold, the standard or fineness is always computed by refiners in karats or imaginary weights. 3rd. The charge for fashion, that is the cost of making. Shakespeare’s meaning is clearly expressed in another play, where he says :— “ Therefore thou best of gold, art worst of gold, Other, lessefine in karat, is more precious, Preserving life, in med’cine potable.” Second Part of King Henry IV. (Act iv. Sc. 4). t A purchaser, in estimating the probable cost of a piece of plate or jewellery, must add to the intrinsic value of the gold, the duty paid by the goldsmith of 17s. per ounce on all the standards, of 22 down to 9 karats, if above 10 dwts. (the small articles, and those which cannot be stamped without injuring them, and watch-cases being exempted), the Assay Office fees, and the charge for fashion or manufacture, which, of course, varies according to the artistic labour bestowed upon the material by the designer, the chaser, and the engraver. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 49 for £S each/ by which it is meant to be inferred that the gold in the chains is of the same fineness as the sovereigns, while it is no such thing ; and an accurate knowledge of this subject would enable the pur¬ chaser to detect the imposition by showing the vendor that five sove¬ reigns would weigh I 02. 5 dwts. 12b grs., and that sovereigns being standard or 22 karats, the weight of such gold at the Mint price of 77s. lo|d. per oz. would be worth ^5, whereas the gold in the chain might be only half the fineness, say 11 karats, or 1 oz. 5 dwts. \2\ grs. at 38s. il^d. per oz. = £2, 10s. Thus £2 y 10s. would be obtained for the workmanship of the chain, which charge it was the object of the vendor wholly to conceal.” The Bank of England is bound to buy all gold at £3, 17s. ioid. per ounce. The parliamentary price of gold is only an equivalent denomination ; £3, 17s. iojd. is not the price of an ounce of gold, but is according tO' the number of gold coins that can be made out of an ounce of gold.. This simple fact has not been generally observed. In the reign of Geo. III. the size of the leopard’s head was diminished, and about 1823 it was deprived of its crown, and denuded of its mane and beard—a great change from the bold front presented in the old punches ; and it has ever since looked more like a half- starved cat than a lion. It has been stated that, from the mention of a simple “ leopard’s head ” being found in some of the earlier docu¬ ments, without being followed by the word “ crowned,” the form of the stamp was changed, and what had hitherto been a Royal leopard was deprived of its crown ; but another reason may be assigned for this apparent act of lese majeste. The Goldsmiths’ Company may have considered the leopard’s head as their assay mark, and being in the arms granted them in 1591 without any crown, the same was adopted as a distinguishing mark of the Hall rather than a standard mark, which is represented by a lion passant, and had been used as such since 1545, and is styled “Her Majesty’s lion” in a public document of the year 1597. The lion passant has always been considered as a standard mark, and was used as such both on gold and silver for three centuries ; but on gold the crown has superseded it—first on the 18-karat gold in 1798, and subsequently on the 22-karat gold in 1844, as a distinction between the gold and silver standards ; but neither the crown, the lion, nor the Queen’s head, or any other ensign of royalty, is to be found on the debased standards of 15, 12, and 9 karats, being evidently con¬ sidered derogatory to the high reputation the English standards had previously maintained in all foreign states. There are five standards for gold, and two for silver. The manu¬ facturer may use either at his option, informing the authorities at the Assay Office which he has adopted, in each parcel of goods sent to be D 5° HALL MARKS ON PLATE. assayed. The Higher Standards for Gold are 22 and 18 karats of pure metal in every ounce, the ounce containing 24 karats : so that in each ounce there may be 2 or 6 karats (one-twelfth or a quarter of the weight) of alloy. The coinage of England is of the higher standard, 22 karats. The lower standard is used for all manufacturing purposes, except in the case of wedding rings, which are usually made of 22-karat gold. Since 1854 debased gold standards of 15, 12, and 9 karats in the ounce of 24 karats have been legalised. The Standards for Silver are 11 oz. 10 dwts. and 11 oz. 2 dwts. of pure metal in every pound troy. The higher standard is seldom or never used. The silver coinage is of the lower standard. In the year 1697, it has been seen that there was an alteration in the standard of fineness of silver, which was increased from 11 oz. 2 dwts. to 11 oz. 10 dwts. in the pound troy. This better standard was denoted by a change of stamps as follows :—(1.) The marks of the workers to be expressed by the two first letters of their surnames. (2.) The mark of the mystery or craft of the goldsmith, which instead of the leopard’s head was to be a lion’s head erased. (3.) Instead of the lion, the figure of a woman, commonly called Britannia, was to be substituted ; and (4.) A distinct variable mark to be used by the warden of the said mystery to denote the year in which such plate was made. Both these marks were, after 1700, used by the provincial Assay Offices, but the lion’s head erased was omitted on silver of the new standard at Sheffield and Birmingham. On referring to the Minutes of the Goldsmiths’ Company, we find that, “on the 29th day of May 1695, new puncheons were received, the letter for the year being t in an escutcheon.” And on “ the 27th March 1697, the puncheons for the remaining part of this year (viz., up to the 30th May) were received, being, according to Act of Parliament, a lyon’s head erased, a Britannia, and for the letter, the great court A in an escutcheon.” HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 5 1 Table showing the alterations English coins and plate have undergone with respect to weight and fineness, from the reign of William the Conqueror to that of Victoria. MONEY. PLATE. DATE. REIGN. GOLD. SILVER. GOLD. SILVER. Fineness of Gold Coins. Pound Troy of such Gold coined into Fineness ofSilver Coins. Pound Troy of such Sil¬ ver coined into REIGN. Karats. REIGN. 0z. dwt. kar. grs. £. s. d. 0z. dwt. £. s. d. 1066 Will. I. . . 11 2 I 1 4 1280 8 Ed. I. . . ... I 1 4 28 Ed. I. . 194 Ed. I. 11 2 1344 18 Ed. III. . 23 3 h 14 0 10 I 1 6 1349 23 „ 14 18 8 I 3 0 ... 1356 3 ° 16 0 0 I 6 8 1421 9 Hen. V. . 17 16 0 I 12 0 1464 4 Ed. IV. . 22 4 6 . 2 0 0 1465 5 24 0 0 2 0 0 1470 49 Hen. VI. 24 0 0 2 0 0 I4S2 22 Ed. IV. . 24 0 0 2 0 0 17 Ed. IV. 18 1509 1 Hen. VIII. 24 0 0 2 0 0 1527 18 22 0 24 0 0 2 2 8 1543 34 >, 23 0 28 16 0 10 0 2 8 0 1545 36 22 0 30 0 0 6 0 2 8 0 1546 37 20 0 30 0 0 4 0 2 8 0 1547 1 Ed. VI. . 20 0 30 0 0 4 0 2 8 0 1549 3 >> 22 0 34 0 0 6 0 9 12 0 1551 5 3 i 34 0 0 5 0 12 0 1552 6 „ 22 0 36 0 0 11 I -9 0 0 1553 1 Mary . . 23 3 i 36 0 0 11 0 *9 0 0 1560 2 Elizabeth . 22 0 36 0 0 11 2 3 0 0 15 Eliz. . 22 IbOO 43 23 J 2 36 10 0 3 2 0 ... 1604 2 James I. . 22 0 33 10 0 '9 J 2 0 1626 2 Charles I. 41 0 0 3 2 0 1666 18 Charles II. 44 10 0 9 A 2 0 9 Will. III. 11 10 1717 3 George I. . 46 14 6 3 2 0 6 Geo. I. . 11 2 lSl6 56 Geo. III. 46 14 6 3 6 0 38Geo. III. 122 1 18 V -V— -> 1821 2 Geo. IV. . 46 14 6 3 6 0 These two Stan- to ( 22 dards have both l88l Victoria . . 22 karats, at which Sterling Stan- 18 Viet. . 18 remained legal it has remained dard as at 5 Standards \ 15 from 1720 to the ever since. present. legalised. 1 present day. It is a curious coincidence, if not actually premeditated, that the two great changes in the debasement of the coinage and its restora¬ tion to the ancient purity of the standard should be notified in the arrangement of the Hall-marks on plate. In 1543 the fineness of silver coins was reduced by Henry VIII. from 11 dwts. 2 grs. to ten parts out of the twelve; in 1545 to half, and in 1546 to one- third part only of pure silver. It has been suggested that between 1543 and 1545 the stamp of the lion passant was introduced to notify that the plate still remained as good as the old standard, and was u. OF ILL LIB. 52 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. not debased like the coins of that period. We have not met with any plate of the years 1543 or 1544, but in 1545 we find “Her Majesty’s lion ” for the first time added as a standard mark. The second change occurred in 1560. Up to that date the escutcheon or encircling line had taken the form of the date letter; but in the second year of the glorious reign of Queen Elizabeth, when the purity of the coinage was restored to the old standard, for gold of 22 karats, and for silver 11 oz. 2 dwts., a change was made by the Goldsmiths’ Company, and the letters were henceforward enclosed in a regular Heraldic Shield, commencing on Old Christmas Day, viz., the 6th January 1561, with the letter D, as shown in our tables. These shields continued, with more or less pointed bases, down to 1738, when an ornamental form was adopted, eminently distinguish¬ ing the dates down to the year 1755. In the following year a square shield, with the upper corners cut off, and the base slightly rounded, ending in a point, was continued until 1877, the old Heraldic pointed shield being then revived. We may here advert to one of the most important features in our improved tables of London Assay Office letters, independent of the careful representation of the letters themselves, viz., the introduction of the escutcheons or shields enclosing them. This had never before been attempted, and the idea originated with us in 1863. The system of both gold and silver being standard measures of value, which they were in virtue of each being a legal tender to any amount, was the source of much disorder ; for, as their market prices were always subject to variation, one kind of coin had a constant tendency to drive the other out of circulation. To remedy this great inconvenience, our present monetary system was established in 1816, at which time, as gold was the metal in which the principal payments were made in England, the following law was enacted :— “ That gold coins shall in future be the sole standard measure of value, and legal tender of payment, without any limitation of amount, and that silver coins shall be a legal tender for the limited amount of forty shillings only, at one time.” Besides this standard fineness of coins, there is also a legal weight, fixed according to the Mint regulation, or rate of coinage of each country. Thus in England a pound troy of standard gold is coined into 44! guineas, or 46££ sovereigns, and a pound of standard silver into 66 shillings, with divisions and multiples in proportion ; and hence the Mint price of standard gold is ^3, 17s. io|d. per ounce, and that of standard silver 66 pence per ounce. Before the year 1816, silver was coined at the rate of 62 pence per ounce. The Mint price of standard silver at 66 pence per ounce is above the average market value, which is considered to be about 60 pence, the HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 53 price now usually adopted in the valuation of coins, but since this was written the market value of silver has much decreased. The silver coins in circulation are considered only as tokens pay¬ able by the Government, and pass for more than their metallic value as compared with gold. Precaution is taken that it shall not be worth while to melt the silver coin into bullion, and it is so nearly worth its current value that imitation would not be ventured on so small a profit. The Government will always receive back its tokens, however worn they may be, provided they be not wilfully defaced or fraudulently reduced. But gold, being the sole standard measure of value, and legal tender of payment, circulates as a commodity; and hence the necessity of Government receiving it at value on its return to the Mint, and making a deduction for loss of weight when the same exceeds the remedy of the Mint. The wear and tear of the gold coinage is such, that very nearly 3 per cent, of the whole circula¬ tion goes out annually; and the quantity which will suffice to throw a sovereign out of circulation is Two th parts, or about one-fourth of a grain. ( IVoolhouse .) Mr. Freemantle, Deputy Master of the Mint, in his report for the year 1874, states that “the amount of gold coined during the year, £1,460,000, has again been below the average (which may be reckoned at £"5,000,000), notwithstanding that in 1873 the amount coined was only ,£3,300,000, as against £15,000,000 in 1872, and £"10,000,000 in 1871. This diminution in the demand for gold coin is in a great measure to be accounted for by the magnitude of the coinages just referred to; but it should also be mentioned that the importations into the Bank of England during the year of Australian sovereigns and half-sovereigns, which are now somewhat of the same design as those issued from the Mint in London, are equally legal tender in the United Kingdom, and have been considerable, having amounted to £1,972,000, and have contributed in a sensible degree towards main¬ taining the supply of gold coin required for circulation in this country.” It may be here remarked, while speaking of Bank operations, that the Bank of England weighs about 20,000,000 pieces separately and singly in each year, and if each had to be examined to see the date the labour would be trebled. “The natural colour of pure gold is a deep rich orange yellow. If, however, gold is beaten into thin leaves, and placed between the eye and the light, it appears of a green colour. Gold is also green in a molten state at a high temperature. When precipitated from its solutions it assumes a dark brown colour. If the brown precipitate is boiled in concentrated sulphuric acid, it cakes together, and becomes red. If gold is precipitated as a very fine powder it is black ; if finely diffused in transparent glass it is violet; and it has been surmised that the colour 54 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. of rose-quartz is due to a very fine diffusion of gold in that substance.” ( Lutschaunig .) There are six different ways of giving gold the various shades of colour by means of alloy with other metals. These six colours may be combined and produce all the possible variations. i. Yellow gold, or pure. 2. Red gold, composed of three parts fine gold and one of purified copper. 3. Grass green gold, three parts of pure gold and one of silver. 4. Dead leaf green, half gold and half silver. 5. Sea green, fourteen parts of fine gold, and ten of fine silver. 6. Blueish gold, fine gold melted, in which is thrown a small quantity of iron. Coloured gold (of which cheap jewellery is made) means that the article contains a very small proportion of gold, less frequently than 9-karat gold, or 9 parts pure and 15 alloy out of the 24, which is intrin¬ sically worth about 30 shillings per ounce. As this debased gold is of a bad colour and wanting in brilliancy, the following operation is adopted, called colouring :—From the immediate surface of the article the copper is removed, exposing the pure gold only, but this coating of pure gold is not thicker than the 100th part of the breadth of a hair. It is the same as if the article were gilt or electro-plated, only that in the one instance the alloy is taken from the gold on the surface, leaving the pure gold, and that in the other the pure gold is put on. Any bad gold over 9 karats can be coloured by boiling in nitric acid, or other preparation acting in the same manner. u The bleaching of silver is an analogous operation to the colouring of gold. If an article of silver alloyed with copper be heated to a dull red heat, and then quickly dipped in water containing a small proportion of sulphuric acid, the copper will be taken away, leaving the pure silver on the surface as white as snow.” ( Lutschaunig .) To convert gold or silver into grains or granular pieces requires the assistance of two persons. The one procures a pan of cold water and keeps it in movement by stirring it round with a stick, while the other pours the molten metal into it. This sudden transition from heat to cold, and the circular motion of the water, naturally converts the metal into irregularly shaped grains. Filigree is composed of two round threads, so twisted together by means of a tourniquet that they form but one thread. The Loupe or magnifying-glass is a sort of microscope of a simple glass, convex on both sides, or a pair of lenses (convexo convexes) fixed at a certain distance from each other in a frame, with a handle attached. The latter is used by goldsmiths and employes of the Assay Offices to verify the Hall-marks upon gold and silver plate. It is more to be depended upon in a careful investigation, as the whole field within the radius is magnified equally, while the single glass distorts that portion of the object seen towards the edge. For this reason it is pre- HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 55 ferred by engravers. It is also very useful for examining coins and medals to ascertain whether they are genuine. The choice of a glass to verify the marks on plate, &c., is very important, but it is impossible to establish any positive general rule, since every person must consult his own eyesight. In every case the glass ought to be mounted or set in a deep flat border or diaphragm, to concentrate the rays of light in the centre of the lens. The light should be thrown direct on to the object to render the whole surface distinctly visible at one view without shadow. The closing of one eye during inspection should be avoided as much as possible, as this in¬ voluntary habit fatigues the eye without producing any better effect. The glass should be brought near to the eye, or at the most only tw T o inches from it. WEIGHTS. The weight used by the Saxons was the Colonia or Cologne pound of 16 ounces, containing 7680 grains. This pound was divided into 2 marks of 8 ounces each, being equal to two-thirds of the Tower pound, still used in Germany. In the time of William the Conqueror the pound Troy was introduced of 5760 grains, as at present used for gold and silver, so called, it is supposed, from being used at Troyes, in France ; but this idea is incompatible with its French name, which denotes a more remote origin, being called “ Poids Romain.” There w r as another weight in use at the same time called the Tower or moneyeds pound (pois d'orfevres), by which gold and silver coins were weighed, so called in consequence of the principal Mint being in the Tower. This Tower pound, which had 12 ounces of its own, consisted of 5400 grains, being less than the Troy pound by 15 pennyweights or three-quarters of an ounce. It is still occasionally referred to on the subject of coins, and in the early inventories of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, such as the Exchequer and Wardrobe accounts, &c., the weight of silver and gold is expressed by pounds, shillings, and pence, the pound being subdivided into 20 shillings and 12 pence or pennyweights. The shilling represents three-fifths of an ounce.* This ceased to be a legal Mint weight in the eighteenth year of the reign of Henry VIII., when in 1526—7 the Tower pound was abolished by Royal proclamation and the Troy pound substituted. * This was a source of great revenue, and is thus stated in a MS. relating to Mint affairs which is preserved in the Collection of the Society of Antiquaries :—‘ * There is a weight which hath been used in England from the beginning in the King’s Mints, till of late years, and derived from the Troy weights ; for by the Troy -weight of twelve ounces the merchant bought his gold and silver abroad, and by the same delivered it into the King’s Mint, receiving in counterpoise by Tower weight, which was the King’s prerogative, who gained thereby three-quarters of an ounce in the exchange of each pound weight converted into money, beside the gain of coining, which did rise to a great revenue, making for every 30 lbs. Troy , being a journey of coined money, 32 lbs. Tower.” 56 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. As an example of the manner of expressing weight and Mint value in the fourteenth century, we quote two items from the particulars of a present of plate from the City of London to Edward the Black Prince, on his return from Gascony in 1371 :— ‘'Bought of John de Chichestre, Goldsmith (Mayor in 1369), 48 Esqueles and 24 Salt-cellars, weighing by goldsmiths’ weight, £ 76, 5s. od., adding six shillings in the pound with the making; total, £109, os. 9d. Also, 6 Chargers, weight £14, 18s. 9d., which amounts with the making to £ 21, 7s. 2d.,” & c. &c. {Rileys Memorials of London.') These imaginary coins had no exact representation in the coinage of Great Britain until long after the period when they were used merely as moneys of account. The term shilling was used by the Saxons as equivalent to four pennies, but William the Conqueror estab¬ lished the Norman shilling at twelve pennies, yet no positive coin of that denomination was made current until the reign of Henry VII. The mark was a Danish mode of computation introduced in the reign of Alfred, then valued at 100 pennies, but William the Conqueror valued it at 160 pennies, or 13s. 4d., being two-thirds of a pound. The pound referred principally to weight; the pound of gold or silver meant the value in money, according to the current coins which could be made out of the pound weight of either metal. At the time we are speaking of, silver pennies were the only coins used in England. In the reign of Edward III. (1327—77) coins of various denominations were introduced—groats, half-groats, pennies, half-pennies, and farthings, as well as the gold noble passing at 6s. 8d. its half and quarter. The first sovereign or double rial, coined by Henry VII., passed for 22s. 6d. Then succeeded, in the time of the Stuarts, the unit or pound sovereign of 20 shillings. There was a method of paying and receiving moneys so as to avoid the necessity of counting and weighing each piece separately, thereby avoiding the loss of time necessarily occupied in dealing with large sums of money. This was termed “ payments ad scalamf and would be completely answered by the plan, provided the coins were of just weight and undiminished in the course of currency, each being weighed separately on receipt, as at the Bank of England, where the practice is still in use. In paying large sums in gold the first thousand is counted and placed in one of the scales, the additional thousands being esti¬ mated by weighing them successively in the other scale against it. This is sometimes adopted at banking houses in the present day. In a general way the gold coins are taken indiscriminately from the mass, but instances are recorded by which deception has in former times been practised. A certain monk of St. Augustine’s in Canterbury, in the fourteenth century, contrived to defraud those who made payments to that abbey, of whose rents he was receiver, by taking advantage of the HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 57 unequal manner in which coins were then formed, selecting the heaviest, against which he weighed all the money he received, gaining thereby sometimes five shillings and never less than three shillings and four- pence in every twenty shillings. On discovery of the fraud, however, the abbot and convent were severely fined. Troy weights are now exclusively used in the gold and silver trade, the weights being stated in ounces, and until recently into penny¬ weights and grains. The troy pound is not used; the troy ounce being the present unit of weight, which in 1879 was divided into decimals and its divisions. Silver plate is always sold at per ounce. The old series of cup weights or nest set of ounce weights, estab¬ lished in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, are still in use in the City of London, for which there is no standard above 12 ounces, and they are usually made of brass. The Founders’ Company claim the right to stamp and verify brass weights after they are made, but they have no power to enforce it. The right is based on a Royal Charter of James II., and a clause in the Weights and Measures Act reserves such, which, however, has frequently been disputed, but no legal decision has been taken upon it. Troy weights marked by the Founders’ Company should be stamped at Goldsmiths’ Hall, but it is not done now. The legal provisions for stamping troy weights are practically inoperative. A set of old troy standards still exists at Goldsmiths’ Hall. The standard brass weight of one pound troy made in the year 1758 is now in the custody of the Clerk of the House of Commons, and is by 5 Geo. IV. c. 74 the established standard, and called “ The Imperial Troy Pound.” Very few troy weights are stamped at all, and till recently they never were. They are sold unstamped ; but if the Goldsmiths’ Company have not the power to enforce the supervision, a clause in some Act of Parliament should forthwith enable them to exercise it legally. It would be a better guarantee to the public. Troy weights are not sub¬ ject to inspection like the avoirdupois, but although inaccuracy and fraud are seldom met with, yet goldsmiths’ weights are frequently in an unsatisfactory condition, and require official supervision. It seems to us that the more scientific system adopted in France might be carried out advantageously in England. The French regula¬ tion requires weights to be marked with the name of the maker and stamped by the appointed inspector; not only this, for every part of a balance is made to a gauge like a watch, and the beams and scales stamped accordingly. Balances are also subject to variation through changes in the humidity of the atmosphere. A decimal series of troy ounces are used for bullion, legalised in 58 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 1853 ; but they have not been adopted by the general public, and are not used in the gold and silver trade. At that time the Bank abolished the system of weighing in pounds and ounces, and substituted weighing in ounces and decimals of ounces—a more scientific method ; but no one in the trade has adopted the system, except in his relations with the Bank. By troy weight, gold, silver, jewels, and precious stones are weighed. Diamonds and pearls are an exception. They are weighed by the karat, which contains 4 grains ; but 5 diamond grains are only equal to 4 troy grains, the ounce troy containing 150 diamond karats. 14 ounces 8 pennyweights 12 ounces 20 pennyweights . 24 grains 20 mites 24 droits 20 periots 24 blanks TROY WEIGHT. -make (i lb., avoirdupois weight (7000 grains). 1 pound, troy weight (5760 grains). 1 ounce (480 grains). 1 pennyweight (24 grains). 1 grain.* 1 mite. 1 droit. Vi periot. The above subdivisions of troy weight are appended to an Act relating to a new coinage passed by the Long Parliament, and it was probably copied from earlier records ; but how those infinitesimal frac¬ tions were to be used is a mystery, and this Act does not furnish us with the information—a blank being about the thirteen hundred and twenty-seven millionth of a pound troy. These divisions of the grain are in reality only imaginary; but there are real weights of decimal divisions to the thousandth part of a grain. REFINERS’ WEIGHTS. A POUND WEIGHT KARAT. AN OUNCE KARAT. » 12 ounces make 24 karats. 1 ounce troy . makes 24 karats 4 grains „ 1 karat. 4 grains „ 1 karat. 4 quarters „ 1 grain. 4 quarters „ 1 grain. 10 dwts. troy . ,, 1 karat. 20 grains troy. . „ 1 karat. 2 dwts. 12 grains troy . „ 1 grain. 5 grains troy. . make 1 karat grain 15 grains troy „ b grain. * The grains in avoirdupois and troy weight are identical. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 59 COMPARATIVE TABLE OF TROY AND AVOIRDUPOIS WEIGHTS. Avdps. Troy. Avdps. Troy. Avdps. Troy. OZ. OZ. dwt. grs. OZ. OZ. dwt. grs. OZ. OZ. dwt. grs. i ... 4 1 J 8 15 13 13 IOj 3 1 28 5 1 2i one lb. two lb. i ... 9 2| 16 14 II l6 32 29 n 0 8 Ioz. 18 5i 17 15 9 2ii 33 30 I 134 2 I 16 11 18 16 8 3 34 3 ° 19 19 3 2 H 16£ 19 17 6 Hc'i 00 35 3 i 18 oh 4 ** J 12 22 20 18 4 14 36 32 16 6 5 4 11 3 h 21 19 2 i 9 i 37 'j n JJ 14 11 h 6 5 9 9 22 20 1 1 38 34 12 17 7 6 1 14 \ 23 20 19 6 £ 39 35 10 22 \ 8 7 5 20 24 21 17 12 40 36 9 4 9 8 4 1 4 25 22 15 i 7 i 50 45 11 11 10 9 2 7 26 23 13 23 60 54 13 18 11 10 0 I2 2 27 24 12 4 i 70 63 16 I 12 10 18 18 28 25 10 10 80 72 18 8 13 11 16 29 26 8 I 5 i 90 82 0 15 14 12 15 5 30 27 6 21 100 9 i 2 22 This table will be found useful when weighing gold or silver, if troy weights are not at hand. A pound troy of gold in England is coined into 46fx5- sovereigns, or £\ 6, 14s. 6d.; a pound troy of sterling silver into 66 shillings. Therefore, new silver coins to the amount of 5s. 6d. will weigh an ounce troy, and could be used as a substitute on an emergency. Note .—The weight of silver is always given in ounces and penny¬ weights, omitting the grains and pounds. Thus, 6 lbs. IO oz. 10 dwts. 12 grains is called 82 oz. 10 dwts. A new Act came into operation on the 1st January 1879 (but six months were allowed to become accustomed to the alterations). It abolishes the use of pennyweights and grains in troy weight. The ounce troy remains the same, containing 480 grains, but is now divided decimally into tenths, hundredths, and thousandths, so that the thou¬ sandth part of an ounce troy is exactly equal to .48 grain, or nearly one-half. It will be seen from this that the exact equivalents in the new bullion and old weights cannot be shown without using decimals 6o HALL MARKS ON PLATE. or complicated fractions, which being of no practical utility, are omitted in the following table, and only the nearest quarter fraction inserted, the difference being always less than ^th of a grain. For weighing precious stones, the karat is abolished, and “ decimal grain weights ” (or the grain troy divided decimally) substituted; 3.17 grains being nearly equal to one karat, and the equivalents being calculated to -g^th of a karat, as now used. The small sets of troy weights sanctioned by the Act of 1879 are sold in nests of 10, fitting into each other, the divisions being marked thus:— oz. oz. oz. oz. oz. oz. 20. 10.5 . 3.2 . i . t 5 o, equal to 10 dwts. yV = 6 dwts. to = 4 dwts. T V = 2 dwts. With loose square weights, marked thus :— .05=24 grs. .04=19! grs. .03=14! grs. .02 = 9! grs. .oi=4f grs. .005 = 2 \ grs. .004 = 2 grs. .003 =li grs. .002 = 1 gr. .001 = | a gr. Table showing the corresponding value of the Old Troy weights lately in common use, and the New Decimals legalised in 1879, omitting the fractional parts of grains and dwts. PENNYWEIGHTS. GRAINS. New Weights. Old Weights. New Weights. Old Weights. Decimal*. Dwts. Decimals. Dwts. I. OOO I OZ. = 20 0.500 10 O.950 19 O.450 9 O.9OO 18 0.400 8 0.850 17 O.350 7 0.800 l6 0.300 6 O.750 15 O.250 5 0.700 14 0.200 4 O.65O *3 0.150 0 O. 600 12 O. IOO 2 O.550 II O.O5O 1 New Weights. Old W eights. New Weights. Old Weights. Decimals. Grains. Decimals. Grains. 0.001 1 2 0.026 I2i 0.002 1 0.028 I 3 l O.OO4 2 O.029 14 0.006 3 O.031 15 0.008 3 S O.034 16 J 0.010 4i O.O36 1 7 i 0.012 5S 0.038 i8i O.OI4 6| 0.040 19 ? O.Ol6 7f O.O42 20£ O.OlS 8| O.O44 21 0.020 95 0.046 22 0.022 ioh 0.048 23 O.O24 0.050 24 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 61 Manufacturers of gold and silver are required to register their names and marks which indicate the same (usually their initials) at the Assay Office of their district, and all articles sent in by them to be assayed must be impressed with this maker’s mark. If they are then found to have been made in conformity with the appointed regulations, a small quantity, not exceeding 8 troy grains in the pound, is to be cut or scraped from them for trial of their purity, according to the standard for which they are required to be stamped. One moiety of the scrapings, or diet , as it is called, is to be reserved for the assay, and the other, if the purity prove to be correct, is to be put into that compartment of what is called the diet box which appertains to its standard. The diet boxes from the Assay Offices of Birmingham and Sheffield are proved twice a year at the Royal Mint by the Queen’s Assay Master in the presence of an officer appointed by the Lords of the Treasury, and the fineness of the gold and silver must equal the standard trial plates which are kept in the custody of the Warden of the Stan¬ dards at the Royal Mint. The other provincial Assay Offices are only compelled to do so when required. The method of ascertaining the quantity of pure gold in a given alloy is usually effected by adding to a weighed piece of gold three times its weight of fine silver, called inquartation, i.e., 3 parts silver to 1 part of alloyed gold : these are wrapped all together in a piece of sheet lead and cupelled, or melted in a crucible called a cupel. All the impurities are thus got rid of, and the button taken from the cupel consists solely of the mixed gold and silver. This button is then flattened on an anvil and twisted into a screw called a cornet. It is then placed in a bottle with aquafortis, in which it remains for a certain time, muriatic acid being subsequently added to make it stronger. This operation dissolves all the silver, leaving only the pure gold, which after being dried and shrunk is carefully weighed, and the difference between that and its original weight before cupellation shows the exact quantity of alloy. The assay of silver is more simple. Weigh accurately the piece of silver to be assayed, wrap it in about twelve times its weight of sheet lead ; melt the whole in a cupel, which expels all the alloy with the lead, leaving a bead of pure silver. It is again weighed in a very sensitive balance, and the alloy calculated from the loss in weight. The assay marks used at the Goldsmiths’ Hall of London were ordered to be the letters of the alphabet, changing every year. We do not know with certainty when this plan was first adopted, but it was probably as early as the time when the Goldsmiths’ Company were 62 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. empowered to assay the precious metals, which, according to their ordinances, was in the year 1300. We can trace these letters back with a degree of certainty to the fifteenth century. This method of denoting the year in which any piece of plate was made and assayed, by placing upon it a letter of the alphabet, enables us at the present day to ascertain the date of its manufacture, if assayed at the Goldsmiths’ Hall of London. Different arrangements of the letters were adopted by the Corpo¬ rations of other towns, who subsequently had the privilege of assaying granted them. The marks of the principal towns—Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Exeter, Chester, Newcastle, Sheffield, and Birmingham, we have succeeded in establishing, and they are given in a tabular form, through the kindness of the local authorities, who readily accorded leave to examine the records. The Goldsmiths’ Hall of London employs the letters A to U inclusive (omitting J), forming a cycle of twenty years, the character of the alphabet being varied every succeeding cycle. These letters are changed on the 30th of May in every year, the office suspending business on the two days preceding, and the diet box being proved on the 29th. Each letter is therefore used during the moieties of two calendar years. If an Assay Master divulge any design, or pattern, or secret of the workman whose plate is sent to the Hall to be assayed and stamped, he is liable to a penalty of £200, and to be discharged ; or if he mark any plate knowingly not of the required fineness. In a work published in 1678, entitled “News from the Goldsmiths, or a Tryal of Gold and Silver Wares,” by W. T., a Goldsmith, we are told that— u There is a certain standard for gold and silver, according to which standard the coins of this kingdom (both gold and silver) are made : and as good as that standard, all plate and small wares in gold and silver are to be made, and that there may be no defraud used by making any gold and silver work worse than the standard, there is a very easy and sure way appointed by law for the regulating those wares, the understanding of which may be of signal benefit to all who buy and wear any sorts of gold and silver wares whatsoever. “ As to London and the places adjacent, the Company of Goldsmiths hath the oversight of those wares, and the tryal of them committed to them : and therefore, three days in the week, there is tryal made of any workman’s wares (w T hose name and mark is inroulled in their Assay Office), and whatsoever works they try and find standard are marked with these marks following : first, the workman’s mark who made the wares (which is usually the two first letters of his Christian and surname, and every workman’s mark differs from other) ; the second is a HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 6 3 leopard’s head crowned; the third is a lion ; the fourth is a single letter (the letter which is used this present year being 1677—8); and whatsoever plate or small wares have these marks on them, it is not to be questioned but that they are sterling or standard, that is, as good as money. lt But there being several sorts of small wares, both in gold and silver, which cannot be assayed and marked at Goldsmiths’ Hall, after they are finished : they are therefore sold with the private workman’s mark ; and to prevent defrauds in this, all workers in gold and silver, in London and its suburbs, are required by law to make known their marks to the wardens of the Company of Goldsmiths, at their Hall in Foster Lane, that one workman may not strike a mark that is like another workman’s ; and that any persons who have wares marked with the workman’s mark only, may, by addressing themselves to the Com¬ pany of Goldsmiths, find out the makers of their wares ; and if the wares which they have marked be found worse than standard, the Com¬ pany of Goldsmiths will procure the aggrieved party recompense and punish the workman. “ The reader cannot but be satisfied of the excellency of this way of warranting silver; but I shall shew you how it’s neglected to the publick’s great wrong. Although the wardens have power to search any goldsmiths’ shops and houses, and carry away any works which they shall make choice, to try them, whether they be standard or not, and to fine the owners if they find them worse than standard ; yet the workers and sellers of gold and silver wares being so numerous and dispersed in their dwellings to all parts of the city and suburbs, it is not easie that all their small wares can be found out by the wardens of the Company, to be tryed ; they being sold therefore upon the bare workman’s or shopkeeper’s credit, and they having the marking of these wares them¬ selves ; there are these evils that do follow it. “ 1. Some of their wares are not marked at all, though they may very well bear marking (whereby they are forfeited, though they be standard). “ 2. Some of their wares are marked with private marks, which are not inroulled at Goldsmiths’ Hall: For some of them who have a mark inroulled at Goldsmiths’ Hall will have another mark not inroulled ; which mark they will set upon adulterated wares : and this counterfeit mark shall be so like the inroulled mark, that it will not be known to be the unlawful mark by any that doth not know what marks are inroulled and what are not; for there is only this difference : as if l (one over the other) is the mark inroulled at Goldsmiths’ Hall, then “ p.b.” (one by the other) may be the counterfeit mark ; or if “ s.” be the inroulled mark, then “ i.s.” may be the counterfeit, or any other way, according to the workman’s device,” &c. 6 4 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. The following extract from the “ Touchstone for Gold and Silver Wares” will show what marks were in use in 1677, and the views of the writer, himself a goldsmith, on the subject of marks :— “The Company of Goldsmiths have caused to be made (according to the aforesaid statutes and their Charter) puncheons of steel and marks at the end of them, both great and small, of these several sorts following, that is, the leopard's head crowned, the lyon; and a letter, which letter is changed alphabetically every year. The reason of changing thereof is (as I conceive) for that by the aforesaid recited statutes it is provided, That if any silver work that is worse than sterling be marked with the Com¬ pany’s mark, the Wardens and Corporation for the time being shall make recompence to the party grieved, so that if any such default should happen, they can tell by the letter on the work in what year it was assayed and marked, and thereby know which of their own officers deceived them, and from them obtain a recompence. These marks are every year made new for the use of the new wardens ; and although the assaying is referred to the Assay Master, yet the Touch Wardens look to the striking of the marks. “They have also made in a part of their Hall, a place called by them the Assay Office, wherein is a sworn weigher. His duty is to weigh all silver work into the office, and enter the same into a book kept for that purpose, and also to weigh it out again to the owner; only four grains out of every twelve ounces that are marked, are, according to their ancient custom, to be retained and kept for a re-assaying once in every year, before the Lords of the Council, in the Star Chamber at Westminster, and before a jury of twenty-four able Goldsmiths, all the silver works they have passed for good the year foregoing. “ In this office is kept for publick view a Table or Tables, artificially made in columns, that is to say, one column of hardened lead, another of parchment or velom, and several of the same sorts. In the lead column are struck or entered the workers’ marks (which are generally the first two letters of their Christian and surnames), and right against them in the parchment columns are writ and entered the owners’ names, accord¬ ing to the intent of the words in the statute (2 Henry VI. 14), to wit, ‘ And that the sign of every Goldsmith be known to the Wardens of the Craft,' which said wardens’ duty is to see that the marks be plain and of a fit size, and not one like another, and to require the thus entering the said marks, and also the setting them clear and visible on all gold and silver work, not only on every work, but also on every part thereof that is wrought apart, and afterwards soldered and made fast thereto, in finishing the same.” The same work gives an engraving of the marks used by the Gold¬ smiths’ Company for the year 1676, viz., The Leopard’s Head crowned, the Lion passant, and the Old English Letter T of a peculiar form, HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 65 being somewhat like an L, but evidently intended for the former, as the same is used at the head of each page in the word “ Touchstone.” The letter is enclosed in a pointed shield. (See Cycle 12.) Hence we observe that tables were kept in public view in the Assay Office of the stamps of all the gold and silver plate makers ; their signs being struck or punched on a strip of hardened lead, their names being written at length on parchment columns immediately opposite ; and this plan of striking the signs appears to have been adopted and continued since 1423. Unfortunately none of these tables have been preserved ; but one very interesting relic of the custom is in existence, namely, a large sheet of copper closely stamped with makers’ signs only of large and small sizes, but nothing is known of the names of the workers who used them. The size of this copper plate is 24 by 18 inches, and the inscription on a tablet underneath is as follows :— “ On the above plate are the marks from Workmen taken at this office Prior to the Fifteenth of April a.d. 1697, °f which not any other Entry is to be found.” With the permission kindly given by the Master, Wardens, and Court of Assistants of the Goldsmiths’ Company, we are enabled to give, as a frontispiece to this work, a copy of this important tablet. It will be remembered that 1697 was the date of the Act of Parliament ordering the new standard of 1 1 oz. 10 dwts., and altering the marks from the lion and leopard’s head to a figure of Britannia and the lion’s head erased, and that the makers’ marks were ordered to be the two first letters of their surnames. Before that period the mark or sign of the workman was left to his own fancy, using a device or monogram of his own choice ; and that the sign of every goldsmith should be known to the Wardens of the craft, it was struck upon a copper plate which hung in the Assay Office. By a comparison of the maker’s marks on the plate with pieces of silver bearing corresponding stamps and the letter denoting the year, we may safely assume that it was first used on the 23rd February 1675, the date of the Goldsmiths’ Order (see p. 16), and is the identical table therein referred to for the plate-workers to strike their marks upon, and continued to be used for that purpose until the 15 th of April 1697, when the new standard was adopted. From the 15th of April 1697, the stamps were regularly placed against the makers’ names and date of entry ; and these records are fairly preserved in volumes, bound in parchment, in the Goldsmiths’ Hall, London. A clause in the Act 17 & 18 Victoria, cap. 96, directs that “Gold and Silver Wares may be assayed at any lawful Assay Office, wherever manufactured, without being liable to any forfeiture or penalty imposed by any previous Act.” E 66 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. DIRECTIONS FOR ASSAYING. Assaying is the only method by which the real value of bullion can be ascertained : and about twelve grains of gold and one pennyweight of silver in cuttings or scrapings are sufficient for either. These must be rolled up in a piece of paper, about six inches long and three broad, turning in the corners to prevent the pieces dropping out, and the owner’s name written upon the top. This paper must then be carried to an Assay Master, who will make his report in some of the under¬ written characters, wdiich compared with the scale will give the exact value per ounce. Assayers’ marks are ^ c i/'i'ij 00. f | with W° and B r , mean¬ ing Worse or Better than Standard. The first stands for i ounce, the second io dwts., the third 5 dwts., those with the dots 1 dwt. each, ob (obolus) half-pennyweight, the others for quarters as usual. Gold assays are reported in karats, grains, three-quarter grains, half grains, and quarter grains, and are thus expressed : 1 kar. 1 gr. f. Thus gold found to be 23 karats 2 grains fine is reported “ Better 1 karat 2 grains ; ” and gold of 20 karats 2 grains is reported “ Worse 1 karat 2 grains.” Silver assays are reported in ounces, pennyweights, and half-penny¬ weights, and are thus expressed : 1 oz. c if 0 ( Ede .) The standard for silver means 222 parts or pennyweights of fine silver to 18 parts or pennyweights of copper, weighing together 240 parts or pennyweights, equal to one pound troy: thus if silver has 19 parts of copper to 221 of fine silver, the Assayer reports 1 dwt. worse. If the silver alloy, on the other hand, contains only 17 parts of copper to 223 of fine silver, the report says, 1 dwt. better. The more rational way of reporting the quality of silver is in millims or thousandth parts of a unit. So, for instance, an alloy of 9 parts silver to 1 part copper would be 900 millims, and our English standard of §f-§ would be equal to 925 millims. The assay report for gold is also generally made with reference to standard, or §§, that is, 22 parts or karats of gold to 2 parts or karats of alloy (silver or copper, or of both), stating the number of karats under or above standard as so much worse or better. As, however, the goldsmith always turns the report into fine , that is, so many karats of pure gold out of the 24, it seems the most rational to report in the manner most comprehensible, and to say, for example, instead of 4 karats worse, 18 karats fine. Gold is also reported in millims (milliemes ), in the same way as silver. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 67 Parting assays are reported in ounces of fine gold or silver in 1 pound troy. For example :— oz. dwt. gr. Gold . . 8 3 10 Silver. . 2 12 o This means, that of 12 oz. which make 1 pound troy of the alloy, 8 oz. 3 dwts. 10 grs. are gold and 2 oz. 12 dwts. silver, the remaining I oz. 4 dwts. 14 grs. being base metal. ( Lutschaunig .) The decimal assay is always noted in the assay report as a memo¬ randum, but never enters into the calculation of the value. It is not used as between the Bank and the public. The millieme system of reporting assays in France goes to the ten- thousandth part, but experience shows that accuracy cannot practically be attained to that nicety. Assays may be relied upon to the millieme ; but beyond that it is hardly safe, in consequence of difference between the different assayers ; it is barely possible to assay closer than of the millieme. ASSAY BY MEANS OF THE SPECTROSCOPE. Before concluding our account of the Assay Offices of the United Kingdom, we may here briefly notice the new system of assay of the precious metals by means of the spectroscope, recently proposed by Mr. I. Norman Lockyer, F.R.S. Experiments have been conducted at the Mint to ascertain the practicability of the scheme and determine whether it would be possible to adopt it. Mr. Roberts, Chemist of the Mint, expresses an opinion that by the aid of the spectroscope differences of composition more minute than the TT j^ 7 th part might be readily distinguished. The Deputy Master of the Mint (Mr. C. W. Fremantle), in his report for the year 1873, states that he had requested Mr. Roberts to render every assistance to Mr. Lockyer in developing a process of quantitative spectrum analysis, which might with advantage replace the methods of assay, or at any rate of verification, in use at the Mint. Experiments conducted by Mr. Lockyer and Mr. Roberts were con¬ tinued throughout the early part of the year, and the results were communicated in a paper to the Royal Society, who have directed their publication in the “ Philosophical Transactions.” As, however, these researches were of the nature of laboratory experiments merely, it became necessary to conduct a series under conditions more nearly approaching those which would occur in actual practice, and instructions were given that such experiments should be conducted in the Mint J in 1 pound troy. 68 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. itself. Instruments have been obtained, and arrangements have now been completed for this branch of the work. WASTE AND SWEEP. The sweep is composed of cinders or dust from the forge, the sweepings of the workshop, broken crucibles, the dross which adheres to the ingots of metal after fusion, and of every waste which can pos¬ sibly contain minute particles of gold and silver, which had escaped the notice of the workman, or had become dispersed and lost in the manipulation of the metals. This sweep is washed over a fine hair sieve, and the more per¬ ceptible portions of metal separated and refined; but the remainder, called by the French les regrets , yet contain impalpable particles, and is usually sold to persons who have the necessary utensils and appli¬ ances, and who by means of mercury mills, about the size of a coffee- mill, burning it in the crucible, and by the employment of fluxes of salt¬ petre, &c., are able to extract whatever metal may remain. It is then cupelled to determine the proportions of gold and silver eliminated in the process. In large establishments the waste and sweep form a considerable item. We may especially notice the coinage operations at the London Mint. The large gold coinage which commenced in 1871, and was finished in June 1873, amounted to £24,500,000 sterling. The value of the metal actually deficient during the operation was £3826, 7s. iod., or £156, 3s. 7d. per million. The sweep, weighing more than 26 tons, was sold for ,£2414, 10s. The loss, therefore, was £1411, 17s. iod., or £ 57 , 12s. 5d. per million. It was considered by the authorities at the Mint that if the operation had been conducted there, the sum realised would not compensate them for the loss of time and labour necessary for the purpose. THE TRIAL OF THE PYX AND STANDARD TRIAL PLATES. The origin of the custom of the Trial of the Pyx is lost in obscurity.* The first statutory mention of it is in an Act of the first year of the reign of Edward III. The examination was then decreed, as of old time ordained. The pyx (71-1^79) is a box or chest, like an iron safe, divided into three compartments, two for silver coins and one for gold, secured by three intricate locks, each opened by different keys, which are entrusted to distinct officials of different departments. In the lid are three carefully protected apertures, through which the coins are * The first known writ for a Trial of the Pyx dates from the time of Edward I., 1281. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 6 9 dropped, and when full, the fact is notified by the Master of the Mint to the Privy Council, and it is then examined in the presence of the Lord Chancellor * and other high functionaries of the State, the Master and Wardens of the Goldsmiths’ Company, and a jury of freemen gold¬ smiths selected by them. No stated times are appointed, but usually the trial takes place every five or six years. Each milling of gold or silver, and its subsequent coinage, is termed a “journey” or day’s work. These journeys formerly were supposed to mean the melting of 15 lbs. of gold, or 60 lbs. of silver, but now they vary in amount; and from each batch, whether large or small, specimen coins of every denomination that have been made from it are deposited in the pyx, marked with the date and value of the journey from which they are selected. The oath being administered to the Jury by the Queen’s Remembrancer, they are addressed by the Lord Chancellor upon the importance of their functions, and the officers of the Mint are virtually given into their custody, until by finding the correctness of the coin submitted to their assay, both in weight and fineness, they should deliver their verdict of acquittal, and give the officers their quietus. The assay formerly took place in a room at the Exchequer, fitted up with furnaces, crucibles, tests, &c., but now it is done at Goldsmiths’ Hall. The actual process is as follows :—The whole mass of gold and silver coin in the pyx is rolled under enormous pressure into two distinct ingots ; a piece is then cut off the end of each, and rolled into a long and narrow plate, about the thickness of a shilling ; a number of small pieces are then cut off each plate, and, after being weighed with the strictest accuracy, are assayed in the usual manner, and the results compared with the standard trial pieces brought from the Exchequer, where they are always preserved. In the Annual Report of the Deputy Master of the Mint, C. W. Fremantle, Esq., he observes :—“The Annual Trial of the Pyx was held at Goldsmiths’ Hall on the 17th of July 1873, when the gold and silver coins struck at the Mint during the preceding twelve months were subjected to the rigid examination rendered necessary by the passing of the Coinage Act of 1870, which, by prescribing the standard weight and fineness of each coin, makes it necessary for the Jury of the Gold¬ smiths’ Company to pronounce their verdict, not only upon the correct¬ ness of the coins as weighed and assayed in bulk, but also upon the weight and fineness of any individual coin which they may select for trial. The amount of coinage under examination was ;£i 1,235,000 of * Several royal and distinguished personages have in former times presided at the Trials of the Pyx. In 1611, James I., attended by Henry Prince of Wales ; in 1669, Charles II., attended by the Duke of York and Prince Rupert; and four years later, Prince Rupert, himself a scientific chemist, presided. From 1717 to 1870 the Lord Chancellor always presided, except in 1787, when the Right Honourable William Pitt was the President. 7° HALL MARKS ON PLATE. gold coin, and ;£i,597,ooo of silver coin; and of the six sovereigns and three half-sovereigns examined, five coins were found to be of the exact standard of fineness, 916.6, &c., the greatest variation from standard being only part. The result of the examination as regarded the weight of the gold coins and the weight and fineness of the silver coins was equally satisfactory.” He continues :— “ There are few points connected with the operations of coinage of greater importance than the maintenance of accurate standards, by reference to which the fineness of coin may be determined and the integrity of a metallic currency guaranteed. From the first introduc¬ tion of a gold coinage into this country in the reign of Henry III., whose coins were 24 karats fine, or pure gold, there have always been 1 fiducial ’ pieces with which the coin could be compared; and the changes which have been from time to time made in the fineness of the coinage have always been accompanied by the establishment of standards intended to contain the exact proportion of precious metal prescribed by law. Fragments of ancient trial plates, representing the various changes made, are still preserved in the Mint, and have been examined under my directions. “ Having pointed out in my First Annual Report that the gold stan¬ dard trial plate prepared in 1829, and then in use, was below the exact standard of fineness, and further, that it might be well to supplement it with a plate of fine gold, the Board of Trade took the necessary steps for the preparation of new standard plates both of fine gold and silver, and for supplementing them with plates of fine metal, and the preparation of them was undertaken at the Mint, and verified by the Goldsmiths’ Company. The bar of standard gold was rolled into a plate and assayed carefully at different parts. It weighed 72 ounces. The silver trial plate weighed 104 ounces. It should be borne in mind that, as portions of the plates are distributed to the provincial Assay Offices in the country, and to the Indian and Colonial Mints, both their preparation and verification are matters of the highest importance.” W. C. Roberts, Esq., Chemist of the Mint, in his Report for the year 1873, has given in a tabular form a statement of the results of assays which he had made to ascertain the composition of the ancient trial plates, with some remarks as to their history. The earliest gold trial plate of which there is any record was made in 17 Edward IV., 1477. Its fineness is 23 karats 3J grains, and only | a karat alloy, which was principally silver. When gold coins were first introduced into England by Henry III., in 1257, they were 24 karats fine; that is, pure gold. Edward III., in 1345, was the first to use the stan¬ dard of this plate. The next is of 22 karats, issued by Henry VIII. A trial plate of 1553 of 23 karats io| grains bears the following HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 7 1 inscription : stan . of . xxm . rare . x . gre . demi . fyne . pryve . marke . 0 . It has no date, but the “ pryve marke" (a pomegranate) is the same as that borne by the sovereigns and angels issued by Mary in this year. There are three of Elizabeth of 22 karats and 23 karats 3^ grains ; one of James I., 1605, of 23 karats 3! grains ; the first year of the Commonwealth, 1649, 22 karats; Charles II., 1660, of 22 karats. Since this date 22 karats has continued standard. The other trial plates are of 1688, 1707, 1728, and 1829, and the new trial plates made in 1873, one of 22 karats, the other of pure gold. Silver trial pieces of the same dates are preserved, which, with two exceptions as “ standards for Ireland ” much debased, were of the present standard, 11 oz. 2 dwts. These trial plates are in charge of the Warden of the Standards at the Royal Mint. Mr. Roberts says :—“ It is evident that, although the standards of fineness were always prescribed by law, the trial plates have never¬ theless at times been very inaccurate. The imperfections of the gold plates are mainly due to sources of error, which had been recognised, but which were ignored when the last plates were made; and it is well to explain, therefore, that plates were in former times authorita¬ tively pronounced to be ‘ standard ’ simply with reference to the results of an inaccurate process of assay. The process now consists in submitting an accurately weighed portion of the alloy to a rapid method of chemical analysis, whereby impurities are eliminated, and the precious metal, thus purified, is again weighed ; but the method is complicated, and the accuracy of the result may be affected by the retention of impurities, or by an actual loss of metal during the pro¬ cess. The weight of gold as indicated by the balance will, in con¬ sequence, not represent the amount originally present in the alloy, and it is therefore necessary to control the * standards ’ or check pieces, the composition of which is known. As, however, any error in the composition of these checks will be reflected in the result of the assay, it is preferable to use pieces of pure metal corre¬ sponding in weight to the amount which the alloys to be tested are anticipated to contain. Formerly such checks of pure metal were not employed, and a small amount of silver, varying from uniooth to rsV&th part of the initial weight of the assay piece which remained in association with the gold was consequently reckoned as gold in the assay report. It follows, therefore, that even the more recent plates, when accurately assayed, are usually found to be sensibly below the exact standards which they were intended to represent.” The amount of gold and silver plate assayed and marked at the Assay Offices for seven years ending the 29th May 1872 :— 72 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. London Gold, 3926 lbs. 2 oz. 8 dwts. 8 grs. Silver, 692,528 lbs. 3 oz. n dwts. Chester . Exeter . Newcastle Total, 715 lbs. weight of silver plate. Total, 2800 lbs. weight of silver plate. Total, 7266 lbs. weight of silver plate. €f)e Dutp* a.d. 1719. 6 George I. A duty of sixpence per ounce troy was imposed on all silver plate which should be imported or made in Great Britain. Goldsmiths to keep scales and weights. a.d. 1756. 29 George II. Owners of plate to pay a duty of 5 s. annually for 100 ounces ; 10s. for 200 ounces ; and so on—to be entered at the Office of Excise. Plate belonging to the Church, or stock in trade of Goldsmiths, exempt. a.d. 1758. 31 George II. c. 32. The previous Act was repealed, and in lieu thereof a licence of forty shillings substituted, to be taken out by every person trading in, selling, or vending gold or silver plate, and the licence to be renewed annually. a.d. 1759. 32 George II. c. 14. The licence was increased to A5 per annum for every person trading in gold plate of two ounces, and silver of thirty ounces and upwards. Persons dealing in gold and silver, of less weight than two pennyweights of gold, or in silver not exceeding five pennyweights, in one piece of goods, exempted. a.d. 1784. 24 George III. An Act was passed imposing an additional duty of eight shillings per ounce on gold plate, and six¬ pence per ounce on silver plate. It was also enacted that the wardens or their assay masters should mark the pieces with a new mark, viz., the King’s head, over and above the several other marks directed by law. The expression “ The King’s head ” is understood to mean the representation of the head of the reigning sovereign. The present mark is, therefore, the Queen’s head. After the passing of this Act, which came into operation on the 1st December 1784, a duty stamp of the King's head incuse was used for a short period. We find it in conjunction with the letter i of 1784, and also with the letter k of 1785. There were several pieces of plate in the late Dr. and Mrs. Ashford’s possession of the latter year, k and head incuse , viz., a cake-basket, pepper-box, and some spoons. The Duty Act of 1784 (24 Geo. III. c. 53) directs that all gold and silver plate intended for exportation shall be stamped at the Assay Office, when the drawback is allowed, with a punch of the figure of HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 73 Britannia ; and to distinguish it from the similar mark used for the new standard, it was stamped incuse. It was of short duration, for the manufacturers objecting to the number of stamps and consequent dis¬ figurement of the plate, that part of the Act relating to the drawback stamp was repealed in the following year, 1785 (25 Geo. III. c. 64), and took effect on the 24th July of that year; so that the incuse Britannia denoting the drawback was only in use about seven months. Upon the exportation of plate (except gold rings and wares under two ounces) a drawback of the whole duty is allowed if the plate be new and has never been used, and the same has been wrought in the United Kingdom. In 1797 the duty on gold was 8s. per ounce, and silver is. In 1803 the former Act of 1784, as regards the licence, was repealed, and new licences appointed. For trading in gold more than 2 penny¬ weights and under 2 ounces, and in silver over 5 ounces and under 30 ounces, £2, 6s. per annum ; for 2 ounces and above, and for 30 ounces and upwards, £$, 15s. per annum. In 1804 the duty was increased on gold to 16s. and silver is. 3d. per ounce. In 1815 the duties were raised on manufactured gold to 17s. per ounce, and silver is. 6d. per ounce, allowing one-sixth of the weight for waste in finishing, called the rebate; watch-cases being exempt by 38 Geo. III. c. 24. In this year (1815) the licences for dealing in gold and silver were raised to double the amount specified by the Act of 1803, viz., £11, ios. for gold above 2 ounces and silver above 30 ounces, and £4, 12s. for the minor trading. This was altered to the previous rates in 1826, at which they still remain. The deduction from the actual weight of the silver of one-sixth is equal to a rebate of 3d. per ounce on unfinished plate, reducing the duty to is. 3d. instead of is. 6d. per ounce, as an allowance for waste in finishing. On some articles, such as flat dishes, or waiters, the rebate scarcely covers the loss in finishing. On other articles the manufacturer realises a small profit, amounting to between a penny and twopence per ounce, which ought, perhaps, to be looked upon as a sort of discount, as the maker pays the duty long before, in many instances, he recoups it again when the article is sold. The rebate of one-sixth in gold articles reduces the actual duty paid to 14s. 3d. instead of 17s. per ounce, so that on wedding rings, allowing for waste in finishing, there would, perhaps, be a profit of 2s. per ounce. Plate in a finished state when sent to the Hall to be assayed is subject to the full duty of is. 6d. per ounce, no rebate being allowed. By the 12 and 13 Victoria, c. 80, the allowance to the Hall for collection of the duty is fixed at 1 per cent. 74 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. All gold, so called , whether of 22 and 18 karats fine, or the debased gold of 15, 12, or 9 karats in the 24, must pay the full duty , and be stamped accordingly. Wedding rings pay duty of whatever weight and quality they may be. Gold plate of any weight must pay duty. The weight of an article does not determine whether it is liable, and only articles specially exempted may be assayed and marked duty free. Articles not weighing 10 dwts. each are only exempted when they are too small or too thin to bear the marks. In 1890 the duty of is. 6d. per ounce on silver plate was abolished, but the duty of 17s. per ounce on gold was retained, and marked as before with the stamp of the sovereign’s head to denote payment thereof. For particulars of the abolition of the duty on silver the reader is referred to page 45 ante. The fashion for large and heavy masses of plate has entirely gone out since the commencement of this century, such as dinner services, &c., although the number of plate-workers have not decreased, the articles manufactured being usually of comparatively small character. The in¬ troduction of electro-plating has had considerable influence in diminish¬ ing the employment of silver in plate. Mr. Prideaux, Secretary of the Goldsmiths’ Company, in his examination before the Committee on Gold and Silver Hall-Marking, in the year 1878, handed in the following return of the duty on manufactured plate at Goldsmiths’ Hall for seven decennial periods from 1808 to 1878. He stated, that it proved that the falling off of the trade was greatly attributable to the use of electro-plate, which was introduced about 1843 or 1845, and got into full swing about 1848, when it will be observed that the duty on silver had decreased from £72 1,949 sterling in 1828 down to ^487,633 in 1858, still dropping down to the present time. AMOUNT OF DUTY RECEIVED AT GOLDSMITHS' HALL, LONDON, FROM ist APRIL 1808 TO 31ST MARCH 1878. 1808 to 1818. 1818 to 1828. 1828 to 1838. 1838 to 1848. 1848 to 1858. 1858 to 1868. 1868 to 1878. Gold . . . £ 52,229 £ 51.152 £ 42,032 £ 40,308 £ 45,558 £ 47,765 £ 59,223 Silver . . . 656,259 721,949 673.380 674,673 487,633 454,073 428,425 Total . . 708,488 773U0 1 715.412 714,981 533,191 501,838 487,648 It will be observed that gold has not been in the least affected by electro-plating, because the duty which is derived may in point of fact be HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 75 GOLD AND SILVER PLATE—DUTY AND DEALERS’ LICENCES FROM 1720 TO 1882. ENGLAND. Duty. Date. Silver per oz. Gold per oz. Licences. 1729 1757 1756 1758 1783 1758 1759 1778 1779 1780 1781 1782 1814 1784 1797 1798 1803 1804 1815 1815 1825 1815 1882 1826 1882 -/6 , ... On silver only 5/- for every 100 oz, Duty repealed -/6 1 /- l 40/- per annum { £5 above 2 oz. 'i gold and 30 | oz. silver, £2 j below. I 8 /- 8 /- 1/3 16/- £5 5 and £2 2 £5 10 0 and £2 4 £5 15 0 1 and [ £2 6 0 ( £11 10 0 -j and ( £4 12 0 1/6 17/- £5 15 0 and £2 6 0 SCOTLAND. Duty. Date. 1720 1757 1758 1783 Silver per oz. 1804 1816 1817 1882 -/ 6 Duty Gold per oz. repealed Licences. Date. Silver per oz. Gold per oz. 1 On 1730 i 6d. per ounce < silver ] gold and ( only. 1806 ( silver alike ( 1784 1803 -/6 1/3 8 h 16/- 1/6 ! 17 /- T3 C * To a c8 V s eS to V H IRELAND. Duty. 1785 1804 Licences. 1805 1806 1807 ( 1842 ( 1807 1811 1812 1841 1842 1880 1843 1882 1/- per gold silver ounce and alike 20/ per annum 40/ per annum ( King’s head first used 1807. { £5 on cities ; £2 other places. { £5,5s.Dublin; £2, 2s. other places. i / v- £5, 15s. and £2, 6s. as in England. 17/- Note.— In 1890 the duty on silver was abolished in the United Kingdom. STATEMENT OF THE QUANTITY OF GOLD AND SILVER PLATE ON WHICH DUTY WAS PAID IN THE YEARS ENDING JANUARY 5th, 1855, MARCH 31st, 1877, AND 1878 76 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. The Chester Office assays and marks a great quantity of Watch Cases, but as they pay no duty, the weight is not given in this statement. The Liverpool watchmakers send their cases to Chester to be stamped, f The last duty paid at this office was in July, 1869. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 77 said to be entirely derived from wedding rings, which has also been subject to fluctuation. No large works in gold are now made, even snuff-boxes have gone out of date, but wedding rings increase with the population. In the Report of the Committee on the Depreciation of Silver in 1876, one witness (Mr. Seyd), who appeared to be conversant with the subject, showed in his evidence that the amount of silver bullion used in electro¬ plating in one year was a million ounces, which was only about a hundred thousand ounces less than the entire amount used in the manu¬ facture of silver plate. This large amount of silver employed in electro¬ plating pays no duty, raw silver being exempt; the duty of is. 6d. per ounce formerly chargeable on manufactured articles of sterling silver was abolished by Act of Parliament in 1890. ENACTMENTS. 13 George III. c. 52 ; 24 George III. c. 20. Makers of plated goods in Sheffield must not put letters on them unless they have first been approved by and registered with the Company. 6 & 7 William IV. c. 69. Makers of plated goods in Scotland must not put letters upon them. NOTICES TO THE TRADE. The following Notices to the Trade have been issued from the Assay Office, Goldsmiths’ Hall, signed by Mr. Wm. Robinson, the Deputy Warden :— “London, October 11, 1880. “ Sir, —I beg to refer you to the following extract from a letter received from the Secretary of the Board of Inland Revenue, in reference to the payment of duty on plain gold rings : ‘ As regards plain gold rings, not intended for chasing or engraving, the Board adhere to their determination, that they must be regarded as wedding rings and duty paid accordingly.’ ” “Assay Office, Goldsmiths’ Hall, December 1881. “ All plain gold rings, irrespective of weight, not intended to be set with stones, or to be chased or engraved, will be regarded as wedding rings for the purposes of duty.—By order of the Board of Inland Revenue.” “Assay Office, Goldsmiths’ Hall, August 1882. “ Referring to the Notice issued from this Office in December 1881, notice is hereby further given that all plain gold rings, irrespective 7« HALL MARKS ON PLATE. of weight , not intended to be set with stones, or to be chased or engraved, will be regarded as wedding rings for the purposes of duty, and must be sent to Goldsmiths' Hall to be assayed and marked before sale. —By order of the Board of Inland Revenue. “ Wm. Robinson, Deputy Warden.” We may likewise mention that the duty is no longer levied on mourning rings when sent to be assayed and marked. It was dis¬ continued to be charged in October 1878 by an order from the Board of Inland Revenue. So that now all rings (other than plain gold rings irrespective of weight) are exempted from duty and com¬ pulsory Hall-marking. Chronological Cable of a^arks, 1300 (28 Edw. I.). Leopard’s head. 1 33O (Ordinance of the Goldsmiths’ Company). 1. Leopard’s head crowned. 2. Owner’s or goldsmith’s marks. 3. Assayer’s mark, or variable letter. 1379 ( 2 Rich. II.). 1. Goldsmith’s, “his own proper mark.” 2. “ Mark of the city or borough.” 3. Assayer’s mark, “appointed by the King.” 1424 (2 Henry VI.). “Touch of the Leopard's head,” and “Mark or touch of the workman.” 1477 (16 Edw. IV.). “Leopard’s head crowned,” and “Mark of the worker.” Standard of 18-karat gold. 1 573 (15 Eliz.). Standard of 22-karat gold revived. 1576 (18 Eliz.). 1. “The goldsmith to set his mark thereon.” 2. “ Touch of the leopard’s head crowned,” and “ marked by the wardens.” 1 597 (Minutes of Goldsmiths’ Company). “Her Majesty’s Lion,” “Alphabetical mark approved,” and “Leopard’s head, limited by statute.” 1675 (Goldsmiths’ order). “ Lion,” and “ Leopard’s head crowned, or one of them.” 1697 (8 & 9 Will. III.). New standard of silver. “Lion’s head erased; Figure of Britannia and the maker’s mark, being the two first letters of his surname.” 1700 (12 Will. III.). York, Exeter, Bristol, Chester, and Norwich appointed to assay silver plate, and stamp it with the marks of the lion’s head erased and Britannia, and, in addition to the HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 79 marks of their cities, a variable mark or letter in Roman character. 1702 (1 Anne). Newcastle added to the other cities for assaying and stamping plate. 1719 (6 Geo. I.). Old standard restored. The lion, leopard’s head, maker’s mark, and date mark, but both standards were allowed by this Act simultaneously, varying the respective marks. 1739 (12 Geo. II.). Goldsmith’s mark, “the initials of his Christian and surname.” 1 773 (13 Geo. III.). Birmingham and Sheffield appointed for assaying and stamping silver plate. 1784 (24 Geo. III.). Duty mark of the King’s head, and drawback stamp of Britannia. 1785 (25 Geo. III.). Drawback stamp of Britannia, discontinued. 1798 (38 Geo. III.). Standard of 18-karat gold marked with a crown and 18. 1824 (5 Geo. IV.). Birmingham empowered to stamp gold. 1844 (7 & 8 Viet.). Gold of 22 karats to be stamped with a crown and 22, instead of the lion passant. 1854 (17 & 18 Viet.). Reduced standards of gold to be stamped ; 15.625—12.5—9-375—for gold of 15, 12, and 9 karats, but without the crown and King’s head. 1875 Foreign plate, when assayed, to be marked, in addition to the usual marks of the Hall, with the letter F in an oval escutcheon. 1890 (54 Viet.). The duty of is. 6d. per ounce on silver plate abolished, and the stamp of the Queen’s head, duty mark, discontinued. I.—THE STANDARD MARK. There are six legal standards for gold and two for silver, as follows :— Gold. 22 karats = 917 20 = 834 18 yy = 750 15 }) = 625 I 2 J ) = 500 9 jy = 375 I I OZ. 2 dwts. I I 0Z. I 0 dwts. t} } J ) 1 Silver. (Dublin only). 8o HALL MARKS ON PLATE. The first mention made of the lion passant is in the records of the Goldsmiths' Company, in May 1597, where it is called “Her Majesty’s Lion.” It is not referred to in any statute until 1675. The earliest piece we have met with bearing the mark of the lion passant is a spoon of 1545, in Dr. Ashford’s collection, but it may have been used in one of the intervening years between 1540 and 1545, but no pieces have come under our immediate notice. For gold of the old standard of 22 karats, and sterling silver of 1 1 oz. 2 dwts., the mark was a lion passant. Previous to 1845 there was no distinctive mark between standard gold and sterling silver. But in that year, for gold, the lion was omitted, and the quality in karats and a crown substituted. For gold of 18 karats, a crown and the figures 18, instead of the lion passant (38 Geo. III., 1798). For gold of 22 karats (or the old standard), a crown and the figures 22, instead of the lion passant (7 & 8 Viet., 1844). For gold manufactures of the reduced standard (17 & 18 Viet., 1854), the leopard’s head and date letter and the numerals. 15 karats : 15 and .625 on separate stamps. 12 „ : 12 and .5 „ 9 „ : 9 and .375 „ „ The numerals on these punches are to express, decimally, the quantity of pure gold in the article so marked, thus : pure gold being 24 karats. 15 karats if = 1 = 625 parts or millims in 1000. 12 „ if = 1 = 500 „ „ 9 n 2T = 4 = 375 )) )} For silver of the new standard of i i oz. 10 dwts. the marks are a figure of Britannia and the lion’s head erased, instead of the lion passant and leopard’s head (8 Will. III., 1697). II.—THE HALL-MARKS OF ASSAY TOWNS. 1. London. A leopard’s head crowned (the ordinances of the Gold¬ smiths’ Company of 1336, and subsequent Acts of Parliament). Since 1823 the leopard’s head not crowned. 2. York. Five lions on a cross (discontinued). 3. Exeter. A castle with three towers. 4. Chester. Now the mark is a sword between three wheat- sheaves, but before 1779 the shield of the city arms was three demi- lions and a wheat-sheaf on a shield, and a small quartering above the sheaf. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 81 5. Norwich. A castle and lion passant (discontinued). 6 . Newcastle. Three castles. 7. Sheffield. A crown. 8 . Birmingham. An anchor. III. —DUTY MARK. The head in profile of the reigning sovereign. a.d. 1784. 24 George III. This mark indicates the payment of the duty, and is impressed at the Assay Offices on every manufactured article of standard gold and silver that is liable to the duty after pay¬ ment to the officers of the Goldsmiths’ Company who are the appointed receivers. After the passing of the Duty Act, which took effect on St. Dunstan’s Day (30th May) 1784, the duty stamp of the King's head incuse was used for a short period. We find it in conjunction with the letter i of 1784,. and also with the letter k of 1785. The duty imposed in 1784 was—on gold, 8s. per oz. ; on silver, 6d. per oz. In 1797, gold, 8s. per oz. ; silver, is. per oz. In 1804, gold, 16s. per oz. ; silver, is. 3d. per oz. In 1815, gold, 17s. per oz. ; silver, is. 6d. ; independent of the licence. The duty on silver was abolished in 1890. Both the crown and duty mark of the sovereign’s head are omitted on the three lower standards, although they pay the same duty as the higher standards, but there is no indication of it on the stamps. These standards, especially that of 9 karats, are almost universally disapproved of by the trade. It has been suggested that the law was made to accommodate the Birmingham manufacturers ; but when they discovered that the Government did not allow the crown to be placed on these lower standards, they said they did not care a button about it. They doubtless desired the alteration for the purpose of forwarding English-manufactured goods abroad with the crown mark upon them, that the public should imagine they were of a higher quality than they really were.— Evidence before the Parliamentary Committee , 1878. IV. —DATE MARK. A letter of the alphabet. Each Assay Office has its peculiar alpha¬ betical mark, indicating the year in which the plate was assayed and stamped; and, therefore, plate that was stamped in any other place than London had to be, when entered for drawback, accompanied by a certificate of the date from the office in which it was assayed and stamped. F 82 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. In London, previous to the Restoration, the annual letter was changed on St. Dunstan’s Day (19th May), when the new wardens were elected. Since 1660 the assay year commences on the 30th May, and the new wardens were appointed on the same day in each and every year, and the date marks are continued regularly with twenty letters of the alphabet, from A to U or V inclusive, which were used in succession ; the letters J W X Y Z being always omitted. The debased standards of the coinage of the previous twenty or thirty years were raised by Queen Elizabeth to their former purity, and in February 1560-1 all the base money was called in by proclamation. The minutes of the Goldsmiths’ Company record that on the 18th of June 1561, “the first dyett of the new standard was tried”—that is, the trial of the quality of gold and silver of the new standard of the year ending in June 1561. The restoration of what should be more properly styled the old sterling standard by the Queen, was commemorated by an alteration in the style of the date letters, or rather, their enclosures. This change is notified in a Minute of the Goldsmiths’ Company, dated 16th June 1560, and is indicated by the use of a regular shield instead of an escutcheon taking the form of the letter (see page 52). This circumstance shows the great importance of the introduction of the shields, first adopted by us in 1863, in our alphabetical tables, but which a recent writer terms “ a somewhat doubtful improvement ” upon Mr. Morgan’s tables. We beg leave to differ with him in this, and in another respect, for he says, “ The shields are in many cases incorrect.” Some slight alterations may have been found necessary, but, on the whole, our tables having stood the test of nearly twenty years’ consultation by eminent connoisseurs, it will be generally acknow¬ ledged that no better or more correct tables have ever since that time been published. Ecce signum ! They will be found in the hands of every silversmith and collector in the kingdom, which proves their practical utility as a book of almost daily reference. Cycles 9 and 11 being both in small Roman letters, and in similar shields, it is at first sight difficult to distinguish the dates of 1776—1795 from those of 1816—1835. The following remarks will assist us in doing so. The former alphabet up to i of 1784—5 is not accompanied by the duty mark of the king’s head, there being only four marks. After that date down to the g of 1822—3 there will be no difficulty, as there is an additional mark; but in 1824 down to 1835 there would be nothing but the king’s head (the portrait of Geo. III. being changed for Geo. IV.) to depend upon, except that in that very year, 1823, the crown was taken from the leopard’s head, and it remains uncovered to the present day. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 8 3 V.—THE MAKER’S MARK. Formerly this was some emblem, as a rose, a crown, a star, &c., with or without the goldsmith’s initials. These marks were ordered to be in 1363, “a mark of the goldsmith known by the surveyor.” In 1379, “Every goldsmith shall have his own proper mark upon the work.” In 1423, “The mark or sign of the worker.” In 1675, the “ Goldsmiths’ order ” enjoins that “ the plate workers shall bring their marks to Goldsmiths’ Hall, and there strike the same in a table kept in the Assay Office, and likewise enter their names and places of habita¬ tion in a book there kept for that purpose, whereby the persons and their marks may be known unto the wardens of the said company.” {See plated) In 1697 (8 & 9 Will. III.), the marks of the goldsmiths were to be expressed by the two first letters of their surnames, but this seems to have been partially discontinued on the repeal of the Act in 1720. 1739. In 12 Geo. II. it was ordered that the makers were to destroy their existing marks, which were the two first letters of their surnames, and substitute the initials of their Christian and surnames, of an entirely different type from that before used. Note .—Sometimes a small mark, such as a cross, star, &c., is found near the maker’s mark ; it is that of the workman for the purpose of tracing the work to the actual hands that executed it; in large manu¬ factories it is indispensable. It has been suggested that we should give the names of the gold¬ smiths whose initials are found stamped upon plate. Acting upon this suggestion, and being of opinion that such a list would be of great importance to plate collectors, we have at considerable labour and expense copied all the makers’ marks, together with their names and addresses, and dates of entry at the Hall; in which we have been kindly assisted by the authorities in giving every facility for searching their books. This list will be found in a volume entitled “ A History of London Goldsmiths and their Marks on Plate,” from the earliest records preserved at Goldsmiths' Hall , by W. Chaffers. London : Reeves & Turner, 196 Strand. A list of initials of silversmiths or plate workers is here given, which, although necessarily very imperfect, may be useful in fixing within certain limits the date of a piece of plate in the absence or obliteration of the date letter. A reference to the volume alluded to above will give the exact copy of the impress. The following occur for the most part on important examples, the fact of their preservation proving that they must have possessed merit inde¬ pendent of their associations or memories. 8 4 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. SPOON MAKERS’ MARKS, On Spoons in the Collections of the Rev. T. Staniforth, Dr. Ashford, and R. Temple Frere, Esq. S Staniforth; A Ashford; F Frere maker’s MAKE. REMARKS. DATES ACCORDING TO THE LETTERS. •• s With dotted edges. S 1493,1515,1519,1530; A 1515,1537, 1562. A bunch of grapes. S 1519. A leaflet. A 1522. L Lombardic letter in a square . . . S 1530, 1590. N S Interlaced.. A 1545. A mullet within a crescent .... S 1558, 1578, 1589. 1618; A 1605; F 1619. 3 leaves on a stalk. S 1562, 1564; A 1570. A rosette . S 1561. A cross . F 1572. I F In a square border. S 1573. A shell in a round border. S 1574, 1578, 1582. R A With small crescent below .... A 1580. An annulet and a mullet in a shield . S 1581, 1586, 1596; F 1586. A trefoil leaf in a circle. S 1589. I.C I within the C on a shield .... S 1599, 1611, 1616, 1617. W Enclosed in a crescent or the letter C S 1598, 1601, 1604-5-6-7-8-9; F 1589, with W enclosed. 1596, 1609; A 1610. An anchor. A 1602. T Within a crescent. S 1602, 1613. CD C enclosed in a large D in a shield A 1605; F. 1608, 1629; S 1614. 1617, 1621,1627,1632,1634,1636-7-8.1646. A pair of compasses. S 1610. R.C. In a square shield. S 1617, 1619, 1633, 1637; A 1632; F 1634. W.L In monogram on a shield. F 1613. B.N In monogram on a shield. F 1609. X Or a cross in a heart-shaped shield S 1609, 1631. M PI In monogram on a shield. S 1614, 1615; F 1614. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 85 maker’s MJlUE. BEMAKKS. DATES ACCORDING TO THE LETTERS. w In a shield .. S 1(314. W F In a shield. S 1G18. B.Y Above a three-barred gate in a shield. F 1621, 1638. I.I . With dots and lis variously placed . . S 1623, 163S, 1639, 1640, 1651, 1654, 1663, 1665. C With mullet enclosed. S 1624. ws In a shield. S 1624; A 1624. I F 3 dots under in a shield. F 1621 ; S 1641. S V In an ornamental shield. S 1624, 1652, 1654, 1655, 1671, 1676; F 1653, 1659. R.I A mullet below in a shield .... A 1626, 1628; F 1628. I E A 1620. I.P. A 1621. X B Not in a shield .. S 1627. D In a shield. S 1628, 1631; F 1628, 1629. RG In a square. S 1629, 1633. A dolphin. A 1631. I D In a shield. S 1634. EH Crowned, crescent and pellets below . F 1631; A 1163; S 1682; B 1684. WC Mullet below and pellets round . . . A 1633; S 1641, 1656, 1660, 1662. F In a shield. S 1636. T F 3 pellets under. A 1637. H.L. Joined in a shield. S 1639. H I Two small crosses between .... A 1639. E. I. A 1640. T.H Joined in a shield. F 1646-1648. Scrip. A 1646. I s. Crowned. S 1669. I. T. Star below. A 1671. LO Crowned, crescent below ..... S 1674* A.K Rose and pellets. S 1677, 1688. SO Crowned, mullet below. S 1679. T.M In monogram.« . . S 1683. * The makers’ initials on these two lists, between 1675 and 1697 , will be found stamped on the copper plate at Goldsmiths’ Hall. (See plate opposite the title). 86 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. makkr’s MARK. REMARKS. DATES ACCORDING TO THE LETTERS. H.S A 16S3. E.C Crowned, crescent and pellets below . S 1684. W M Crowned . S 1685, 1688 D.A S 1866. R.M In a square . S 1691. W C One above .... . S 1691. L.C Crowned, crescent and pellets . . . S 1693. S.W S above W. S 1695, 1696. ws W above S . S 1696. D.G In a lozenge. S 1696 Jo (A Scrip, crowned, ornamental shield . . S 1697, 1704 S c In Roman letters. S 1699, 1702, 1704, 1713, 1715. Scrip, crowned, on oval escutcheon . S 1701. S A Alone . A 1706. S A Demi lion above . S 1712. I.S A 1734. ScA Scrip . A 1764. G S A 1781. C H A 1781. 98 Scrip . A 1784. ws Scrip. A 1785. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. «7 PLATE WORKERS’ MARKS. maker’s MARK. DATE. REMARKS. DESCRIPTION". COLLECTION. S K 1559 Stone-ware jug .... R. Temple Frere, Esq. G 1565 The Cockayne cups . . . Skinners’ Company. R V 1566 A heart below. Plateau. Skinners’ Company. I R 1569 Not crowned. Stone-ware jug .... E. A. Sanford, Esq. 1569 A stag’s head ..... Stone-ware jug .... J. Toovey, Esq. N S 1571 Interlaced. Stone-ware jug .... J. P. Dexter, Esq. 1573 A crab . Tankard . Colonel North. C.L 1574 A halberd between . . . Tankard . Ashmolean Museum. C C 1577 Interlaced. Stone-ware jug .... H. Durlacher, Esq. E S 1578 Tankard ....... Baron Lionel de Rothschild. 1578 A spread eagle. Salt cellar. Sir Richard Wallace. H C 1579 A hammer and vice . . . Tazza . H C 1579 A hammer and vice . . . Cup and cover. Brett Collection. H C 1580 A hammer and vice . . . Cup and cover. L. Huth, Esq. 1579 A bird. Pelican cup. Rt.Hon.W.E.Gladstone, Esq. 1579 3 trefoil leaves. Ewer and salver .... Duke of Rutland. S B 1580 Chapman cup. Armourers’ Company. R M 1581 Salt cellar. Baron Lionel de Rothschild. B 1581 A pellet in each space . . Stone-ware jug . . . . T. M. Whitehead, Esq. B 1584 do. . . Stone-ware jug .... A. W. Franks, Esq. 1583 A tree . Salt cellar. Baron Lionel de Rothschild. 1585 3 trefoil leaves..... China vase, silver mounted H. Farrer, Esq. H C 1588 A cross between .... Paten. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 1588 A flower. Ostrich egg cup .... Earl of Home. C B 1594 Stone-ware jug .... H. Owen, Esq. C K 1594 Ewer and salver .... S. Addington, Esq. I B 1595 A rose under. Ewer and salver .... Corporation of Bristol. I N 1597 do . Ewer and salver .... Corporation of Norwich. 88 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. maker’s MARK. DATE. REMARKS. DESCRIPTION. COLLECTION. H B 1597 Persian jug. E.R 1599 Spice box. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. RC 1599 Standing cup . . . . . Innholders’ Company. I H 1604 A bear below. Cup ........ Lord Willoughby de Eresby. I H 1604 do. . Cup and cover. do. M 1606 Salt cellar. ' A R 1613 Cup and cover. Lord Londesborough. I T 1613 A bow between .... Spice box. Sir T. W. Holburne. T.F 1616 Monogram. Cup. Skinners’ Company. 1616 A trefoil leaf. Salver. do. I.A 1616 Dish. C. Winn, Esq. I.C 1621 Tankard . W. Cozier, Esq. T.F 1625 Chester cup. Viscount Clifden. F G 1633 2 Monteiths. Haberdashers’ Company. WS 1634 On a shield. 2 cups. do. RR V 1637 Cup.. do. D W 1639 A mullet and 5 bezants Cup. Skinners’ Company. R M 1641 Cup and cover ..... Viscount Clifden. I R 1646 Between a crown and leo¬ pard’s head. Tankard.. . Skinners’ Company. W M 1650 On shield with moor’s head Cup. do. E S 1652 Fauconberg cup .... Paul Butler, Esq. I W 1655 Blacksmith’s cup .... J. P. Dexter, Esq F.C 1656 2-handled cup ..... R. T. Frere, Esq. WH 1662 Largs salver. Earl Spencer. G S 1665 A crozier between the letters 2-handled cup. E. T. Frere, Esq. I N 1669 Creyghton cup..... Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. I N 1673 Covered cup ..... J. W. Walrond, Esq. I N 1674 Cutler cup. Paul Butler, Esq. M G 1672 Lis and 2 pellets below and a 'Victory. 2-handled cup. R. T. Frere, Esq. R A 1675 3 sugar castors. J. Rainey, Esq. P.P 1676 Eosewater dish .... Fishmongers’ Company. RT 1679 Pellets and mullet . . . 2-handled cup ..... R. T. Frere, Esq. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 89 M AKER’S MARK. P ATB. REMARKS. DESCRIPTION. COLLECTION. I c 1679 Mallet below . . , , . 1-handled mug .... R. T. Frere, Esq. R L 1681 Large cistern. Duke of Rutland. I C 1681 With mullet. Tankard . Fishmongers’ Company. M IC 1681 Lis above. 2-handled cup. R. T. Frere, Esq. R S 1683 Mullet below. do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. W F 1683 Tazza . . Sir W. C. Trevelyan. I P 16S4 Crown above, small shield below. Plain cup . I I 1684 And fleur de lis . . . . Covered bowl . Sir T. W. Holburne. I.S 1684 Interlaced .... Tankard ....... Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. H T 1684 Lis above, pellet below 2-handled cup . R. T. Frere, Esq. C K 1684 M ullet below . do. ..... R. T. Frere, Esq. R G 1685 Mullet above ..... do. ..... R. T. Frere, Esq. S H 1683 Monogram . do. ..... R. T. Frere, Esq. I K 1686 Crescent below .... do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. R S 1686 In heart shaped shield . . do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. G G 1685 Monteith and tankard . . Skinners’ Company. G G 1690 Tankard . Baron Lionel de Rothschild. I.R 1686 Crowned. Reynolds’ cup. Skinners’ Company. I.R 1686 Crowned. Tankard. do. WM 1690 Lis and 2 pellets above . . 2-handled cup . . . . R. T. Frere, Esq. N L 1691 do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. A K 1691 Plain shield ..... do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. P H 1691 do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. I K 1694 Crowned, annulet between the letters. do. . M A 1696 Fire dogs....... Hampton Court. N K 1696 3 pellets above in monogram 2-handled cup. R. T. Frere, Esq. C H 1697 Ornamental shield . . . do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. E D.B A 1697 (From 1697 to 1720 the Cup and candlesticks with arms of William III. makers placed the tiro first Duke of Manchester. letters of their surnames .) P A 1698 Small A. Plain tumbler. R. T. Frere, Esq. B I 1698 Crowned and bird below . Pair of candlesticks . . . S T 169S In a heart. 2-handled cup. R. T. Frere, Esq. 90 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. maker’s MARK. DATE. REMARKS. DESCRIPTION. COLLECTION. S T 1699 In a heart . 2-handled cup . R. T. Frere, Esq. M I 1699 2 pellets above . . , do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. A N 1699 In ornamental shield . . do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. I N 1700 Pair chocolate cups & covers Lord Crewe. R O 1701 Trefoil above and below . 2-handled cup . R. T. Frere, Esq. V N 1701 Small N. do. . R. T. Frere, Esq W I 1701 2 stars above, lis below Ewer and salver .... Marquis of Abercorn. G 0 1701 Crowned . Pair large flagons . . . Earl Spencer. H A 1701 Pair ewers and salvers . . Earl Spencer. M E 1702 Helmet-shaped ewer, with royal arms“ Semper eadem ” Lord Willoughby de Eresby. 1702 Scrip. . . 2-handled cup. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. L 0 1702 Key above . . do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. D o 1702 Lis above and below . . do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. C 0 1703 Small 0. do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. N e 1703 Large tureen ..... Lord Bateman. S I 1704 2-handled cup. R. T. Frere, Esq. G R 1704 The R within G . . , . do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. H V 1705 Italics. do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. A D 1705 Sugar castor. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford, A N 1705 Small N.. . 2-handled cup. R. T. Frere, Esq. P a 1705 Cup above ...... do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. W E 1706 3 pellets. do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. G R 1708 R within G. do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. B E 1708 do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. G R 1709 The R within the G . . . do. . C 0 1709 2 pellets above .... do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. Ho 1709 Lo in black letter . . . do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. L o 1709 Key above . do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. H V 1705 Italics. do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. S V 1705 In a circle. do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. P A 1710 A lis under. 2-handled cup and cover . R. T. Frere, Esq. PA 1711 Under a large rose . . . 4 circular stands .... W. Maskell, Esq. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 91 maker’s MARK. DATE. REMARKS. DESCRIPTION. COLLECTION. PA 1710 Under a large rose . . . Sugar castor . R. T. Frere, Esq. ® £3 1712 A bird above, e below . . Tankard . Brett collection. 1712 Lis above, pellet below. . Salver with royal arms . . Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. L 0 1712 Key above . 2-handled cup . R. T. Frere, Esq. F L 1713 Crown above . do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. V 1 1714 Pepper castor . R. T. Frere, Esq. U 0 1714 Black letter . 2-handled cup . R. T. Frere, Esq. L O 1715 2 pellets above .... do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. L 0 1715 Key above. do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. W I 1716 2 stars above, lis below. . do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. F L 1716 Crown above. do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. L O 1717 L traversing O, monogram do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. W I 1718 2 stars and fleur de lis . . Basin and cover .... Sir W. Stirling. B A 1719 In quatrefoil .... 2-handled cup. R. T. Frere, Esq. L 0 1719 2 pellets above .... do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. B b 1719 AV black letter .... do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. B A 1720 In quatrefoil. do. . R T. Frere, Esq. I S 1720 2 pellets below .... do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. A HM 1722 do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. W D 1728 Trefoil above. do. . R. T. Frere, Esq. G S 1728 Cup. Corporation of Doncaster. I L 1728 And a trefoil. Toilet set. Earl Stamford & Warrington. I L 1730 do. . Pair sugar boxes .... Earl Stamford & Warrington. P.A 1730 Crowned. 6 sconces. Earl Stamford & Warrington. P L 1732 By Paul Lamerie, Star and Crown above, lis under. Crown and fleur de lis . . Pair tankards. Earl Stamford & Warrington. L C 1732 Tea kettle. Windsor Castle. A C 1732 Milk pot and cover . . . Earl of Home. P L 1733 Star and crown above, lis below (Paul Lamerie). Basket. J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. P L 1733 Star and crown above, lis under (Paul Lamerie). Kettle. Brett Collection. T.R 1734 Walpole mace. Corporation of Norwich. D W 1735 Pair massive sauce boats . R. T. Frere, Esq. N S 1743 A star above ..... Pair dishes. Windsor Castle. 92 HALL MARKS ON PLATE maker’s MARK. DATE. REMARKS. DESCRIPTION. COLLECTION. T.T 1740 Pair vases and covers . . Goldsmiths’ Company. 018 1740 Crowned. Tankard . I.R 1741 Star above. Salver. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. P L 1741 Crown and star above, lis Ewer and salver .... Goldsmiths’ Company. below (Paul Lamerie). P.L 1742 do. do. Cup and cover. Hunt and Roskell. XM 1744 Scrip. Cake basket. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. P.L 1747 Star and crown above, lis Pair tea caddies .... J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. below (Paul Lamerie). P.L 1750 do. do. Cruet stand. J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. J.9 1752 Scrip. 2-handled cup ..... R. T. Frere, Esq. M F 1754 2 caddies. Earl Stamford & Warrington. ws 1754 Scrip. Plain tumbler. R. T. Frere, Esq. P.B 1755 Milk pot. Sir T. W. Holburne. R T 1756 Engraved tea kettle . . . J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. 1 R.G 1750 Pair butter boats .... Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. Cj T.H 1758 Crowned. Ewer . .. S(o 1758 Under a sun. Coffee pot. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 1759 Scrip.. Bread basket. Dr. and Mrs Ashford. T.H 1701 Crowned. Pair coronation salvers . . Lord Willoughby de Eresby. T.H 1703 do. .... Basin and cover .... Windsor Castle. J.S. 1763 Scrip.. Milk jug . . Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. c T.W 1765 Cup and cover ..... J. G. Fanshawe, Esq. W I.IC 1705 Crown above. Tea kettle. Lord Bateman. Sd 1765 Scrip. Tankard . Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. R.P. 1766 Pepper castor. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. W8 1767 Scrip. Coffee pot. Brett Collection. Wd 1768 Scrip . .. Milk jug. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. s c I c 1770 Ewer. Sir T. W. Holburne. I M 1770 Cup (Teniers subjects) . . G. Moffat, Esq. R.R 1773 Salver. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. C C 1773 Pair sugar baskets . . . Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. C W 1774 Tea pot . Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. S M 1775 4 salt cellars. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 93 maker’s MARK. DATE. REMARKS. DESCRIPTION. COLLECTION. W L 1774 2-handled cup. R. T. Frere, Esq. I w 1774 Plain tumbler. R. T. Frere, Esq. 1776 Scrip. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. W6 1776 Scrip. Coffee pot. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. Sf 1777 Scrip. Milk jutr. AC 1777 Sugar basin. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. WGR 1779 Pair vases with rams’ heads Brett collection. m 1780 Scrip. Cream jug. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. Wdt 1780 Scrip. do. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. X3i 1783 Scrip. do. . Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. I D 1784 Repeated 3 times . . . 2-handled cup. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 1785 Scrip. Cake basket. I B 1786 (Rundell and Bridge) . . Pair cups with ivory plaques Windsor Castle. M N 1788 4 salt cellars.J Lord Bateman. R G P.B 1788 Tea pot. T.R 1792 Candlestick. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. N.B .—All the foregoing makers’ initials will be found with their shields as stamped on Plate in the companion work to this volume, by W. Chaffers, entitled “A History of London Goldsmiths and Plate Workers, with their marks, as stamped on plate, copied from celebrated examples and the earliest records preserved at Goldsmiths’ Hall, accompanied by their names, addresses, and dates of entry. 2500 Illustrations. Preceded by an Introductory Essay on the Goldsmiths’ Art. London : Reeves & Turner, 196 Strand.” 94 HALL MARKS ON PLATE 1874. Table of Marks used at all the Assay Offices in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Description. 1 . 2 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . Assay Town. Quality. Standard. Assay Town. Date. Duty. Maker. >> t -1 Gold 22 karat 22 Crown Leopard’s head Letter Sovereign’s head Initials without a crown CD „ IS k ... 18 Crown Leopard’s head Leopard’s head Letter Sovereign’s head Initials 0 ^ „ 15 k... 15-625 Nil Letter Nil initials £ CO „ 12 k... 12-5 Nil Leopard’s head Letter Nil Initials O’ -1 „ 9 k... 9-375 Nil Leopard’s head Leopard’s head Lion’s head erased Letter Nil Initials Silver 0 . S. Nil Lion passant Britannia Letter Sovereign’s head Initials - 4-3 pa „ N. S. Nil Tetter Sovereign’s head Initials Gold 22 k... 22 Crown Castle Letter Sovereign’s head Initials h TT CH ® © bfi g 2 £ > H-i Silver 0 . S. Nil Lion passant Dagger & 3 sheaves Letter Sovereign’s head Initials „ N. S. Nil Britannia Dagger & 3 sheaves Letter Sovereign’s head Initials w'~ Gold 22 k... 22 Crown 3 castles Letter Sovereign’s head Initials hP ® „ 18 k... 18 Crown 3 castles Letter Sovereign’s head Initials Eh „ 15 k... 15-625 Nil 3 castles Letter Nil Initials tJl r —1 • —■ 23 „ 12 k... 12-5 Nil 3 castles Letter Nil Initials " ee P O -g io „ 9 k... Silver 0 . S. 9-375 Nil 3 castles Letter Nil Initials Leopard’s head Lion passant 3 castles Letter Sovereign’s head Initials ^ O WS 3 £ crowned ,, N. S. ditto Britannia 3 castles Letter Sovereign’s head Initials Sheffield. Silver 0 . S. Nil Lion passant Crown Letter Sovereign’s head Sovereign’s head Initials No gold stamped „ N. S. Nil Britannia Crown Letter Initials here. k-H CO Gold 22 k ... 22 Crown Anchor Letter Sovereign’s head Initials rH „ 18 k... 18 Lion rampant Tree, fish, & bell Letter Sovereign’s head Initials O t 3 „ 15 k... 15 Lion rampant Tree, fish, & bell Letter Nil Initials O 2 „ 12 k... 12 Lion rampant Tree, fish, & bell Letter Nil Initials „ 9 k... 9 Lion rampant Tree, fish, & bell Letter Nil Initials 1 - 3-2 Silver O. S. Nil Lion rampant Tree, fish, & bell Letter Sovereign’s head Sovereign’s head Initials w „ N. S. Britannia Lion rampant Tree, fish, & bell Letter Initials CO ? CO .75 Gold 22 k... 22 Harp crowned Hibernia Letter Sovereign’s head Initials s „ 20 k... 20 Plume feathers Hibernia Letter Sovereign’s head Initials T3 KrtjK „ 18 k... 18 Unicorn’s head Hibernia Letter Sovereign’s head Initials 2 O 'C ^ pq ® „ 15 k... 15-625 Nil Hibernia Letter Nil Initials a » 12k... 12-5 Nil Hibernia Letter Nil Initials it Q Is ,, 9 k... 9-375 Nil Hibernia Letter Nil Initials ■s * H £ Silver O. S. Nil Harp crowned Hibernia Letter Sovereign’s head Initials HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 95 Table of Marks used in 1701—2 at the Assay Offices in England, Scotland , and Ireland. Assay Town. Description. X. 2. Standard. 3- Assay Town. 1 4- Date. 5 - Maker. London. Established 13 Cent. Gold 22 k... Silver O. S. Silver N. S. . Lion passant Lion passant Britannia Leopard’s head crowned Leopard’s head crowned Lion’s head erased Letter Letter Letter Initials Initials Initials Exeter. Re-established 1701. Gold 22 k... Silver O. S. Silver N. S. Leopard’s head Leopard's head Lion’s head erased Lion passant Lion passant Britannia Castle Castle Castle Letter Letter Letter Initials Initials Initials Chester. Re-established 1701. Gold 22 k... Silver O. S. Silver N. S. Leopard's head Leopard's head Lion’s head erased Lion passant Lion passant Britannia 3 demi lions & wheatsheaf ditto ditto Letter Letter Letter Initials Initials Initials Newcastle. Established 1702. Gold 22 k... Silver O. S. Silver N. S. J Leopard’s head Leopard’s head Lion’s head erased Lion passant Lion passant Britannia 3 castles 3 castles 3 castles Letter Letter Letter Initials Initials Initials York. Re-established 1701. Gold 22 k... Silver O. S. 1 Silver N. S. Leopard’s head Leopard's head Lion's head erased Lion passant Lion passant Britannia 5 lions 5 lions 5 lions on a cross Letter Letter Letter Initials Initials Initials Norwich. Re-established 1701. Gold 22 k... Silver O. S. Silver N. S. Leopard’s head Leopard’s head Lion’s head erased Lion passant Lion passant Britannia Castle and lion Castle and lion Castle and lion Letter Letter Letter Initials Initials Initials Edinburgh. Re-established 1631. Gold 22 k... Silver O. S. Silver N. S. Assay mark Assay mark Britannia (Thistle in 1759 ) Castle Castle Castle Letter Letter Letter Initials Initials Initials Dublin. Re-established 1638. Gold 22 k... | Silver 0. S. Harp crowned Harp crowned [Hibernia in 1730) Letter Letter Initials Initials JLontion 3ssap Office letters By the introduction, in the annexed Table, of the shield used to enclose the letters in each cycle, much assistance is given in ascertaining the date of a piece of plate ; but as several of the alphabets are some¬ what alike, a few remarks are appended to each cycle to enable those who have not studied them sufficiently to tell at a glance the peculiar variations in each. Care must be taken, in examining plate, to place the shield containing the date letter with its pointed base downwards, or some confusion may arise in mistaking b for q, p for d, n for u, £ for J (in Cycle 16), & c. 9 6 LONDON ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. CYCLE 1. Lohbardic Capitals. HENRY VI. 1438 - 9 1439 - 0 1440 - 1 1441 - 2 1442 - 3 1443 - 4 1444 - 5 1445 - 6 1446 - 7 1447 - 8 1448 - 9 1449 - 0 1450 - 1 1451 - 2 1452 - 3 1453 - 4 1454 - 5 1455 - 6 1456 - 7 1457 - 8 Three Stamps. 1. Leopard’s Head. 2 . Date Mark. 3 . Maker’s Mark. No lion passant. No regular shield. CYCLE 2. Unknown. EDWARD IV. 1458 - 9 1459 - 0 1460 - 1 EDWD IV. 1461 - 2 1462 - 3 1463 - 4 1464 - 5 1465 - 6 1466 - 7 1467 - 8 1468 - 9 1469 - 0 1470 - 1 1471 - 2 1472 - 3 1473 - 4 1474 - 5 1475 - 6 1476 - 7 1477 - 8 CYCLE 3. Lombardic. HENRY VII. The stamps for this Cycle are unknown. B D 1478-9 1479-0 1480-1 1481- 2 EDWD. V. 1482- 3 RICHD. Ill 1483- 4 1484- 5 HENRY VII. 1485- 6 1486- 7 1487- 8 1488- 9 1489- 0 1490- 1 1491- 2 ; 1492-3 r | 1493-4 Bi 1494 - 5 1495-6 CYCLE 4. Black Letter, Small. HENRY VIII. 1 t 1 w 1496-7 1497-8 Three Stamps. 1 . Leopard’s Head, crowned in 1477 . 2 . Date Mark. 3 . Maker’s Mark. No lion passant. No regular shield. 1 1498- 9 1499- 0 1500- 1 1501- 2 1502- 3 1503- 4 1504- 5 1505- 6 1506- 7 j 1507-8 1508-9 iHENRYVIl! i 1509-0 tt 1510-1 1511-2 I s t #1 1512- 3 1513- 4 1514- 5 1515 - 6 1516 - 7 1517- 8 Three Stamps. 1 . Leopard’s Head cr. 2 . Date Mark. 3 . Maker’s Mark. No lion passant. No regular shield. LONDON ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. 97 CYCLE 8. Roman Capitals. ELIZABETH. 1578-9 1579-0 1580-1 1581-2 1582-3 1583-4 1584-5 m 1585-6 1586-7 1587-8 1588-9 (Ml 1589-0 1590-1 1591-2 1592-3 1593-4 1594-5 1595-6 qp 1596-7 1597-8 Four Stamps. 1 . Leopard’s Head cr. 2 . Lion passant. 3 . Date Mark. ! 4 . Maker’s Mark. The letter put in a regu¬ lar shield. CYCLE 5 . Lombabdic Capitals. HENRY VIII. m B a D SB W 1518 - 9 1519 - 0 1520 - 1 1521 - 2 1522 - 3 1523 - 4 1524 - 5 1525 - 6 1526 - 7 1527 - 8 1528 - 9 ] 529-0 ft 1530-1 1531 - 2 1532 - 3 1533 - 4 1534 - 5 1535 - 6 1536 - 7 1537 - 8 m 1 m m m w ¥ Three Stamps. 1. Leopard’s Head crowned. 2 . Date Mark. 3 . Maker’s Mark. No lion passant. No escutcheons. CYCLE 6. Roman Capitals. HEN. VIII.—MARY. 1538-9 jU 1539-0 ® 1540-! w e 1541- 2 1542- 3 1543- 4 1544- 5 1545- 6 1546- 7 EDWD. VI. 1547- 8 1548- 9 H| 1549-0 1550- 1 1551- 2 1552- 3 0^11 MARY. 1553 " 4 1554-5 *1555-6 !jj|] 1556-7 ^ 1557-8 Four Stamps. 1 . Leopard’s Head cr 2 . Date Mark. 3 . Maker’s Mark. 4 . The lion passant first used about 1545 . No escutcheons. CYCLE 7 . Black Letter, Small. ELIZABETH. * fit m k n Z il Elizabeth. 1558-9 1559- 0 1560- 1 1561- 2 1562- 3 1563- 4 1564- 5 1565- 6 1566- 7 1567- 8 1568- 9 1569- 0 1570- 1 1571- 2 1572- 3 1573- 4 1574- 5 1575- 6 1576- 7 1577- 8 Four Stamps. 1 . Leopard’s Head cr. 2 . Lion passant. 3 . Date Mark. 4 . Maker's Mark. The date letter first put in a shield. * This letter being accompanied by the lion passant on plate may be distinguished from the S of 1535, when there were only three marks. G 93 LONDON ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. * This letter, towards the end of the official year, appears to have been injured, as represented, but is also seen quite perfect. Note.—T he two stamps of the leopard’s head and the lion passant were, previous to 1673, placed in irregular shields, the border line following the design ; after that time the leopard’s head was placed in a symmetrical shield, and the lion in a distinct oblong with a few exceptions; from and after 1750 both punches had regular heraldic shields. LONDON ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. 99 CYCLE 14 . Court Hand. ANNE. a § f MAR. to MAY 1697 1697- 8 1698- 9 1699- 0 1700- 1 1701- 2 ANNE. 1702- 3 1703- 4 4 ^ I I 1704-5 1705- 6 1706- 7 1707- 8 1708- 9 1709- 0 1710- 1 1711- 2 1712-3 f ,(&>J 1713-4 i-asn GEO. I. lOH 1714-5 W\ 1715 ^6 Four Stamps. 1. .Britannia. 2. Lion’s Head erased, 3. Date Mark. 4. Maker’s Mark. The two first letters of the maker’s surname. CYCLE 15 . Roman Capitals. GEORGE I. & II. <3 1 0 1 E GJ H ® o w $ ¥ 1716- 7 1717- 8 1718- 9 1719- 0 1720- 1 1721- 2 1722- 3 1723- 4 1724- 5 1725- 6 1726- 7 GEO. II. 1727- 8 1728- 9 1729- 0 1730- 1 1731- 2 1732- 3 1733- 4 1734- 5 1735- 6 CYCLE 16 . Roman Small. GEORGE II. m e $ imi ■ - ■ n ® r 11 1736- 7 1737- 8 1738- 9 1739- 0 1740- 1 1741- 2 1742- 3 1743- 4 1744- 5 1745- 6 1746- 7 1747- 8 1748- 9 1749- 0 1750- 1 1751- 2 1752- 3 1753- 4 1754- 5 1755- 6 CYCLE 17 . Black Letter Caps. •Four Stamps. 1. Leopard's Header. 2. Lion passant. 3. Date Mark. 4. Maker’s Mark. The old standard re¬ vived in 1720, but both the old and new were allowed simultaneously. GEORGE III 3T JL Four Stamps. 1. Leopard’s Head cr, 2. Lion passant. 3. Date Mark. 4. Maker’s Mark. After 1739 the initials of maker’s Christian and surname. 0 m @ m 1756- 7 1757- 8 1758- 9 1759- 0 GEO. III. 1760- 1 1761- 2 1762- 3 1763- 4 1764- 5 1765- 6 1766- 7 1767- 8 1768- 9 1769- 0 1770- 1 1771- 2 1772- 3 1773- 4 1774- 5 1775- 6 CYLE 18 . Roman Small. GEORGE III. © © © 0 ffi © © 1776- 7 1777- 8 1778- 9 1779- 0 1780- 1 1781- 2 1782- 3 1783- 4 *1784-5 1785- 6 1786- 7 1787- 8 1788- 9 1789- 0 1790- 1 1791- 2 1792- 3 1793- 4 1794- 5 1795- 6 Four Stamps. 1. Leopard's Head cr. 2. Lion passant. 3. Date Mark. 4. Maker’s Mark. The leopard’s head smaller after 1721 than before. Five Stamps. 1. Leopard’s Head cr, 2. Lion passant. 3. Date Mark. 4. King’s Head. 5. Maker’s Mark. After 1784 the duty mark of the King’s head. * By the Duty Act of March 1784, the payment of duty was denoted by a stamp of the King’s head, which at first was incuse accompanied by the date letter i, and continued in 1785-6 with the letter k ; for the drawback of duty on exportation, a stamp of Britannia incuse was adopted, but it was discontinued in the following year ; the King’s head was subsequently in relief. lOO LONDON ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. CYCLE 10 . Roman Capitals. CYCLE 20 . Roman Small. GEORGE III. Geo IV -Will. IV. F O CB OB E (B (Q) SB T] fir 1796-7 © [D]: 1799-0 1797- 8 1798- 9 1800-1 1801-2 1802- 3 1803- 4 1804- 5 1805- 6 1806- 7 1807- 8 1808- 9 1809- 0 1810- 1 1811-2 1812- 3 1813- 4 1814- 5 1815- 6 Five Stamps. 1. Leopard's Head. 2. Lion passant. 3. Date Mark. 4. Maker’s Mark. 5. King’s Head. After 1798 gold of 18-kar. was marked with a crown and 18. GEO. IV. 1820-1 WILL. IV.I 1830-1 Five Stamps. x. Leopard’s Head. 2. Lion passant. 3. Date Mark. 4. Maker’s Mark. 5. King’s Head. After 1823 the leopard’s head without a crown. CYCLE 21 . Black Letter Caps. CYCLE 22 . Black Letter, Small. VICTORIA. n © ¥ at I SI 1836- 7 VICTORIA 1837- 8 1838- 9 1839- 0 1840- 1 1841- 2 1842- 3 1843- 4 1844- 5 1845- 6 1846- 7 1847- 8 1848- 9 1849- 0 1850- 1 1851- 2 1852- 3 1853- 4 1854- 5 1855- 6 Five Stamps. 1. Leopard’s Head. 2. Lion passant. 3. Date Mark. 4. Maker’s Mark. 5. Queen’s Head. After 1845 the gold standard was marked with 22 and a crown. VICTORIA. Five Stamps. 1. Leopard’s Head. 2. Lion passant for silver. 3. Date Mark. 4. Maker’s Mark. 5. Queen’s Head. For gold a crown and 22 or 18, according to standard. CYCLE 23 . Roman Capitals. VICTORIA. © 0 © © 1s> R 1876- 7 1877- 8 1878- 9 1879- 0 1880- 1 1881-2 1882- 3 1883- 4 1884- 5 1885- 6 1886- 7 1887- 8 1888- 9 1889- 0 1890- 1 1891- 2 1892- 3 Sj 1893-4 1894- 5 1895- 6 III Five Stamps. 1. Leopard’s Head. 2. Lion passant. 3. Date Mark. 4. Maker’s Mark. 5. Queen’s Head. For foreign plate the letter F. Duty abolished on silver, 1890, and Queen’s head omitted. Note. —Large and small sized punches are used to suit the plate to be stamped ; so that from 1756 to the present day, the large stamps bear the letter in a shield as here indicated—the smaller ones have the letter in a square escutcheon, the base slightly convex but not pointed, and the upper corners cut off. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. IOI Chronological Hist of Cnglish Plate. Many of these examples of English plate were exhibited at the Special Exhibition of Works of Art on Loan at the South Kensington Museum in 1862. When cataloguing that magnificent collection of plate, the writer had an opportunity of verifying the foregoing table, not only as regards the assay or date letters, but also the forms of the escutcheons enclosing them, a great desideratum to those who consult the table, in determining the date of a piece of plate when the characters used in the cycles are similar. The numbers which precede the references allude to their places in the catalogue of that collection, where they will be found fully described. Besides these, many other interesting and important specimens of English silversmiths’ work were displayed on that occasion, but they could not be included in this list, from the fact of the marks having become illegible or altogether obliterated, so that their exact date could not be ascertained. Cycle I.—May 1438 to May 1458. (Henry VI.) Date. Catalogue No. 1445. H. 7767. The Grace Cup of St. Thomas-a-Becket; the cup and cover of ivory, mounted in silver gilt, inscribed u Vinum tuum bibe cum gaudio ; ” the ornamented borders are of a later period.— Philip H. Howard , Esq., of Corby. 1445. H. 7753 - The Silver Spoon given by Henry VI. to Sir Ralph Pudsey in 1463, together with his boots and gloves, at Bolton Hall, after the battle of Hexham, now preserved at Hornby Castle, Lancashire.— Capt. Pudsey Dawson. Cycle III.—May 1478 to May 1498. (Henry VII.) 1481. 1481. 1487. 1493 - 1497. D. 3241a. Silver gilt Cup called the Anathema Cup, dated 1497, inscribed with the name of the donor, Langton Bishop of Winchester, and the sentence, “ Qui alienaverit anathema sit.”— Pembroke Coll., Camb. D. 5725. Silver gilt low Bowl, fluted stem, inscribed “ Bene¬ dicts Deus in Donis Suis amen,” in Lombardic letters.— J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. K. Silver gilt Salt Cellar.— -Christ's College, Cambridge. Q. Apostle Spoon with full-length figure of a Saint, the earliest spoon known with an Apostle. The date letter Q is cusped inwards and outwards ; maker S.— Rev. T. Staniforth. V. Three small Spoons, with slender stems.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 102 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Cycle IV.—May 1498 to May 1518. (Henry VII. and VIII.) Date. Catalogue No. 1499. Jj. 1500. c. 1506. t. 1507- fc. 1507- it. 1510. n. 1512. 1514- © 1515- s. 1515- s. 1515* 5 . 1516. t. I 5 i 7 - b. 5455. Grace Cup and Cover ornamented with crossed bands, and in the panels are maidens’ heads and flagons, the badges of the Company ; on the cover a maiden seated with a unicorn, with blue enamel bands, &c., presented by Sir Thomas Legh. — Mercers’ Company. Old English Spoon.— Painter Stainers' Company. Bishop Fox’s Spoons, with owls at the ends of the handles.— Corpus Christi College, Oxon. 3223. Silver gilt Cup and Cover in form of a Tudor rose, battlemented, engraved with roses, portcullises, and daisies (Marguerites), given by the Foundress, Margaret, Countess of Richmond.— Christ's College, Cambridge. 3224. Pair of silver gilt Salt Cellars, of hour-glass form, orna¬ mented with Tudor roses, &c., presented by the Foundress, the Countess of Richmond.— Christ's College, Cambridge. The mounting of a Mazer Bowl.— A. W. Franks, Esq. Spoon.— Rev. T. Staniforth. Gothic Silver Paten ; within a tressure of 6 spandrils is the head of our Saviour and radiating borders.— Heworth Church, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Apostle Spoon, with the maker’s mark of an S.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 3207. Silver gilt Tazza Cup and Cover, ornamented with stamped pattern of roses and fleurs de lis.— Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Apostle Spoon (St. Paul), one of a set of 1 3 given by Arch¬ bishop Parker.— Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Bishop Fox’s Spoons, with balls at the ends of the stems.— Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Gothic Silver Paten, parcel gilt, sunk centre ; within a tres¬ sure of 6 arches is the head of our Saviour, a nimbus round His head and radiating borders, engraved and gilt.— Rev. T. Staniforth. Cycle V.—May 1518 to May 1538. (Henry VIII.) 1518. A. 5448 - Salt Cellar, of hour-glass form.— Ironmongers' Com¬ pany. 1519. B. Set of Tw r elve Apostle Spoons, from the Bernal Collection; maker S.— Rev. T. Staniforth. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Date. I 5 20. 1521. 1 522. 1 522. I 523- 1 523 . 1 527 . 1 528. 1529. 1 530 . 1 5 3 3- 1537- 15 39- 1 545- 1 545- 1 5 54- 15 58 . 1558. 103 Catalogue No. C. Silver Cup.— Christ's College, Cambridge. D. 5726. Old English Spoon, with fluted knob on the stem. — -J. Rainey, Esq. E. 5448. Salt Cellar, of hour-glass form.— Ironmongers' Com¬ pany. E. Spoon, with seal top, in the possession of Dr. and Mrs. Ashford, Torquay. F. 5402. Henry VIII.’s Cup, repousse with scrolls, fleur de lis and rose, with bells on the bottom of the cup.— Barber Surgeons' Company. F. 5497. Cocoa-Nut Cup, silver mounted.— Vintners' Company. K. Chalice and Paten, given by Henry VIII. to Sir Thomas Pope.— Trinity College, Oxford. L. Spoon, with statuette of St. Nicholas, and three children in a tub, of good early work; the stem is inscribed SYNT • NYCOLAS • PRAY • FOR • WS. This spoon is supposed to have been formerly used in the Abbey of St. Nicholas, Abingdon, founded by Edward VI.— J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. M. 3202. Mazer Bowl, silver gilt mounting.— All Souls' College, Oxford. N. Two Apostle Spoons ; maker S.— Rev. T. Staniforth. Q. 3204. Silver gilt Cup and Cover, double handled and urn shaped, repousse with scrolls.— Christ's College, Oxford. V. Apostle Spoon, with dots on the date letter as shown on the table.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. Cycle VI.—May 1538 to May 1558. (Edward VI. Mary.) B. Apostle Spoon.— Innholders' Company. H. Spoon, with lion sejant on the end of the stem, the leopard’s head crowned in the bowl. The lion passant on this piece is the earliest example we have met with.— Dr. and Mrs. Ash¬ ford of Torquay. H. 3239. Silver gilt Ewer and Salver, given by Archbishop Parker in 1570.— Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. R. Sir Martin Bowes’ Cup, presented (according to the Minutes) 1561.— Goldsmiths' Company. Cycle VII.—May 1558 to May 1578. (Elizabeth.) a. Spoon with seal top ; maker’s mark, mullet and crescent.— Rev. T. Staniforth. Stone Jug, silver mounted, repousse with scrolls, fruit, satyrs, and masks, the cover surmounted by St. George and the 104 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Date. 1 5 59 - i 560. 1562. 1 562. 1562. 1562. 1563. 1564. 1564. 1565. 1566. 1 566. 1566. 1569. 1569. 1569. 1570 . 1571. 1571. 1571. 1572. 1 572 . Catalogue No. Dragon ; on the handle a bifrons maiden’s head and quaint head-dress.— J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. ij 4 Silver-mounted Stoneware Jug and Cover, with date of pre¬ sentation 1560 ; maker S. K.— R. Temple Frere, Esq. C, Spoon, with stem cut off obliquely.— Rev. T. Stanforth. Two Spoons, with seal tops ; maker’s mark, a rose.— Rev. T. Staniforth. ti. Apostle Spoon.— Innholders' Company. 5500. Delft Tankard, silver mounted, given by David Gitting in 1563.— Vintners' Company. t. Apostle Spoon ; maker’s mark, a trefoil leaf.— Rev. T. Stani¬ forth. 3236. Circular Salt and Cover, given by Archbishop Parker in 1570 .—Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. f. 5505. Large Cup and Cover, engraved with subjects re¬ lating to the manufacture of wax, the gift of Richard Nor- mansell .—Wax Chandlers' Company. g. Apostle Spoon ; maker’s mark, a trefoil leaf.— Rev. T. Stani¬ forth. g 4 5412. Square Salt, given by Roger Dunster in 1641.— Cloth- workers' Company. f}. The Cockayne Cups ; maker G.— Skinners' Company. L 5727. Silver gilt Chalice.— J. P. Dexter , Esq. L Plateau ; maker R. V.— Skinners' Company. t. Set of 12 Apostle Spoons, given by Archbishop Parker in 1570 .—Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Ht. 3234. Cup and Cover, richly ornamented with masks, fruit and flowers, and female heads in relief, surmounted by a nude male figure, given by Archbishop Parker in 1569 .—Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. lit, 5729. Brown Stoneware Jug, silver mounted ; maker I. R. — E. A. Sanford, Esq. lit, 5729. Stoneware Jug, silver mounted.— J. Toovey, Esq. U, Silver seal-top Spoon.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 0, 3235. Silver gilt Tankard, repousse with arabesques, given by Archbishop Parker in 1571 .—Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. 0, 5730. Brown Stoneware Jug, silver mounted ; maker N. S. interlaced.— J. P. Dexter, Esq. 0, 5731. Chalice and Paten, with engraved belt, dated 1576. — J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. p. 5733 - Earthenware Jug, silver mounted.— H. Magniac, Esq. p 4 3230. Silver gilt Tazza, with punched ornaments.— Christ's College, Cambridge. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 105 Date. Catalogue No. 1 573 - 1 573 - 1 574 - 1574 - 1 576 . 1576 . 1 577 - 1577 . q. 5734 * Silver Tankard engraved with strap work and medal¬ lions of female heads ; maker’s mark, a crab.— L. Huth, Esq. q. 573 5 - Chalice and Paten, with engraved belt of running pattern.— J. Rainey, Esq. X. 5738. Silver Tankard; maker’s initials C. L., a halberd between.— Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. X*. Apostle Spoon ; maker’s mark, a shell.— Rev. T. Stamforth. t. 5739 - Silver Chalice and Paten.— J. Rainey, Esq. L 5423. Simon Gibbons’ square Salt.— Goldsmiths' Company. ft. 5741. Stoneware Jug, silver mounted ; maker’s initials C. C. — -J. D. Gardner , Esq. b. Apostle Spoon.— Rev. T. Stamforth. 1578. 1578. 1578. 1 579 - 1 579 - 1 580. 1580. 1581. 1581. 1582. 1583. Cycle VIII.—May 1578 to May 1598. (Elizabeth.) A. Gilt Apostle Spoon, inscribed “AH Nata Ano Dni 1578 Octob. 10. Inter Hor. 1 2 et Pri. in Aurora Susceptore Gual Moyse.”— Rev. T. Staniforth. A. 5742. Silver gilt Tankard, repousse with fruit and flowers ; on the purchase is a mermaid ; maker's initials E. S.— Baron Lionel de Rothschild. A. Silver gilt Salt Cellar, cylindrical, with high cover, surmounted by a soldier, elaborately ornamented with strap work and repousse masks, lions’ heads, fruit, &c. ; maker’s mark, a bird with wings expanded.— Sir Richard Wallace. B. 5744. Silver gilt Tazza, chased with cartouches and repousse helmeted head; maker H. C., a hammer and vice.— H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge. B. 5745. Silver Cup, in form of a “Pelican in her piety;” the stem ornamented with masks and scrolls, the foot with hunt¬ ing scenes ; maker’s mark, a bird.— Sir Stephen Glynne, Bart. C. Antique Spoon, with terminal female bust.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. C. 5748. Silver gilt Cup and Cover; maker’s mark, H. C., a hammer and vice.— L. Huth, Esq. D. 5746. Silver gilt Ewer and Salver, beautifully chased, set with Oriental agates : one of the finest examples of English plate known; maker’s mark, a trefoil.— The Duke of Rutland. D. 5750. Stoneware Jug, silver mounted.— L. Huth, Esq. E. Spoon with baluster knob ; maker’s mark, a shell.— Rev. T. Staniforth. F. 5751. Square Salt Cellar.— Baron Lionel de Rothschild. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 106 Date. Catalogue A T o. 1584. 1585 . 1586. 1588. 1588. 1589. 1589. 1590 . 1590 . 1591. 1 592 . 1 593 * 1 593* 1 594- 1 594- 1 595- 1596. 1596. 1 59 7- 1 597* G. 5752. Mounted Stoneware Jug; maker’s mark, B., a pellet in each space.— A. IV. Franks , Esq. H. 5753 - Porcelain Vase, silver mounted; maker’s mark, three trefoil leaves.— H. Farrer , Esq. I. Spoon with seal top ; maker’s mark, mullet and ring under.— Rev. T. Staniforth. L. 5754. Ostrich Egg Cup; maker’s mark, a flower.— Earl of Home. L. Silver Paten ; maker H. C.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. M. Silver Chalice; maker’s mark, a trefoil.— Messrs. Garrard. M. Apostle Spoon ; maker’s mark, a mullet and crescent.— Rev. T. Staniforth. N. 54 ^ 5 - Rose-water Dish, chased with dolphins and flowers, lions' heads, &c., the gift of William Offley.— Merchant Taylors' Company. N. Spoon with seal top; maker L.— Rev. T. Staniforth. O. Stoneware Jug, silver mounted.— Robert Napier , Esq. P. 5755 - Silver gilt Cup, baluster stem.— J. P. Dexter , Esq. Q. 5756. Silver Tazza.— J. P. Dexter , Esq. Q. Seal top Spoon ; maker’s mark, a mullet.— Rev. T. Staniforth. R. 3206. Gilt Salt Cellar and Cover, ornamented with repousse scrolls, &c., surmounted by an amorino.— Corpus Christi Col¬ lege , Oxford. R. 5757- Stoneware Jug, silver mounted ; maker C. B.— Hugh Owen , Esq. S. 5651. Ewer and Salver, the gift of Robert Kitchen, broken up during the Bristol Riots ; maker I. B. and a rose above.— Corporation of Bristol. T. Spoon with seal top ; maker’s mark, a mullet.— Rev. T. Staniforth. T. Apostle Spoon, St. Peter; maker WC or W in a crescent.— R. Temple Frere ) Esq. V. 5678. Silver Ewer and Salver of very fine work, with sea deities and monsters, Neptune and Amphitrite, &e., the gift of Henry Howard ; maker I. N. and a rose below.— Corpo¬ ration of Norwich. V. Cup, “the gyfte of John Stuart, a.d. 1600.”— Rev. T. Staniforth. Cycle IX.—May 1598 to May 1618. (James I.) 1598. A. Spoon with seal top; maker W. C.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1598. A. Parcel gilt Salt Cellar .—Octavius Morgan, Esq. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 107 Date. Catalogue No. 1599. B. Spice Box, in three compartments.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. J 599 ' B. 5445. Silver Cup, the gift of Grace Gwaiter.— Innholders' Company. 1599. B. Apostle Spoon.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1601. D. 5771. Silver gilt Cup, engraved with fruit and flowers.— Earl of Derby. 1601. D. 54 22 ' Circular Salt, the gift of Richard Rogers, “Comp¬ troller of His Majesty’s Mint,” given in 1632 to the Gold¬ smiths' Company. 1602. E. Spoon with seal top; maker T. in a crescent.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1602. E. Spoon with seal top.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 1603. F. Silver gilt Ewer and Salver.— Lord Willoughby de Eresby. 1604. G. 5774. Silver covered Cup, engraved flowers; maker’s mark, I. H. and a bear.— Lord Willoughby de Eresby. 1604. G. Silver gilt Tankard, engraved scrolls.— L. Huth, Esq. 1605. H. 5481. The “Cockayne” Loving Cups in the form of Cocks. —The Skinners' Company. 1605. H. 5414. Salver, the gift of John Burnell.— Clothworkers' Com¬ pany. 1606. I. 5777- Silver gilt Salt Cellar, in form of a temple.— R. Neville Grenville, Esq. 1606. I. 5776. Silver Cup, with punched ornaments.— Sir. T. W. Holburne, Bart. 1607. K. Silver gilt Ewer and Salver, with square escutcheons of re¬ pousse flowers and engraved interlaced designs between.— Louis Huth, Esq. 1607. K. Apostle Spoon; maker W. C.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1608. L. Old English Spoon; maker D. enclosing C.— R. Temple Frere, Esq. 1608. L. 3231. Silver gilt Tazza, on baluster stem.— Christ’s College, Cambridge. 1609. M. 3231. Silver gilt Tazza, of similar character to the pre¬ ceding.— Christ's College, Cambridge. 1609. M. Spoon with lion sejant top; maker W. C.— Rev. T. Stani¬ forth. 1610. N. Old English Spoon.— Octavius Morgan, Esq. 1610. N. Old English Spoon; maker’s mark, a pair of compasses.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1611. O. 5406. Tall standing Cup and Cover.— Broderers' Com¬ pany. 161 1. O. 5407. Standing Cup, the gift of John Reeves.— Carpenters' Company. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. jo8 Date. Catalogue A r o. 1612. P. Small Paten in Derry Cathedral.— Communicated by Mrs. Dorothea Alexander, of Blackhill, Coleraine. 1613. Q. 5778. Silver gilt Spice Box ; maker’s mark, a bow between I. T.— Sir T. W. Holburne , Bart. 1613. Q. Spoon with seal top; maker T. in a crescent.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1614. R. 5440. Silver gilt circular Salt, given by John Sweete, 1635.— Innholders' Company. 1614. R. Two Apostle Spoons; maker M. H. joined.— Rev. T. Stani¬ forth. 1614. S. 3244. Tall Cup and Cover, surmounted by a statuette of Hercules.— St. John's College , Cambridge. 1616. T. 5779. Salver, repousse subject of Alexander and Darius; maker’s mark, a trefoil leaf.— Sir T. W. Holburne. 1616. T. Dish, inscribed “The dishes of the Arch Duke gotten at the battle of Newporte,” and u Taken by the Lord Viscount Wimbaldon in the year 1600.”— C. Winn, Esq. 1617. V. 5780. Silver Beaker, engraved with roses, thistles, and pomegranates.— J. P. Dexter, Esq. 1617. V. Apostle Spoon ; maker I. C.— Rev. T. Staniforth. Cycle X. —May 1618 to May 1638. (James I. and Charles I.) 1618. a. 1618. a. 1619. b. 1619. b. 1620. c. 1620. c. 1621. d . 1621. d. 1622. e. 1622. e. 1622. e. 5580. Tall silver gilt Tankard, repousse with strap work and medallions of sea monsters and the arms of Norwich, of fine work.— Corporation of Norwich. Lofty silver Beaker and Cover, engraved with imbricated pat¬ tern, surmounted by a female figure, inscribed “ The gyfte of Sir William Cockayne, sonne of Roger Cockayne, of Baddesley, Warwickshire, 1619.”— E. C. Baring, Esq. Apostle Spoon ; maker R. C.— Rev. T. Staniforth. Silver Communion Plates.— All Souls' College, Oxford. Salt Cellar, with double receptacles and open covers, sur¬ mounted by an obelisk.— Dr. G. IV. Dasent. Apostle Spoon.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 5782. Pair of silver gilt Tankards, given by Richard Wyatt, citizen and carpenter ; maker I. C.— W. Cozier, Esq. Spoon, seal top; maker I. F. Another of the same date, with maker’s mark, B. Y., over a 3-barred gate.— R. Temple Frere, Esq. Apostle Spoon.— Sir IV. Stirling of Keir. Apostle Spoon.— Innholders' Company. Chalice and Paten.— St. Antholin's Church, City. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 109 Date. Catalogue No. 1623. f. 5407. The Camden Cup and Cover, repousse with leaves and inscription .—Painter Stainers Company. 1624. g. Three Apostle Spoons; maker S. V.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1624. g. Silver Paten at Mark, Somersetshire. 1625- h. 5784. Silver gilt Cup, the gift of Richard Chester to the Corporation ; maker T. F .—Viscount Clifden. 1626. i. 5482. Rosewater Dish, the gift of Francis Couell.— Skinners’ Company. 1626. i. 5439. Two Salts, given by John Wetterworth.— Skinners' Company. 1627. k. Six Silver Apostle Spoons, given in the same year.— Inn¬ holders' Company. 1628. /. Spoon, seal top; maker R. I.— R. Temple Frere , Esq. 1628. 1 . Apostle Spoon; maker D.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1629. m. The Ivatt Cup, given in the same year.— Haberdashers' Company. 1629. m. Spoon with seal top; maker R. G.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1630. n. Apostle Spoon.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1630. n. Silver Chalice.— Queen's College, Oxford. 1631. o. Apostle Spoon; maker D.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1631. o. Silver Chalice .—Broomfield Church, Kent. 1632. p. Silver Chalice and Paten.— St. James's Church, Dover. 1 ^ 3 3 * Q- Large Silver Flagon .—Corporation of Bristol. 1 6 3 3. q. Two-handled Cup.— R. Temple Frere , Esq. 1634. r. 5650. Pair of Tankards; given by John Dodridge. Cor¬ poration of Bristol. 1634. r. Apostle Spoon; maker C. D.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1635. 5. 5433. Circular Salt, the gift of Sir Hugh Hammersley, Knt. — Haberdashers' Company. 1635. s. Apostle Spoon, inscribed with date of presentation, 1635.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1636. t. Apostle Spoon.— G. H. Head, Esq. 1636. t. Apostle Spoon, inscribed with date of presentation, 1637; maker C. D.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1637. v. Apostle Spoon, 1637; maker R. C.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1637. v. 5438. Loving Cup, repousse work, inscribed “ Fides ex Charitate agens valet.”— Haberdashers' Company. Cycle XI.—May 1638 to May 1658. (Commonwealth and Cromwell.) 1638. A. Two-handled Cup and Cover, embossed with flowers.— South Kensington Museum. 1638. A. 5458. Circular Salt, of hour-glass form.— Mercers' Company. no HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Date. Catalogue A'o. 1639. B. 1639. B. 1640. C. 1641. D. 1641. D. 164.2. E. 1646. I. 1646. I. 1648. L. 1649. M. 1650. N. 1651. O . 1652. P. 1653. Q. 1653. Q. 1654. A. 1655. S. 1655. S. 16 5 6. T. 1657. F. 5493. Loving Cup, the gift of Robert Bateman, Cham¬ berlain of London.— Skinners' Company. 5785. Two Wine Cups, the gift of John Harris to the Com¬ pany of Taylors, Oxford, in 1639.— J. Dunn Gardner ; Esq. 5452. Four Cups, the gift of George Humble in 1640.— Lcathersellers' Company. Two seal top Spoons, with date of presentation.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 5787. Cup and Cover; maker R. M.— Viscount Clifden. Two-handled Porringer.— R. Temple Frere, Esq. Silver Spoon ; maker C. D.— Rev. T. Staniforth. Spoon, seal top; maker T. H. in monogram.— R. Temple Frere } Esq. Spoon, seal top ; maker T. H. joined.— R. Temple Frere , Esq. 5417. Tankard, the gift of W. Clissworth, 1661.— Coopers' Company. 5491. Cup, the gift of George Breton.— Skinners' Company. 5667. Four Apostle Spoons.—■ Corporation of Hedon. 5788. Covered Cup, said to have been given by Oliver Cromwell to his daughter, Lady Fauconberg ; maker E. S.— The late Paul Butler , Esq. 5504. Cup and Cover, the gift of Thomas Bloodworth in 1682.— Vintners' Company. 5789. Silver Ladle.— Sir T. IV. Holburne , Bart. Apostle Spoon ; maker S. V.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 5791. Silver Cup, given by Christopher Pirn to the Black¬ smiths’ Company, inscribed “ By hammer and hand all arts do stand maker I. W.— J. P. Dexter , Esq. 5790. Tankard.— J. Dunn Gardner , Esq. Old English Spoon ; maker W. C.— Rev. T. Staniforth. Apostle Spoon.— Innholders' Company. Cycle XII. — May 1658 to May 1678. (Charles II.) 1658. &.* 5444. Silver gilt Cup, the gift of Edward Osborne.— Inn¬ holders' Company. 1659. 33 . 5665. Large Mace, the gift of Henry Guy .—Corporation of Hedon. 1659. 33 . Spoon with seal top; maker S. V.— R. Temple Frere , Esq. 1660. (&. 5655. Silver Mace .—Corporation of Doncaster. * The stamp of the church-text A on some of these pieces, towards the end of the official year, appears to have been injured. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. hi Date. Catalogue No. 1661. J 9 . Three Apostle Spoons.— Innholders' Company. 1662. 0 . 5794. Silver Salver, repousse with the labours of Hercules and trophies of arms.— Baron Lionel de Rothschild. 1662. ( 2 B. 5901. Large Salver.— Earl Spencer. 1663. jj\ Silver Grace Cup.— Goldsmiths' Company. 1664. 2 ft 5795. Silver Cup.— The late Paul Butler, Esq. 1665. pL Spoon, flat stem; maker I. I., a bird, and fleur de lis.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1665. p?. Cup given by Charles II. to the Corporation of Oxford. 1666. J. Embossed Silver Cup.— Sir Charles Morgan, Bart. 1667. Old English Spoon.— O. Morgan, Esq., M.P. 1668. 3 L. Rosewater Dish of the same date.— Queen's College, Oxford. 1669. fit. Two-handled Bowl and Cover.— Sir C. Morgan, Bart. 1669. JH. Cup and Cover engraved with the royal arms and the arms of Robertus Creyghtonus; on the cover is inscribed “ Ex donis Caroli Secundi Regis.”— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 1670. Jft. Porringer, inscribed 1670.— Queen's College, Oxford. 1671. 0 . Communion plate.— Westminster Abbey. 1672. f. 5683. Two Tankards, the gift of Thomas Bawtrey, Lord Mayor of the City of York in 1673.— Corporation of York. 1672. p. Two-handled Cup; maker M. G.— R. Temple Frere, Esq. 1673. 0 . 5796 . Covered Cup; maker I. N. ; in fine gold, plain with scroll handles, coiled serpent on the cover. (Hall marks the same as on silver).— J. W. Walrond, Esq. 1674. 3 ft. 5799. Two-handled Cup, the gift of Sir John Cutler to Charles Lush ; maker I. N.— The late Paid Butler, Esq. 1674. 3ft. 5797 - Two Cups fitting into each other, matted surface.— W. B. Stopford, Esq. 1675. 5800. Set of 3 Casters; maker R. A.— J. Rainey, Esq. 1676. 2 T- Cup and Cover with two handles.—S. K. Museum. 1676. 2 T- Silver Tankard.— Corporation of Oxford. 1677. 2 ft. 8103. Cup.— Messrs. Hunt and Roskell. 1677. 2 ft. Pair of Candlesticks.— Earl of Charlemont. 1677. 2 ft Spoon, flat stem, triple rat tail ornament; maker A. K.— Rev. T. Staniforth. Cycle XIII.—May 1678 to March 1697. (James II. William III.) 1678. a. 5803. Two-handled Cup, chased with leaves.— J. P. Dexter, Esq. 1679. fo . 5804. Silver Ladle.— J. P. Dexter, Esq. 1680. C- 5461. The “Brett” Loving Cup and Cover.— Merchant Taylors' Company. 11 2 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Date. Catalogue No. 168 i. ft. 5806. Large silver Cistern, the handles in form of peacocks, resting on four lions’ claws, weighing 2000 oz.; maker R. L.*— Duke of Rutland. 1682. f. 5807. Tankard.— Sir T. W. Holburne, Bart. 1682. f. Two Spoons with heart-shaped ends; maker E. H. and crown.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1683. f. 5808. Silver Tazza, with figures in the centre of Jupiter, Diana, &c. ; maker W. F.— Sir W. C. Trevelyan, Bart. 1683. f. Oval Casket and Cover, engraved with Chinese figures, birds, &c. —South Kensington Museum. 1683. f. Basin engraved with Chinese figures, trees, fountains, and birds.— J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. 1684. g- 5809. Covered Bowl, pounced with Chinese figures; maker I. I. and lis.— Sir T. IV. Holburne, Bart. 1684. Q. Spoon, flat stem, heart-shaped end; maker L. C. crowned.— Brett Collection. 1685. t). Silver Tankard.— Messrs. Garrard. 1686. t- Communion Plate; maker’s initials I. S. in monogram.— Dr. and Mrs Ashford. 1686. t. 5495- Tankard, the gift of James Langdon Reynolds ; maker I. R. crowned.— Skinners Company. 1687. ft. Mace with the arms of James II.— Mayor and Corporation of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 1688. I. 5810. Circular Salver, engraved with Chinese figures.— J. P. Dexter, Esq. 1688. I. 5811. Pair of Candlesticks, in form of architectural columns. — W. Maskell, Esq. 1689. HI- Spoon with heart-shaped end.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1690. tl- 5813. Silver Tankard, the cover in form of a helmet re¬ pousse with trophies, &c.; maker G. G.— Baron Lionel de Rothschild. 1691. 0. Embossed Altar Candlesticks.— Westminster Abbey. 1692. pi. Silver Cup.— Jesus College, Oxford. 1693. q. Pair of Wine Cups.— J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. 16 93. q. Two Spoons; maker L. C.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1694. £• Silver Loving Cup.— Mercers' Company. 1695. g. 5815. Silver Cup of Richard Deeble, 1724.— P. W. Doyle, Esq. 1696. t 5816. ' Pair of Fire Dogs at Hampton Court; maker M. A.— Her Majesty the Queen. * It holds 60 gallons, and is said to have been filled with caudle when the father of the present Duke was born, and with punch at the christening of the Marquis of Granby in January 1814, the Prince Regent being sponsor. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. X1 3 Cycle XIV.—March 1697 to May 1716. (Anne.) Date. Catalogue No. 1697. 1697. B. 1698. C. 1699. D. 1700. E. 1700. E. 1701. F. 1701. F. 1701. F. 1702. G. 1703. //. 1703. H. 1704. /. 1704. /. 1705. K. 1705. K. 1706. L. 1706. Z. 1707. M. 1708. N. 1708. A. 5817. Teapot of rock-work, vine-leaves, and grapes .—Sir T. IV. Holburne , Bart. 5818. Silver-gilt Cup with Cover, on the top the royal arms and W. R. III.; and a pair of large pricket Candlesticks on tripod stems, with the royal arms of W. III. ; maker db. — The Duke of Manchester. 5894. Pair of silver-gilt Candlesticks.— Rev. G. Jepson. Silver Candlesticks.— C. H. Leigh, Esq. 5902. Helmet-shaped Ewer, engraved with the royal arms of William III. ; maker H. A .—Lord Willoughby de Eresby. 5898. Large Silver Fountain, engraved with the Marlborough arms ; maker H. A .—Earl Spencer. 5894. Two Ewers and Salvers, engraved with the Marl¬ borough arms ; and large Cistern weighing 1920 oz. Marl¬ borough plate ; maker H. A. —Earl Spencer'. 5896. Pair of massive Flagons. Marlborough plate ; maker G. O. crowned .—Earl Spencer. 5907. Ewer and Salver; maker W. I., two stars above and lis below .—Marquis of Abercorn. 5910. Helmet-shaped Ewer with female bust handle, engraved with the royal arms and motto “ Semper eadem; ” maker M. E .—Lord Willoughby de Eresby. 591 1. Tureen ; maker Ne .—Lord Bateman. Silver Porringer.— R. Temple Frere, Esq. Silver Porringer.— R. Temple Frere , Esq. Spoon, flat stem, heart-shaped end ; maker L. A. and crown.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 5912. Two-handled Cup and Cover, with the royal arms, presented by Queen Anne to Sir John Leake.— The late Paid Butler , Esq. Two-handled Cup; maker’s mark, an anchor dividing the letters W. A .—Captain North's Collection. 5913. Gilt Communion Service, the Salver engraved with the Descent from the Cross .—Earl of Stamford and War¬ rington. 5449. Loving Cup, given by William Humphreys.— Iron¬ mongers' Company. Old English Spoon.— O. Morgan, Esq., M.P. The Goldsmiths’ Company’s Minutes. Silver Porringer ; maker B. E.— R. Temple Frere, Esq H 114 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Date. Catalogue No. 1709. o. 1710. p. 1711 Q. 1712. R. 1712. R. 1713- 5 . 1714. T. 1714. T. 1715. V. Silver Porringer.— R. Temple Frcre, Esq. Silver Porringer.— R. Temple Frere , Esq. 5914. Four circular Salt Cellars ; maker P. A. under a rose. — W. Masked, Esq. 5450. Loving Cup, the gift of Randulph Lane, in the same year.— Ironmongers' Company. Salver, engraved with the royal arms and motto “ Semper eadem,” 15! in. diam.; maker F. A., lis above, pellet below. — Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. Silver Tankard.— J. Dunn Gardner , Esq. 5432. Loving Cup, the gift of Hugh Radcliffe.— Haberdashers' Company. Pepper Caster; maker V. I.— R. Temple Frere , Esq. Six Spoons ; maker Sc.— Rev. T. Staniforth. 1716. 1717. 1717. 1718. 1718. 1719. 1720. 1721. 1722. 1724. 1725. 1726. 1727 - Cycle XV. — May 1716 to May 1736. (George I. & II.) A. Two-handled Porringer; maker F. L.— R. Temple Frere , Esq. B. Silver Monteith or Punch-bowl, with a detached escallop rim. — J. G. Fanshawe , Esq. B. Silver Porringer.— R. Temple Frere , Esq. C. 5919. Silver Waiter.— J. P. Dexter , Esq. C. 5920. Silver Basin and Cover; maker W. I., two stars and lis.— Sir W. Stirling of Kcir. D. 5921. Pair of covered Cups, chased with scrolls and head of Bacchus.— Earl of Stamford and Warrington. E. 5657. Sugar Tongs.— Corporation of Doncaster. F. 5677. Cup, the gift of John Kilpatrick.— Corporation of Norwich. G. Silver Paten.— Crowhurst Church. I. Two-handled Porringer.— R. Temple Frere , Esq. K. 6005. Silver-gilt Oar, a copy of a more ancient one of the time of Queen Elizabeth, 3 ft. 3 in. long, inscribed, “ This oar, a badge of authority used by the ancient Corporation of Boston, was sold by the modern Town Council in 1832, and purchased by Francis Thurkill, Esq., an Alderman of that Borough, by whose widow it was presented in 1840 to the Earl Brownlow.”— Earl Brownlow. L. Two-handled Porringer.— R. Temple Frere, Esq. M. Paten ; the date letter M in a square (second size punch), the larger one being in the form of a shield.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. IJ 5 Date. Catalogue No. 1727. M. 5923. Helmet-shaped Ewer, engraved with the arms of George I.— J. P. Dexter , Esq. 172S. N. 5928. Gilt Toilet Service; maker 1 . L.— Earl of Stamford and Warrington. 1729. O. 5929. Silver Basin, scrolls and flowers.— Lord Bateman. 1730. P. Six Sconces; maker P. A. crowned.— Earl of Stamford and Warrington. 1732. R. 5934 - Pair of gilt Tankards ; maker P. L. (Paul * de Lamerie), star and crown above, lis below.— Earl of Stamford and Warrington. 1732. R. Two-handled Cup.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 173 3 • S. 5938 - Bread Basket, of wicker pattern; maker P. L. (Paul de Lamerie), crown and star above, lis below.— f. Dunn Gardner, Esq. 1734. T. 5671. The Walpole Mace; maker T. R.— Corporation of Norwich. I 73 5 - V. Teapot, melon-shaped, chased with shells and flowers.— J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. Cycle XVI.—May 1736 to May 1756. (George II.) 1736. a. 1737 - b - 1739. d. 1740. e. 1741. f. 1742. g. 1743. h. 1744. i. Sacramental Flagon.— Crowhurst Church. 5939 - Chalice and Paten.— Messrs. Hunt and Roskell. Spoon, the stem surmounted by a group representing Charity. — Hon. G. Mostyn. 5426. Pair of Vases and Covers, chased with deities and emblems of the arts and sciences, scroll handles of terminal figures ; maker’s initials T. T.— Goldsmiths' Company. 5424. Large Ewer and Salver, handsomely chased with heathen deities, Minerva holding a scroll inscribed, “ By prudence and good management I am restored ; ” maker Paul de Lamerie.— Goldsmiths' Company. 5940. Silver Cup and Cover, elaborately chased ; maker P. L. (Paul de Lamerie), and star, crown above, lis below.— Messrs. Hunt and Roskell. 5941. Pair of Silver Dishes ; maker N. S., star above.— Her Majesty the Queen. Cake Basket, with mermaid handles ; maker H. M.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. * The first entry of Paul de Lamerie in the mark-book of the Goldsmiths’ Hall occurs in 1712, when he resided at the Golden Ball, in Windmill Street, in the Haymarket. In 1739 he removed to Garard Street or Gerard Street, Soho. His mark up to 1732 was L. A. crowned. In 1733 it was altered to P. L. crowned for the Old Standard. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. ii 6 Date. Catalogue No. 1747 - 1748. 1750. 1752. 175 3 - 1754 - 175 5 - m. 5943. Pair of Tortoiseshell Caddies, silver-mounted, orna¬ mented with repousse work in figures, scrolls, &c. ; maker P. L. (Paul de Lamerie), crown and star above, lis below.— J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. n. Pair of Vases and Covers, with acanthus-leaf ornament.— Jos. Bond, Esq. p. 5944 - Cruet Stand, by Paul de Lamerie.— J. Dunn Gardner, Esq. r. 5649. State Sword.— Corporation of Bristol. s. 5945 - Set of Casters.— Sir IV. Stirling of Keir. t. 5948. Two Tea Caddies; maker M. F.— Earl of Stamford and Warrington. u. 5950. Milk-pot, repousse with vine-leaves and grapes; maker P. B.— Sir T. W. Holburne, Bart. Cycle XVII.—May 1756 to May 1776. (George III.) 1756. 5951. Tea-kettle, gourd-shaped, engraved with landscapes and figures ; on a stand.— J. D. Gardner, Esq. 1758 - (£. 5952. Ewer; maker T. H.— O. E. Coope, Esq. 17 59. |B. Two-handled Vase; and a Coffee-pot.—S. K. Museum. 1759. |B. Bread Basket, of pierced and repousse work; maker W. P.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 1760. (JH. Jug, plain with ribbed neck.— J. D. Gardner, Esq. 1761. JF. 5953. Bread Basket, of pierced work and arms of George III. —Her Majesty the Queen. 1763- Pair of Coronation Salvers ; maker T. H.— Lord Willoughby. 1764. J. Bread Basket and a Caddy.— Sir J. Esmonde. 1 765. 5961. Tea-kettle and Milk-pot; maker I. K. crowned.— Lord Bateman. 1765. Silver Tankard.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 1766. 3 L Pepper Caster; maker R. P.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 1767. JH. 5963. Two small Waiters.— Lord Bateman. 1767. JH. Coffee-pot, handsomely chased; maker W. G.— Brett Col¬ lection. 1768. 0 . Coffee-pot, repousse with flowers and love-knots.— J. D. Gardner, Esq. 1768. 0 . Four Salt Cellars.— Sir J. Esmonde. 1770. 0 . 5965. Gilt Ewer and Cover; maker’s mark S. C.: I. C.— Sir T. W. Holburne, Bart. 1770. Cup engraved with Teniers subjects; maker I. M.— Geo. Moffatt, Esq. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 117 Date. Catalogue No. 177 I. (Q,. 5966. Tankard.— Sir W. Stirling of Keir. 1772. 2 ft. 5967. Pair of Pillar Candlesticks.— Lord Bateman. 1772. 2ft. Fluted Vase and Cover, satyr-head handles, festoons, &c., fluted body, square foot.—S. K. Museum. 1 773 - & Tea-kettle and Stand, chased with foliage, by Paul de Lamerie.— Messrs. Hancock. 1774 - Candlestick. Brett Collection.— W. Meyrick, Esq. 1774 . Two-handled Cup ; maker W. C.— R. Temple Frere, Esq. 1 775 • SE- Four Salt Cellars; maker S. M.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. 1776. 1776. 1776. 1778. 1779. 1780. 1783. 1784. 1785. 1786. 1788. 1792. Cycle XVIII.—May 1776 to May 1796. (George III.) a. Coffee-pot; maker’s mark W. G.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. a. Pair of Candlesticks, in form of figures holding flowers.— Messrs. Hancock. b. Milk Jug; maker S. I.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. c. Set of three Vases, designed by Adams.— Percy Doyle , Esq. d. 5969. Pair of Vases, open-work body with rams’ heads and festoons; maker W. G. R.— J. IV. Brett, Esq. e. Cream Jug, repousse with flowers and scrolls, stalk handle. — J. D. Gardner , Esq. h. Cream Jug; maker H. B.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. i. Small two-handled Cup, stamped at the Hall between the 1st December 1784 and the 24th July 1785 with these four marks—1st. The drawback mark of Britannia incuse;* 2nd. The duty mark of the King’s head incuse; 3rd. The Hall¬ mark of a leopard’s head in relief; 4th. The maker’s initials ; the date letter being omitted.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. k. Pair of Salts, open ribs, festoons and lions’ heads.— -J. D. Gardner, Esq. l . 5971. Pair of Cups, with ivory plaques ; maker I. B.— Her Majesty the Queen. n. 5676. Silver-gilt Salt Cellars ; maker’s mark M. N., R. G.— Lord Bateman. r. 5978. Silver globe Inkstand.— J. W. Brett, Esq. This refers to the drawback. n8 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, Appointed to inquire into the manner of conducting the several Assay Offices in London, York, Exeter, Bristol, Chester, Norwich, and Newcastle-upon- Tyne, ordered to be printed in 1773. The Report commences, that “in order to discover in what manner the several Assay Offices in London, Chester, Exeter, and Newcastle- upon-Tyne (being the only Assay Offices which they find are now kept up in this kingdom) have been conducted, ordered the Assay Masters to attend them, and produce an account of the number of Goldsmiths, Silversmiths, and Plate-Workers, &c.—the names and places of abode of those now living that have entered their marks, also an account of the weight of all the gold and silver plate assayed and marked at each office for seven years last past.” From this it appears that the offices at York, Bristol, and Norwich were not then in operation. As to the Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, Mr. David Hennell, Deputy Warden, stated that there are at the said office two weighers, four drawers, and two assayers ; and described what their duties were. Mr. Fendall Rushworth, Senior Assay Master; Mr. George Fair, Clerk to the Company; and Mr. Richard Collins, Fireman and Drawer, were also examined as to the annual diet tried on the 28th May, the modes of assay, &c. Mr. W. Hancock, a silversmith of Sheffield, said that his w T ork had been injured by scraping; and he went to the Hall, and gave some drink to the Assay Master and scraper, since which time his plate has been less damaged. Mr. Spilsbury said that drawers or scrapers, if inclined, had opportunities of delivering to the assayer better silver than they scrape from the work; that the assayer had an opportunity of wrapping in lead what scrapings he pleased, to put upon the coppels which he delivered to the fireman ; and as the stan¬ dard mark is put upon the silver by the report of the assayer alone, he had opportunities of favouring any silversmith he pleased ; that he had several times treated the workmen with drink ; and thought it of con¬ sequence to be on good terms with the scrapers, as they had the power of showing favour; for when his plate had been objected to, he had known those difficulties removed by giving liquor at the Hall. As to the office at Chester, Mr. John Scasebrick, the Assay Master, described the mode of operating: If pieces came from which he could cut bits, he did so ; if not, he scraped off sufficient for the assay and wrapped it in lead, and when the furnace and cupels were hot enough he refined the assay, but no flux was used, because the lead refined it. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 119 If it came out 11 oz. 2 dwts. fine silver, it was marked with the lion, the leopard’s head, the city arms (being three lions and a wheatsheaf), and the letter for the year, the letter for the present official year (1772—3) being U. Sometimes it is passed at 1 1 oz., but then the owners are written to, to be more cautious for the future. He had no fixed salary—his profit never amounted to ;£io in any one year; the diet was never sent to the Tower to be assayed. When asked how he knew when silver was sufficiently assayed, he answered, “We know by the assay : it first has a cap over it, then that works off in various colours ; and after that it grows quite bright, and then we know all the lead is worked aAvay.” Mr. Matthew Skinner, Assay Master at Exeter, described the mode of work. When asked to describe his method of assaying silver, he said, “ I take a small quantity of silver from each piece (the quantity allowed by Act of Parliament is eight grains from every pound troy weight), which I weigh by the assay pound weight; I wrap it up in a thin sheet of lead, and when the furnace is properly heated, the assays are put in and fired off; they are taken out when cool, and then weighed, and from the waste we ascertain its goodness. That the standard for plate is 11 oz. 2 dwts. of fine silver and 18 dwts. of alloy, but they allow a remedy of 2 dwts. in the pound. That the marks he strikes upon wrought plate are the lion, the leopard’s head, the Exeter mark (which is a castle), and the letter for the year ; that the letter for the present official year (1772—3) is Z, in Roman character; that the letter is appointed annually, at the first Hall meeting after the 7th August, and goes through the whole alphabet; and that A will be the letter for next year.” Mr. Matthew Prior, Assay Master of the Goldsmiths’ Company at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, described his mode of assaying : That of silver by fine lead ; and his flux for gold was aquafortis, fine silver and lead. That he puts four marks upon the plate, viz., the lion, the leopard’s head, the three castles, and the letter for the year; and that the letter for the present official year (1772—3) is D. Mr. David Hennell described a fraud which was sometimes attempted by dishonest workers, called a convoy , to deceive the assayer. He said, “ If scrapings or cuttings are taken from different pieces of the same sorts of plate, the whole mass so cut or scraped may prove standard, but several of these pieces may not be standard ; and that it is common to put good pieces in spoons, &c., to the amount of 10, 12, or 15 dwts. above standard amongst the bad ones, as a kind of convoy for the rest; but if that is suspected, they separate it, and make different assays of all the parts, and if they find one part worse than standard they break the whole.” Another fraud spoken of by several witnesses was inserting iron, 120 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. brass, &c., in the handles of snuffers, tankards, sauce-boats, &c., which had escaped detection at Goldsmiths’ Hall, and had been marked accordingly. An Appendix to this Report contains the names and places of abode of all the goldsmiths, silversmiths, and plate-workers now living, that have entered their marks in the Assay Office in Goldsmiths’ Hall, in the City of London, 8th March 1773. The names and trades of the present wardens and assayers of the Goldsmiths’ Company, and when, at what times, and by whom they were respectively elected. The oath taken by the Assayer at Goldsmiths’ Hall. The Appendix also contains an account of the prosecutions which have been commenced and carried on by the Company of Goldsmiths of the City of London, against any person or persons for frauds or abuses, in gold or silver plate, within seven years last past:— “In 1767 William C., working silversmith, was prosecuted by in¬ dictment upon Stat. 28 Edw. I., and Stat. 6 George I. c. 11, for solder¬ ing bits of standard silver to tea-tongs and shoe-buckles which were worse than standard, and sending the same to the said Company’s Assay Office, in order fraudulently to obtain their marks to the same. “ In 1768 William K. of London, working silversmith, was pro¬ secuted by indictment upon the said statutes for making two salt cellars worse than standard, and selling them for standard. “In 1770 James M. E. and partners were severally prosecuted by actions on Stat. 12 George II. for making gold chains worse than standard; and Roger S. and others were prosecuted for selling gold watch chains worse than standard. “In 1778 John G. and William V., watchmakers, were prosecuted for selling two silver watch-cases without being marked, and which on that account were stopped at the Custom House in London, on their being found in a cask of hardware, in which action they suffered judg¬ ment to go by default.” PLATE MARKED WITH FALSE PUNCHES AND OTHER OFFENCES. A consideration of this subject by the Government is of the highest importance, and the perpetrators of forged Hall-marks should be sought for with diligence and visited with condign punishment. Not only is it an evasion of payment of the duty and a deception towards the public, but it throws suspicion upon plate bearing the genuine stamps, and public confidence is destroyed. At the present day the sale of antique plate with forged Hall-marks is carried on to a great extent, especially in England, where, in conse- HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 121 quence of the publication of our tables of date-marks, its precise age may be ascertained, and the value of old plate having thereby increased enormously, forgers are busy counterfeiting the ancient marks not only in England but on the Continent. In many cases unprincipled dealers are cognisant of the fact, and assist in spreading the falsifications throughout the country. It is incumbent upon the authorities to use their best endeavours to put a stop to such practices, and seize all spurious plate wherever it may be found, and the dealer (who is bound to know from whom he purchases plate) be made amenable and subject to penalties as in France. We subjoin some of the cases of fraud which have been adjudicated upon. In the records of the Goldsmiths’ Company is an entry, dated 4th May 1597 : “ The Attorney-General filed an information against John Moore and Robert Thomas, 1 That whereas it had been heretofore of long time provided by divers laws and statutes for the avoiding deceit and fraud in the making of plate, that every goldsmith should, before the sale of any plate by him made, bring the same to Goldsmiths’ Hall for trial by assay, to be touched or marked and allowed by the wardens of the said Company of Goldsmiths ; the which wardens by their in¬ denture, in their search, find out the aforesaid deceitful workmanship and counterfeit, also of plate and puncheons ; yet the said I. M. and R. T., being lately made free of the Goldsmiths’ Company, did about three months past make divers parcels of counterfeit plate, debased and worse than Her Majesty’s standard twelve pence and more in the ounce, and to give appearance to the said counterfeit plate being good and lawful, did thereto put and counterfeit the marks of Her Majesty's lion , the leopard's head, limited by statute , and the alphabetical mark approved by ordinance amongst themselves, which are the private marks of the Goldsmiths’ Hall, and be and remain in the custody of the said wardens, and puncheons to be worked and imprinted thereon, and the said J. M. did afterwards sell the same for good and sufficient plate, to the defrauding of Her Majesty’s subjects,’ ” &c. They were convicted, and sentenced to stand in the pillory at Westminster, with their ears nailed thereto, and with papers above their heads stating their offence to be “ For making false plate and counterfeiting Her Majesty’s touch.” They were then put in the pillory at Cheapside, had one ear cut off, and were taken through Foster Lane to Fleet Prison, and had to pay a fine of ten marks.* Although this is the first mention of Her Majesty's * This was the usual punishment for similar offences. In Belgium it was slightly varied : the goldsmith convicted of having fabricated base gold or silver was led to the market-place, and there had his ear nailed to a pillar, where he remained thus fixed, until he released himse by leaving a piece of his ear behind him. 122 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. lion, or lion passant, and the alphabetical mark, yet they were both used long before this date. The lion passant is first found on plate of the year 1545, and the alphabetical mark was doubtless used since the first Charter was granted to the Goldsmiths’ Company in 1327, and is alluded to in an ordinance of 1336 as the “ assayer’s mark." A case under the Statute of 7 & 8 Victoria, c. 22 (1844), was tried before Lord Denman at the Taunton Assizes in 1849. Two silversmiths were indicted for having in their possession a silver spoon having thereon a mark of a die used by the Goldsmiths’ Company, which had been transposed from a silver skewer; and also a similar charge in respect to a silver soup ladle. The prosecution w r as instituted by the Goldsmiths’ Company of London. The spoon and ladle were of modern make, but bore the mark of the year 1774. An officer of the Gold¬ smiths’ Company proved that on clearing off the gilding and using a blow-pipe, he found that the spoon and ladle were not made in one piece, which would be the ordinary mode of manufacture, but that the parts bearing the marks were “ inserted ” or “ brought on.” A working silversmith proved that by direction of the prisoners he had made and sent to them two silver bowls for spoons ; that they w r ere afterwards returned to him w r ith handles attached to be gilt, and when he burnished them he perceived the old Hall-marks ; that the bowls and stems or handles were generally made together. The defence was that the facts proved did not amount to a transposition, but were an addition, and as such were not a felony, but came under the 5th section of the Act, which imposed a pecuniary penalty for the offence. It was suggested that the spoon and ladle were made by using old silver skewers, with the old Hall-mark, for the stems, and adding to them bowls and figures at the top called “ apostles,” in order to give them the appearance of old plate, and that this was an addition. It was admitted by the prisoners’ counsel to be a fraud in contravention of the Act, but not a felony under the 2nd section. The jury found that it was not a transposition but an addition, and the prisoners were discharged. The judge remarked, however, “ It appears to me very much to be questioned, at least, whether the description of transposition in the one section is not precisely the same as the description of addition in the other section.” 1876. D. L. G., a dealer carrying on business in London, was convicted at the Central Criminal Court in August 1876 of feloniousty altering and transferring a certain mark of a die used by the Goldsmiths’ Company under the following circumstances. A customer found dis¬ played in the prisoner’s shop a coffee-pot, Hall-marked and bearing the letter in of the year 1747, there being appended to it a label with the words “ 120 years old.” This he purchased for ^"io. He also pur¬ chased a small silver ewer bearing the Goldsmiths’ letter for 1744. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. .123 It being discovered that these articles were of recent manufacture, the Goldsmiths’ Company issued a writ against the prisoner to recover penalties under s. 3 of the Act 7 & 8 Victoria (1844) ; in regard to which, under another section, a dealer could, however, be protected, if within twenty-one days he gave up the name of the person from whom he bought the article. He at first stated that he had bought it in the way of trade, and did not know from whom, but he afterwards gave the name of a working electro-plater, who was thereupon arrested, and, on the prisoner’s evidence, being committed for trial, pleaded guilty. Judgment was postponed, and his evidence taken against the principal offender, from which it appeared that he had transferred to the coffee-pot and ewer certain old marks from pieces of silver brought to him by the prisoner for that purpose, the prisoner agreeing to purchase those articles if the witness would put the old marks upon them. The offenders were there¬ upon sentenced, the dealer to six months’ and the electro-plater to two months’ imprisonment, in both cases with hard labour. A few hints may be acceptable to the collector in his investigation of antique plate. By the electrotype process, an ancient vase, cup, or any piece of plate may be moulded with the greatest exactness, showing the minutest chasing and engraving and even the hammer marks of the original, as well as the Hall-mark itself. These reproductions are difficult of detection to the uninitiated, but an expert will at a glance discover the spurious copy, although the means by which he arrives at such a conclusion are not so easily explained. An experienced numismatist will, by the feel as well as the sight, distinguish between a true and a false coin ; so a perceptible difference will be observed between a genuine piece of old chased silver and its modern prototype. There is about the latter a greasy, unsatisfactory appearance, which a practised hand and eye will at once detect. Of course in these electrotype copies the reverse would show the crystals formed in the process ; but these are inside the cup or vase, and if in sight are tooled over to prevent detection. Sometimes English Hall-marks are cut from a spoon or small article and transferred to a large and more important piece of plate, such as a cup or vase, perhaps of old German manufacture. This might be detected by an assay, to ascertain if the quality correspond with the Eng¬ lish standard, foreign plate being usually inferior, which could be done with little trouble and at a trifling cost at an Assay Office, by scraping a few grains from the piece. On close examination with a magnifier, the transposed fragment containing the Hall-mark may be traced by the line round the edge, which is generally inserted with solder ; or if highly polished, the junction may be observed by applying the fumes of sulphur, or by the blow-pipe. 124 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. In examining pieces with supposed counterfeit or forged Hall-marks several indicia must be specially considered. We must first try and divine the motive of falsification ; whether it be to pass off inferior or base metal as standard, or whether the object be to deceive by making the piece appear of a more ancient date than it really is, by placing the counterfeit of the old die upon good silver and taking advantage of the increased value between antique and modern plate. In the first case we easily arrive at a safe conclusion by an assay ; in the second we must to a great extent be guided by the style and fashion of the vessel, and judge whether they correspond with the date assigned to it by the stamps, which, if copied accurately from the English Hall-marks, can be easily ascertained. Again, the methods of manufacturing plate, ancient and modern, are essentially different, as indicated by the presence of hammer-marks, &c. The style of ornamentation in repousse, engraving, and chasing differs materially ; the colour and tint of old gilding is also difficult to imitate. Moreover, we must not be misled or taken off our guard by abrasions, marks of wear and tear, or rough usage, as these are easily counterfeited. Another method of detecting spurious plate is by a close observa¬ tion of the position of the Hall-marks on the piece of plate under examina¬ tion. The stamping of plate at the Assay Offices is not done at random, but is subject to official orders and regulations, and rules are issued instructing the stamping clerk on which particular part of each piece the punch is to be applied. This established practice dates from an early period, and was so constant that any deviation will, to a connoisseur, raise in his mind doubts of the genuineness of the piece under inspec¬ tion. From habit, any person accustomed to examine ancient Hall¬ marks knows exactly the position in which they ought to be placed, and an inexperienced person will do well to compare a doubtful piece with an undoubted specimen, and form his judgment accordingly. Spoons are sometimes found metamorphosed into “ Postles ” by the addition of a modern statuette of a saint cut from a German spoon. In Holland and in Germany spoons are still made in the style of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and recently large quantities have come into the English market ; but by the Hall-marks they are easily recognised, and if not equal to English standard are now prohibited for sale unless previously stamped at Goldsmiths’ Hall. In genuine apostle spoons, the statuette is frequently affixed to the end of the stem by means of solder, but in a particular manner; e.g., the end of the stem is filed downwards to a point like the letter V, and the pedestal of the figure is wedge-shaped to fit closely into the opening and fastened with solder. Modern additions are cut straight off and soldered on, usually in a very clumsy and unsatisfactory manner. We may here remark, that the old-fashioned French pattern spoons HALL MARKS ON PLATE. !25 which have been superseded by the modern fiddle-head, instead of being consigned to the crucible, are purchased by silversmiths at the melting price , the bowls being chased with fruit and gilt, and form very elegant spoons for dessert; but of course the chasing is modern, and not of the date indicated by the Hall-mark. The large old-fashioned plain tea-kettles, teapots, and milk-jugs of the last 150 years are in like manner elabo¬ rately chased or engraved by modern artists. Deception is practised in many other ways. For instance, an antique silver bas-relief with its Hall-mark is soldered into the centre of a salver, the border being modern and very heavy, the former weighing perhaps no more than 5 or 6 ounces, and worth 40s. to 50s. per oz., the latter 20 or 30 ounces, made at a cost of about 8s. per oz. The new Hall-mark is erased, leaving only the old one visible, and the purchaser is deceived, thinking the whole salver is antique. In old times the Beef-eaters (as they are termed) of the Tower, when in their pride of office, with the old Stuart costume, wore on their left arms a large silver badge or cognisance, having the arms of the ordnance (three mounted cannons) in a handsome scroll border, measuring about 10 inches by 8, of oval form. From motives of economy the late ad¬ ministration ordered these emblems to be sold for their intrinsic value. The purchaser having about twenty of these silver medallions conceived the idea, in preference to melting them down into ingots, of converting them into articles of general use ; so by adding silver branches with nozzles for candles on the lower parts of the badges, transmogrified them into very handsome sconces to hang upon the walls ; the old Hall¬ marks upon the medallions proving incontestably to an unwary purchaser the antiquity of these cleverly adapted articles. The duty mark of the sovereign’s head, denoting payment of the impost, was first used in 1784. This additional stamp at once pro¬ claims the comparatively recent date of a piece of plate. To remedy this, the intrusive stamp is frequently erased, leaving only four marks, as previously used, instead of five , which, if it does not convince every collector, at any rate puzzles him, and in many instances the deception is successful. Even the experienced collector may occasionally be deceived, and it requires somewhat more than a hasty glance to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion on the merits or demerits of a piece of plate ; e.g., an isolated spoon, with cleverly imitated Hall-marks, might pass muster, but when a whole set is produced suspicion is naturally aroused, and a more scrutinising investigation with the magnifying-glass becomes necessary. We shall perchance discover that the three or four Hall-marks exactly correspond on each spoon, and all are precisely in the same relative 126 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. position or distance from each other, the same angle of inclination of each punch, in fact the exact counterpart in the minutest particular. Now a little reasoning on this coincidence will prove that such a close resemblance of one set of stamps to another amounts to an impossibility on genuine spoons, when we consider the method of stamping at the Hall, the marks being punched with several punches at different times, the maker placing his registered stamp upon the article before he sends it to be assayed, and after the assay is completed the Hall-marks are placed by its side. Transformations are common, and old-fashioned articles of plate are frequently beaten out, added to, or ornamented in such a manner as to render them serviceable and attractive, still retaining the ancient Hall¬ mark, although it appears in a wrong position on the piece. Old sauce¬ pans of Queen Anne’s time having become unsaleable, are converted into tankards and mugs ; dishes originally plain are turned into chased waiters or baskets ; old decanter stands (now out of date) are, by trifling additions, turned into soy frames, &c. These transformations have been dealt with to a certain extent by 7 and 8 Victoria, cap. 22, sec. 5. Manufacturers are allowed by this Act to add to any piece of silver a quantity not exceeding one-third of the whole, which additional piece may be sent to the Goldsmiths’ Hall and stamped, but these additions must be made in such a manner as not to alter the original use for which it was intended ; thus, a piece may have a foot, handle, spout, or stand affixed ; an old tankard may have a lip attached for pouring out liquids, but it must not have a spout added so as to serve as a coffee-pot. In fact, no piece whatever may be diverted from its original use by any addition or alteration. Pieces of Hall-marked plate which have been added to beyond the limit of one- third proportion to the weight of the article are subject to a duty upon the whole, and must be stamped accordingly. The old Hall-marks, in this case, are not obliterated, but a new series of Hall-marks are placed under the original marks ; hence the occurrence of these two sets of Hall¬ marks reveals the alterations and additions made by the manufacturer. The Hall-marks were formerly placed on plate by rule and not by chance, according to the form of the piece. Before the year 1700 the marks were placed upon cups and bowls outside, on the margin, near the mouth. On tankards they will be found on the margin to the right of the handle, and if a flat lid, straight across in a line with the purchase-knob or sometimes upon the flange ; dishes and salvers, upon the faces. At and after Queen Anne’s period these rules were altered, and instead of being so conspicuously situated, the marks were placed on the backs, and upon cups and bowls were stamped underneath or inside the hollow HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 137 stem of the foot, and inside the lids of tankards. Any variation from these rules will naturally give rise to suspicion, and a careful examina¬ tion will be necessary to ascertain whether the piece of plate has been altered from its original shape as before alluded to. In early spoons the leopard’s head, crowned, was placed inside the bowl close to the stem, the maker’s mark, date letter, and lion on the back of the stem ; but on rat-tail spoons of the latter half of the seven¬ teenth century all the four marks were placed on the back of the stems. The books of the Goldsmiths’ Company of London having perished in the great fire of 1666, the orders for the application of the stamps in their relative positions on articles of plate are unknown, but there was evidently a regular system adopted, as in France. The application of the punches in that country was entrusted to the comptrollers of the bureaux, and in this operation to ensure uniformity a catalogue was pub¬ lished previous to the prohibition of massive plate in 1679, and again, in 1819, giving instructions for placing the stamps in the exact positions indicated on each piece of plate. A new catalogue was issued in 1838. A case of considerable importance came recently under the imme¬ diate notice of the author. In the years 1872 and 1873 a silversmith sold to a collector a large service of Queen Anne plate, consisting of spoons, forks, knives, &c., of all sizes, suitable for dinner and dessert, numbering upwards of 600 pieces. Half the articles had on the ends of each of the stems a bust of Queen Anne, the other half a bust of her husband, Prince George of Denmark. The very magnitude of this service naturally caused a suspicion of its genuineness, and on close inspection it was discovered that all the stamps were forgeries. The service consisted of the following :— 326 Table, dessert, and tea spoons. 17 Gravy spoons, fish slices, ladles, and butter knives. 180 Silver-handled knives and forks. 120 Gilt dessert knives, forks, and spoons. 643 It may be desirable to give a more minute description of these particular articles as a caution to future collectors, especially as many most imposing pieces of plate of the time of William and Mary and Anne have come under our notice bearing, in some cases, identical marks, and being evidently from the same source; and although of different periods, bearing makers’ initials which were never entered at Goldsmiths’ Hall, or if imitated, were not in existence at the date falsely indicated. Those pieces with the bust of Queen Anne bear four Hall-marks 128 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. all cast in the same mould as the stem itself. These were: (i) Britannia; (2) lion’s head erased; (3) date letter H, of the year 1703; and (4) the maker’s initials, PE, crowned. The pieces with the bust of Prince George of Denmark have three marks cast, but on several the fourth, indicating the date, is struck with a false punch of the Court hand, R, of 1712—13. The maker’s initials are D?Xin italics, no such letters being entered in the book at Goldsmiths’ Hall of that date. Other pieces of an equally suspicious character bear the same struck letter A, of 1712, the other three being cast, and the maker’s initials, H. B., not found at the Hall of that date. We may also add that on an assay being made, the quality of the silver was far below the Britannia or New Standard. The fraud having been brought to the notice of the House of Commons, appli¬ cation was made to Goldsmiths’ Hall for information, who made the following return through their clerk, Mr. Walter Prideaux, on the 22nd June 1880 :— “In the years 1872 and 1873 a silversmith in London, in an exten¬ sive way of business, sold a large quantity of silver plate to a customer. Last autumn a gentleman who is well acquainted with plate-marks saw this plate, and informed the owner that it was spurious. “ Hereupon the Goldsmiths’ Company were communicated with. Their officers were sent to examine the plate, and over 600 pieces were found to bear counterfeit marks. “ Application was then made to the seller, and he was informed that the Goldsmiths’ Company would sue for the penalties, unless he could relieve himself under the statute by making known the person, and the place of abode of the person, from whom he received it. After having seen the invoices he admitted the sale, and, after some time, during which he had the plate examined by several persons in the trade, gave the name and residence of a person who, he said, supplied him with all the articles in question. This person is a working silver¬ smith in a small way of business. “ The Goldsmiths’ Company thereupon applied to the last-mentioned person, who examined some of the plate in a cursory way, and, after some time, replied through his solicitor that he was not prepared to admit that he sold the plate, or that he had ever had the plate in his possession ; but that if the wares in question had been sold by him, they must be some of certain wares which in 1872 he either bought or received in exchange from a person whose name he mentioned, who is dead. “The solicitor of the first person applied to was then asked by letter whether he was prepared by production of his books, or in some other manner, to substantiate his statement. “Whereupon he produced invoices which covered about 600 pieces HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 129 of plate, answering the descriptions of the plate which is the subject of inquiry, and cheques to order for payments made for it, all of which cheques appear to have passed through a bank, and are duly endorsed. " The circumstances bore a very suspicious appearance, but the Goldsmiths’ Company were advised that the evidence was such as would be deemed sufficient in a court of law, and that they would not be doing right to continue the proceedings against the person who apparently had cleared himself under the provisions of the Act of Parliament. " They thereupon commenced proceedings against the person from whom he asserts that he bought the plate in question, and these pro¬ ceedings are now pending. "The defendant has raised a point of law under the Statute of Limitations, which is set down for argument on demurrer. "The articles in question purport to be of the time of Queen Anne, before the duty was imposed, and therefore do not bear the duty mark.” [The demurrer herein referred to was, in the first instance, decided in favour of the defendant, but upon appeal the decision was reversed and the action proceeded with.] COURT OF APPEAL, WESTMINSTER, April 2, 1881. (Before Lords Justice Bramwell, Baggallay, and Lush.) Robinson v. Curry. " This action was brought by the plaintiff, the deputy-warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company, to recover penalties amounting in the aggre¬ gate to ^6430, from the defendant, a silversmith, of Great Sutton Street, Clerkenwell, for having sold 643 articles of silver bearing a spurious mark, the penalty for each offence being ;£io. The defen¬ dant pleaded—firstly, that he had bought the articles from a well- known dealer in Islington, and had resold them in ignorance that the marks were forged ; and secondly, that the plaintiffs could not main¬ tain the action, as it had not been brought within the period specified by law—6, 8, and 9 Vic. c. 22, to amend the laws then in force on the marking of gold and silver wares in England. On this latter point the Court below, on an argument of demurrer, gave judgment for the defendant, and from this decision the Company now appealed. " Mr. A. Wills, Q.C., and Mr. Webster were counsel for the Gold¬ smiths’ Company ; Sir John Holker, Q.C., Mr. Crump, and Mr. Jones represented the defendant (the now respondent). " The Court were unanimously of opinion that the statutes did 1 13° HALL MARKS ON PLATE. not apply in this case, as the plaintiffs were neither ‘ common informers ’ nor ‘ aggrieved persons/ who could only bring actions respectively within one and two years. The Company were not restricted as to the periods in which they could bring actions for penalties against persons infringing the law. The judgment of the Court below would therefore be reversed, with the costs of the demurrer and also of this appeal.”— Daily Telegraph. The following paragraph in the City Press of the 23rd December 1881 announces the termination of the action by a verdict for the plaintiff and full amount of penalties, amounting to ^6430 :— “ The proceedings by the Goldsmiths’ Company for the recovery of 643 penalties of £10 each in respect of the sale by a well-known dealer in Oxford Street of a large quantity of spurious Queen Anne plate have been terminated by the defendant abandoning his defence. Judgment has been signed by the Goldsmiths’ Company for the whole of the penalties in question. We understand, however, that the amount of the penalties may probably be reduced by the Company.” The Criminal Law Consolidation Act of 7 & 8 Victoria, which we have quoted (page 32), u for preventing frauds and abuses in the mark¬ ing of gold and silver wares, or possessing such Avithout lawful excuse,” imposes a penalty of ,£10 for each article. This comparatively trifling penalty (which formerly was death, or at least transportation for a lengthened term), Avhen a number of forged articles are detected, in¬ creases proportionately, as Ave have seen, to a large amount; but with larger and more massive pieces of plate, each of which Avould weigh fifty to a hundred ounces, requiring only one Hall-mark, if that be forged, the penalty of ^"io is cheerfully paid, and the forger, for this trivial compounding of felony, gets off scot free. Hence whether a piece weighs half an ounce at the cost of a few shillings, or a hundred ounces at the cost of as many pounds, the penalty is the same. At the present moment we know of several most imposing silver vases of the time of Queen Anne bearing forged Hall-marks, for Avhich great prices have been paid. If a limit were put to the weight, corresponding to the penalty, the law might prove effective. As it is now, a premium is held out for placing the forged marks on large and important pieces of plate. Before the introduction of milling the edges of coins, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the dishonest were accustomed to clip small pieces carefully from the edges, Avhich being struck, were not always in a true circle Avhen they were issued from the Mint. Although the Aveight was diminished, the fraud was not easily detected. This system of pecula¬ tion was, it was thought, put a stop to by the milled edges being placed HALL MARKS ON PLATE. I 3 I upon the coins in the reign of Elizabeth. But although baffled by this invention, the ingenious thieves discovered another system of fraud, professionally called “ sweating.” They placed a large number of sove¬ reigns loose in a coarse linen bag ; this being violently shaken, rubbed off portions of gold which adhered to the sides of the bag, which was then burnt in an iron vessel, and the particles collected together. The coins after this operation had the appearance of being worn by circulation, until about thirty years ago the whole coinage was called in to the Mint and allowed for by weight instead of being taken as currency. The public, upon whom the loss fell to a great extent, became more careful, and rejected the gold unless of full weight, and sovereign scales came into general use. This habit of weighing sovereigns was in time discontinued, and people judged from the appearance of the coin only. A more whole¬ sale system of disintegration was then conceived, viz., filing off the edges of the gold coin and afterwards milling them afresh, the size and weight being thus considerably reduced, but the fresh appearance of the surface preserved. At the Liverpool Sessions in 1879 a man was sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment for “ sweating ” sovereigns and reducing them in size by one twenty-fourth. The Recorder said, hundreds of sovereigns, which had a new milling substituted for the genuine one, had in a short time found their way into the bank. The case had been waiting the judgment of a Court of Criminal Appeal, which, by a majority of the judges, was against the prisoner. Provincial £Dfftce& The seven towns appointed by the Act 2 Henry VI. (1423) were York, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Norwich, Lincoln, Bristol, Coventry, and Salisbury, where mints had already been established, and most of them had guilds or fraternities previously existing. The town marks of the three first have been identified, but as nothing is known of the u touches ” or town marks of any of the remaining four, they probably did not avail themselves of the privilege of assaying and marking plate, or if they did, no traces have been discovered of their doings or the marks they adopted. By the Act 12 and 13 William III. (1700), York, Bristol, and Norwich, and in 1701—2 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, were reappointed, with the addition of Exeter and Chester, in which two last-named towns mints had lately been appointed for recoining the silver monies of the kingdom—Coventry, Salisbury, and Lincoln having then evidently ceased *32 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. working. Bristol and Norwich, if they ever did exercise the privilege, must have ceased shortly after, as we have no evidence of their having assayed plate since 1700. BRISTOL. Bristol may, perhaps, have had an office, for there were several silversmiths in that city who afterwards sent their goods to Exeter to be assayed. There is a cup on a stem, ornamented with punched diamond pattern, which from the inscription appears to have been made in this town, although it bears no Hall-mark. It is late sixteenth century work :— r “ From Mendep I was brought, In the possession of | Out of a leden mine ; Sir A. H. Elton , Bart. 1 In Bristol I was wrought, l And now am silver fine.” There are some interesting pieces of plate preserved by the Corpora¬ tion of Bristol, especially a pair of gilt tankards richly decorated, the gift of John Dodridge, Recorder of Bristol, 1658, and a gilt ewer and salver, the gift of Robert Kitchen. These were both assayed and marked in London. The salver made in 1595 was stolen during the Bristol riots in October 1831, and was cut up into 167 pieces, in which state it was offered for sale to a silversmith of the town who apprehended the thief, and he was sentenced to fourteen years’ transportation. The pieces were riveted together on a silver plate by the same silversmith, in which state it now remains, its history being recorded on the back. A State sword, bearing date 1483, ornamented and enamelled, is also pre¬ served ; on one of the mounts are the arms of Bristol, viz., a three- masted ship approaching a castle on a rock, with two unicorns as supporters, and on a torse two arms, one holding a serpent, the other the scales of justice, being the crest of the city arms. NORWICH. In Norwich, plate was assayed and marked at an early period, and some specimens are existing among the Corporation plate of the date 1567. An annual letter seems to have been used, for we find on a gilt cylindrical salt and cover, elaborately chased with strap-work and elegant borders, this inscription :—“ The Gyfte of Peter Reade, Esquiar, to the Corporation.” The plate-marks are—1. The Arms of Norwich, viz., a castle surmounted with a tower, in base a lion passant gardant; 2. A Roman capital D ; and 3. Cross-mound (or orb and cross) within a HALL MARKS ON PLATE. r 33 lozenge. It was therefore made and stamped at Norwich before 1568, for Peter Reade died in that year. Among the records of the Corporation of Norwich we see that in 1624 the mark of a castle and lion was delivered by the Mayor and Corporation to the Wardens and Searcher of the trade of goldsmiths ; and in July 1, 1702, Mr. Robert Harstonge was sworn assayer of gold and silver to the Company, although we have never met with any plate with marks of Norwich after that date. A cocoa-nut cup, mounted in silver, bears the city arms of castle and lion and a rose crowned, with the date mark, a Roman capital S.— Messrs. Hunt & Roskell. The stamp of a rose is frequently found on plate of the sixteenth century, and is thought to denote the Norwich Assay Office, being, as in the piece just alluded to, found by the side of the city arms. A silver-mounted cocoa-nut cup in the South Kensington Museum bears the impress of a rose crowned, a date letter R, and the maker’s mark, a star. It has the date of presentation, 1576, engraved upon it. Among the Corporation plate is a gilt tazza cup on a short baluster stem. Engraved round the edge in cusped letters is the following inscription: —“The most hereof is dune by Peter Peterson.” He was an eminent goldsmith at Norwich in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. In the bottom of the bowl are engraved, within a circle, the arms of the city of Norwich, viz., gu. a castle surmounted with a tower ar., in base a lion passant gardant or. Two plate-marks have existed on the edge of the bowl. One of these seems to bear the arms of the city in an escutcheon, which was used to distinguish the plate made and assayed at Norwich, and the other a cross-mound. English work, the latter half of the sixteenth century. There are two other cups of similar character belonging to the Corporation, on one of which are the following assay marks, the lion, leopard’s face, a covered cup, and letter. All three were probably the gift of John Blenerhasset, whose arms are engraved within one of them. He was steward of the city in 1563, and one of the burgesses in Parliament, 13 Eliz.— Proceedings Arch. Inst. 1847. A silver mace-head of the Company of St. George, in form of a capital of a column, enriched with acanthus leaves, and surmounted by a statuette of St. George and the Dragon. Round the collar has been engraved, but now partly obliterated by the insertion of four sockets, the following inscription :— “Ex Dono Honorabil: Fraternitatis Georgii in Norwico An 0 Do m 1705-” On the top is engraved the shield of St. George and the following :— U DIE III. MAII, MDCCLXXXVI. BENE ET FELICITER MVNICIPIO NORVICENSI OMNIA VT EVENIANT PRECATVR ROBERTVS PARTRIDGE PRAETER.” *34 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. The plate-mark, a court-hand b in an escutcheon on the mace-head, is of the year 1697. The initial H occurs on one of the marks, the remainder of which is illegible. Height, I2f in.-— Ibid. The Walpole mace, presented in 1733, was assayed and stamped in London. A finely ornamented repousse ewer and salver, with Neptune and Amphitrite, "The gift of the Hon. Henry Howard, June 16, 1663,” was stamped in London in 1597 - A tall gilt tankard, repousse with strap- work, flowers, and fruit, and engraved with the arms of Norwich, was stamped in London in 1618. EXAMPLES. A chalice, dated 1567, stamped with the letter C. and a cross-mound within a lozenge .—North Creake Church , Norfolk. A cocoa-nut cup, stamped with a rose, and the letter S., date about 1580. — Messrs. Hunt &> Roskell. A piece of plate, date about 1567.— Messrs. Hancock. Communion cup of the same date.— Messrs. Hancock. Mount of a cocoa-nut cup, with date of pre¬ sentation 1576 .—South Kensington Museum. Button top spoon, pounced date 1717, date of make about 1693.— Messrs. Hancock. probably the standard mark ; the castle and lion that of the town ; the cross-mound and star being those of the makers. YORK. York was one of the most ancient places of assay, but it has several times discontinued its operations. It will be seen that in 1772, when a return was made to Parliament, the Assay Office was not in existence; but after that it appears to have recommenced. In 1848 we find it mentioned as an assay town, but doing very little business.* The Corporation of the City of York possesses some interesting pieces of plate. A State sword with velvet scabbard, mounted in silver, the arms of the city, emblazoned, the arms of Bowes, &c., of the time of * The last duty paid at the Inland Revenue Office was in July 1869. The officer who formerly acted as assayer for the city of York died many years ago, and no successor has been appointed. The rose crowned is HALL MARKS ON PLATE. x 35 Henry VIII. On the blade is this inscription :—“Syr Martyn Bowes Knyght, borne within this Citie of York and Maior of the Citie of London 1545. For a remembrance” (continued on the other side) “ Gave this S .... to the Maior and Communaltie of this said HONORABLE ClTIE.” Two tankards, the gift of Thomas Bawtrey in 1673, engraved with the arms of York, &c., were made at York, and stamped with the York mark and the italic capital P. The gold cup and other pieces were made elsewhere. A silver chalice and paten in the Church of Chapel-Allerton, Leeds, has three marks : a half fleur-de-lis and half rose, crowned; an italic b , similar to the London date letter of 1619 ; and maker’s initials R.H. On the rim is the date of presentation, 1633. A stoneware jug has in relief the royal arms of England and the date 1576. It is mounted in silver, and bears three stamps : that of the maker, a half rose and half fleur-de-lis conjoined, and the date letter R. In Mr. Addington’s collection. A spoon of the end of the sixteenth century, in the Rev. T. Stani- forth’s possession, has also the half rose and half fleur-de-lis, and the date letter ft. The stamp used at York previous to 1700 was probably that of the half rose and half fleur-de-lis conjoined, which is frequently met with on plate of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The junction of the lis and rose is probably in allusion to the union of the rival houses of York and Lancaster by the marriage of Henry the Seventh to the Princess Margaret, daughter of Edward IV., in i486; the lis being a favourite badge of the Lancastrians, as the rose was that of York. As a mint mark we find occasionally the fleur-de-lis on the coins of the Lancastrian kings, in allusion to their French conquests ; but upon some of the coins of Henry VII. we find as mint mark the lis and rose conjoined—sometimes half rose and half lis as on the York punch on plate, on others a lis stamped upon a rose, and sometimes a lis issuing from a rose ( vide Hawkins, figs. 362, 364, 368). The York mark here given, being found on plate of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, is frequently much worn and partially obli¬ terated. The half fleur-de-lis is easily distinguished, but the corre¬ sponding half is not so easily discerned. In some instances it looks like a dimidiated leopard’s head crowned ; in others like the half of a seeded rose, with portion of the crown over it, for which it is probably intended. There is a great similarity, however, in all the punches we have examined, as if struck from one die, which, having been a long time in use, may have got damaged. It may be remarked as a curious coincidence, that two diminutive letters can be traced—YO, the two first of the word York. t 3 6 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. In our previous editions we suggested that this punch originated at York, but dur data are not yet sufficient to form a satisfactory table. In alluding to the plate preserved at York, we must not omit to notice the ancient bowl called u The Scrope Mazer,” from the Arch¬ bishop whose name is engraved upon it. This bowl is preserved at the Minster, in charge of the Dean and Chapter. The Mazer was a sort of wassail bowl, the word being derived from the German “ Maeser,” maple, called in French “ Madre.” It was usually made of the root of the maple or other hard wood, but the term was also applied to bowls of richer materials. Baret (1580) describes it, “A Mazer, or broad piece to drink in.” Cooper (edit. 1559), “ Tnilla , a great cupp, brode and deepe, such as great Mazers were wont to bee.” Spenser (Shep. Kal. Aug. v. 26) thus alludes to it :— “ A Mazer ywrought of the maple ware Wherein is enchased many a fayre sight Of bears and tygers that maken tiers warre, And over them spred a goodly wilde vine, Entrailed with a wanton ivy twine.” Drake, in his History of York, thus describes it: “ In the Shoe¬ makers’ Company, at York, is kept a bowd called a Mazer bowl, edged about with silver, double gilt, with three silver feet, and cherubs’ head to it. Round the rim on one side is this inscription (in old English characters):—‘ Eecljarb arrijebcscijopc scrope grants on to all tljo tljat brtnlus of tjjts rope f V { bams to parboil ’ * on the other side is, * Eobart (Kubson besefjope ntesrn grants in same forme aforesatbe ^iL tl bants to parboil Eobart Sttensall/ i take these two last to be suffragan bishops of the See. Every feast day, after dinner, the Company have this bowl filled with spiced ale, and according to ancient custom the bowl is drank round amongst them. It has since had an additional lining of silver, and the Company’s arms put upon it in 1669.” Arch¬ bishop Scrope died in 1405. On the dissolution of the Cordwainers’ Company, in 1808, it passed into the possession of the Dean and Chapter, and is now kept in the vestry room at York Minster. The silver mounts have been frequently repaired at subsequent dates, and some local Hall-marks have been detected on close inspection. Many of these mazers are preserved : at Harbledown, near Canter¬ bury ; the Ironmongers’ Company; Oriel College, Oxford; All Souls’ College, Oxford ; The Armourers, &c. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. i37 EXAMPLES. York, 1626. Apostle spoon of the seventeenth century. The stamp is a half lis and half rose crowned.— Rev. T. Staniforth. York. A piece of plate, seventeenth century.— Messrs. Hancock. York. Ditto. York. On a spoon with flat stem, leaf-shaped end and oval bowl, date about 1680 to 1690 .—Earl of Breadalbane. (This has also the stamp of a half lis and rose, here omitted by mistake.) York. On an oval engraved teapot. This mark proves that J was used as a date letter previous to 1784, having no duty mark. It may be¬ long to the year 1736, for J of 1710 would have the Britannia mark of the new standard.— Messrs. Hancock. CHESTER. « It appears by the record of Domesday, that in the reign of Edward the Confessor there were seven Mint Masters in Chester. In the reign of Charles I. much of the silver was coined here, and in that of William III. it was one of the six cities in which mints were established for recoining the silver of the kingdom. The Mint-mark of Chester on the half-crowns of Charles I. struck in 1645 is three gerbes or wheat-sheaves. We have no record of the time when Chester first commenced assaying plate; it is not mentioned in the statute of the 2nd Henry IV. (a.d. 1423), but an office must have been established early in the sixteenth century. An old minute-book contains an entry sometime prior to 1573, directing u that noe brother shall delevre noe plate by him wrought unles his touche be marked and set upon the same before deliverie thereof, upon paine of forfeiture of everie diffalt to be levied out of his goods iij s iiij d .” We also quote the following, which may interest some of our readers :— “ Md. the viij day of March in Anno 1603° Yt is concluded and agreyed by the whole Compeney of the Gouldsmyths y* this Order shall 138 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. be houlden and kept amongst us all, that the brood Arrowes agaynst Shrowftid * shall way everie one vj d stalling and everie on of the Compeney shall not sell vnder ix d and for everie on that selles vnder ix d shall fiforfyt xij d . And yt is ffourther agreyed that the Steward for y l time shall come and sey them wayd and touchte. And to have ffor his paynes ij d a duzen, and for the performance of thise order we have subscribed our names. At that time beinge Alderman and Steward of y e said Compeney of the Gouldsmyths. “ It is agreed by the consent of the Alderman and Steward of the Gouldsmiths that who soe ever shall make the bell that shalbe made against Shrovetide ffor the Sadlers shall have for his paines iij s iiij d , and yf any of the Compeney shall offend in the premisses, he shall pay unto the Alderman and Steward and the reste of the Compeney being, iij s iiij d . “And y l all the oulde bells shalbe broke and not any of the Com¬ peney to by any to be new burnished or sould to the peneltie aforesaid iij s hij d .” The arms of Chester, granted in 1580, were, party per pale, com¬ posed of the dexter half of the coat of England, gules, three lions passant gardant dimidiated, or, and the sinister half of the coat of Blundeville, Earl of Chester, azure, three gerbes also dimidiated or. The crest is, on a wreath or gules and azure, over a royal helmet, a sword of State erect, with the point upwards. Supporters : on the dexter side, a lion rampant or, ducally gorged argent; on the sinister side, a wolf argent, ducally gorged or. The grant mentions the antiquity of the city, &c., and that the ancient arms were nearly lost by time and negligence, and that the coat which the citizens claimed was deficient in crest and supporters. The Hall-marks on plate were as shown in the examples annexed, viz.—The arms of the city, a dagger erect between three wheat- sheaves down to 1697. I n 1701, the coat adopted was three demi-lions * This allusion to the “broad arrows against Shrovetide” refers to an ancient custom at Chester of holding shooting and running matches for prizes of silver broad arrows every Shrove Tuesday. These arrows (in sheaves of six in each quiver) were given by the Shoemakers’ Com¬ pany, and by all newly married couples, as homages to the Drapers’ Company. The homage of the Saddlers’ Company was a silver bell, to be given to the owner of the swiftest horse in a race on the same day. In the Collection of the Corporation of Carlisle are a pair of silver racing bells. One bears the date 1599 ; the other has a band inscribed with this rude distich :— “ THE SWEFTES HORSE THIS BELL TO TAK FOR MY LADE DAKER SAKE.” Bells were frequently given as racing prizes; hence the phrase “to bear away the bell.” Camden, under the head of Yorkshire, mentions “a solemne horse running, in which the horse that outrunneth the rest hath for his prize a little golden bell.” That was in the days of James I. The well-known nursery rhyme also alludes to the custom, when children are being started for a race :— “ Bell horses, Bell horses, what time o’ day, One o’clock, two o’clock, three and away.” At the word “away” they commence the start. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 139 with three wheat-sheaves also dimidiated, which was again changed about 1 775 to the more simple coat above described, without the demi-lions, &c., still in use. The following extracts from the books of the Chester Goldsmiths’ Company are all we can find relating to the Hall-marks, commencing in the year following the date of the Charter from King James II. in 1685 :— 1686. Feb. 1st. And it is further concluded that the Warden’s marks shall be the Coat and Crest of the Citty of Chester on two punsons with a letter for the year. 1687. Paid for ye tuches engraving • £0 12 0 Paid for ye three punsons .... • O OO 6 1690. June 2nd. On the same day the letter was changed from A 1692. to B, and so to continue for one year. April. Paid for a punson and engraving letter C ..... the £0 01 6 1692. Novr. Paid Mr. Bullen for copperplate and punson O 04 0 1694. Paid Mr. Bullen for a new letter punson • 0 01 0 1697. Paid for the punson and carriage • 0 05 8 These extracts prove that the Goldsmiths’ Company at Chester assayed and stamped plate with three marks—the arms of the city, the crest, and the date letter—before 1701; the maker’s mark being set upon the plate before it was delivered into the Assay Office, upon pain of for¬ feiture, as ordained. There is no plate preserved by the Corporation of Chester of an earlier date than the latter half of the seventeenth century. The three tankards, two flagons, ewer, and tobacco-box which we have examined were all presented and made between the years 1668 and 1685, being all previous to the Charter of James II. granted in 1685—6, which took effect in the year following. These were all assayed and stamped in London. The city mace, “ given by the Earl of Derby, Lord of Man and the Isles, Maior 1668,” bears two stamps nearly effaced, of a maker’s mark and the city arms. At the same time the Earl presented a very handsome State sword. A writer, describing the ruinous state of Chester immediately after the siege, says: “Thus of the most anchante and famous Cittie of Chester in times past; mark the ruins of it at present, viz. :—within these three years, 1643, 1644, 1645, the particular demolitions of it now most grievous to the spectator and more woeful to the inhabitants thereoff.” After describing the devastations he continues: “ The drawing dry of the Cittie stockes, plate, rentes and collections, all which losses will amount to two hundred thousand pounds at the least.” (MS. volume at Stowe, quoted by Lysons.) After reading this graphic account, we need not be surprised at the absence of ancient plate at Chester. 140 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Chester was reappointed by the Act 12th William III. (1700), and is regulated by that and the 12th George II. We must here express our thanks to the present Assay Master, Mr. Jas. Foulkes Lowe, B.A., for his persevering kindness, not only in searching the records and furnishing extracts, but in obtaining impres¬ sions of ancient plate and affording much valuable information on the subject, which has enabled us to give a Table of the Assay Letters used at Chester from 1701 to the present time. In this task he has been ably assisted by Mr. Thos. Hughes, F.S.A., the indefatigable Secretary of the Chester Archaeological Society. An interesting copperplate is preserved in the office, and is perhaps that mentioned in the cash-book of Nov. 1692 —“ Paid Mr. Bullen for a copperplate and punson 4 s .” It contains principally the makers’ marks, which consisted of the two first letters of the surname, and on and after 1720 the initials of Christian and surname. It has also the Roman capital date letters on square stamps used in the cycle commencing 1701, and those of other cycles of a later date, but not arranged in order. The other stamps are struck promiscuously on the plate, for the purpose of proving them, as well as for reference. In 1773, the Members of the Company of Goldsmiths and Watch¬ makers of the City of Chester were :— Mr. Joseph Duke, Silversmith. George Walker, do. John Scasebrick, Jeweller, Assayer. Gabriel Smith, Watchmaker. Thomas Brown, do. Robert Cowley, do. John Richardson Thomas Duke James Conway Silversmiths, but out of The names and places of abode of Goldsmiths, Silversmiths, and Plate-workers (then living, 1773), who had entered their names and marks in the Assay Office at Chester, were Messrs. George Walker, Chester. John Gimlet, Birmingham. William Pemberton, do. Richard Richardson, do. Jas. Dixon, do. do. Joseph Walley, do. Christian Thyme, do. Ralph Walker, do. Ralph Wakefield, Liverpool. William Hardwick, Manchester. do. do. T. Prichard, Shrewsbury. Geo. Smith, Warrington. J. Wyke & T. Green, do. Bolton & Fothergill. Fisher, do. Gimble & Vale, Birmingham. CHESTER DATE LETTERS. Hi CYCLE 4. CYCLE 5. JULY JULY 1726-7 A 1752-3 M 1727-8 B 1753-4 0 1728-9 C 1754-5 1729-0 D 1755-6 0 1730-1 E 1756-7 4* 1731-2 F 1757-8 4 1732-3 G 1758-9 1733-4 H 1759-0 of 1734-5 T I 1760-1 1735-6 T J 1761-2 if 1736-7 K 1762-3 J? 1737-8 L 1763-4 S& 1738-9 1VL 1764-5 3V 1739-0 N 1765-6 1740-1 VP 0 1766-7 1741-2 3 1742-3 T 1767-8 M 1743-4 Q 1768-9 S 1744-5 R 1769-0 & 1745-6 S 1770-1 m 1746-7 T 1771-2 1747-8 U 1772-3 w 1748-9 W 1773-4 Sp 1749-0 X 1774-5 3/ 1750-1 Y 1775-8 1751-2 Z 1776-7 Five Marks. Five Marks. 1 . City Arms, as the 1 . Lion passant. preceding, after 1720 . 2 . Leopard’s Head. 2 . Lion passant. 3 . City Arms, as the 3 . Leopard’s Head. preceding. 4 . Date Letter. 4 . Date Letter. 5 . Maker’s Mark. 5 . Maker, as before. CYCLE 1. 51 c a> € ft $ C . 1850-1 m 1875-6 n 1789-0 Of 1809-0 N 1830-1 n 1851-2 1876-7 0 1790-1 0 1810-1 0 1831-2 1852-3 1877-8 p 1791-2 & 1811-2 P 1832-3 1853-4 1878-9 q 1792-3 3 1812-3 Q 1833-4 K 1854-5 ffl 1879-0 r 1793-4 M 1813-4 R 1834-5 m 1855-6 © 1880-1 s 1794-5 S 1814-5 S 1835-6 1856-7 m 1881-2 t 1795-6 S 1815-6 T 1836-7 «) 1857-8 1882-3 11 1796-7 m 1816-7 U 1837-8 1858-9 1883-4 qf 1817-8 V 1838-9 1859-0 The Stamp of the City 1860-1 Arms of 3 demi-lions and gerbe, changed to 1861-2 the Old Stamp of a sword between three 10 1862-3 • gerbes, about 1784 . D 1863-4 'Six Marks. Six Marks. 'Six Marks. Five Marks. Five Marks. 1 . Lion passant. 1 . Lion passant. 1 . Lion passant. 1 . Lion passant. 1 . Lion passant 2 . Leopard’s Head. 2 . Leopard’s Head. 2 . Leopard’s Head. 2 . City Arms. 2 , City Arms. 3 . City Arms. 3 . City Arms. 3 . City Arms. 3 . Duty Mark. 3 . Duty Mark. 4 . Date Letter. 4 . Duty Mark. 4 . Duty Mark. 4 . Date Mark. 4 . Date Mark. 5 . Duty Mark in 1784 . 5 . Date Mark. 5 . Date Mark. 5 . Maker. 5 . Maker. 6 . Maker’s Mark. 6 . Maker. 6 . Maker. (TheLeopard’s Head These letters are not discontinued 1830.) facsimiles. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. *43 EXAMPLES. Chester, 1665. The following four marks occur on a porringer or two-handled cup and cover, lately in the possession of Messrs. Lewis and Son, Brighton. It is the earliest authentic piece of Chester plate we have hitherto met with, enabling us to ascertain the type of letter used in the cycle commencing 1664. 1. The Chester City Arms, a sword between three wheat-sheaves or gerbes. 2. The City Crest, adopted by the Assay Office as their Hall-mark formerly, viz., a sword with a bandelet, which is still used by the officials on their printed documents, issuing from an earl’s coronet, the five pellets underneath indicating the balls of the coronet. 3. A German text B, denoting the year 1665. 4. The maker’s initials crowned, probably some of the Pembertons, who were silversmiths at Chester and members of the guild about that date. Mr. Lowe, the Assay Master, informs us that the signature of Peter Pemberton occurs very regularly in the minute- book from 1677 until 1702. Chester, 1689. These marks are on a spoon with flat stem, leaf-shaped end, rat-tail bowl, clearly of this date. In the possession of the Earl of Breadalbane. 1. The Chester City Arms of a sword between three gerbes or wheat-sheaves. 2. The Crest of the Assay Office at Chester. 3. Court-hand A, denoting the year 1689, according to the minutes of the year 1690. 4. The maker’s initials, Alexander Pulford, silversmith, who was admitted in that year as a member of the guild, whose name occurs frequently in the minutes. The assay mark of a fleur-de-lis somewhat similar to the sword and bandelet requires some explanation ; and Mr. Lowe, the Assay Master, remarks as a strange coincidence, that in the same old minute-book there City Crest. Still used by the Assay Office as a heading to letters and correspondence. 144 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. is a sketch of a fleur-de-lis, as above shown, from which we may infer that this stamp was an old Chester mark, and we may with some degree of certainty attribute the stamp of a fleur-de-lis within a circle, so fre¬ quently found on plate of the early part of the seventeenth century, to Chester, when some such distinctive mark must have been used, and the lis has never hitherto been accounted for. These two examples prove that the sword between three gerbes, erroneously called the new arms, to distinguish the shield from another styled the old arms of three demi-lions and gerbes, that was used as a punch on silver long before the last named ; and Mr. Lowe informs us that it is found on public documents in the time of the Commonwealth, and is frequently met with in the reign of Charles II. Hence the coat of a sword between three wheat-sheaves was used as a stamp previous to 1701, and was altered in that year to that of three demi-lions per pale with three wheat-sheaves also dimidiated, which was again changed about 1784 for the sword erect between three wheat- sheaves, and still remains in use. The date letters on the above examples, taken in conjunction with the initials of silversmiths whose names are recorded in the minute-book, show the character of the alphabets adopted at the Chester Assay Office, viz., 1664 to 1688 inclusive, a German text alphabet, and 1689 to 1697 a court-hand or church text alphabet brought to a premature end by the Act altering the standard, recommencing in 1701 ; by which Act “A variable Roman letter ” was expressly stated for the succeeding first cycle. The variable letter was changed annually on the 5th July, from 1701 until 1839, when it was altered to the 5 th August. UNCERTAIN CHESTER MARKS. Circa, 1660. A rat-tail spoon in the pos¬ session of the Rev. T. Staniforth. A piece of plate of the seventeenth cen¬ tury in Messrs. Hancock's possession. EXETER. There are no records at the Hall previous to 1701. The early mark used at Exeter previous to this date was a letter X crowned, subsequently altered to a castle of three towers. The Act passed in 1700, reappoint¬ ing this city for assaying plate, did not come into operation until the 29th September 1701. On the 7th of August the Company of Goldsmiths met, and on the 17th of September Wardens were appointed, and they HALL MARKS ON PLATE. H5 resolved, with all convenient speed and safety, to put the Act in execu¬ tion ; and the first assayer was sworn in before the Mayor on the 19th of November 1701. The letters commenced with a Roman capital A for that year, as ordered by the statute, which characters, large and small, they used throughout the alphabet until 1837, when they adopted old English capitals for that cycle. A Table of Letters for each year will be found annexed. We have given below the probable dates of some early pieces bear¬ ing date-letters, according to the London Tables, in a parenthesis, which from the style of workmanship are approximate, if not actually correct. It is a curious fact that from 1797 they reduced the number of letters in each cycle from 24 to 20 to correspond with those of London, adopt¬ ing the same alphabets down to 1856. The extensive collection of old English spoons in the possession of Dr. and Mrs. Ashford, of Torquay, especially rich in those manufactured at Exeter, has been of great service in verifying the Table of Date-Marks, and Dr. Ashford’s careful investi¬ gation of the subject has greatly assisted our research. Mr. Morgan speaks of a mark he had occasionally met with on old plate, resembling the letter X, surmounted by a crown, which he con¬ jectured might be St. Andrew’s cross, therefore of Scotch origin. We have met with several specimens, and on all the mark is invariably the Roman letter X, not a cross saltire or St. Andrew’s cross. Another peculiarity relating to this mark is, when it occurs on spoons, it is always placed within the bowl, in the same position as the leopard’s head on spoons struck in London, a proof that it denotes the stamp of a town. In order, therefore, that we may endeavour to trace this mark to its proper locality, we will briefly notice some of the specimens which have come under our notice, being all evidently of English manufacture. A brown mottled stoneware jug, in silver gilt mounting, of the six¬ teenth century, has the letter X crowned, the word EASTON, and a small old English date-letter c on a shield (London, 1560). The date engraved on the handle is 1586. A brown stoneware jug, mounted in silver, has—1st, the letter X, surmounted by a crown and tw T o pellets ; 2nd, the word ESTON ; 3rd, C on a shield ; 4th, a small old English date-letter g on a shield (London, 1564). On the handle is engraved the date, 1595.— W. Cozier , Esq. A silver apostle spoon has three marks—1st, the letter X crowned, and two fleur-de-lis, within the bowl; 2nd, the word EASTON ; 3rd, a small old English date-letter c on a pointed shield (London, 1560). On the back are some letters pounced and the date 1634 of a later period.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford, Torquay. These three pieces are from families in Devonshire, and we have traced several others to the same county. A silversmith residing in K 146 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Exeter assures us that he has frequently met with similar marks, and has always considered them to be old Exeter stamps, in which opinion he is corroborated by other residents of the vicinity. A silver spoon bears an oblong stamp of a castle of three towers, with the word EXON (Exoniensis), EX on one side and ON on the other. It has on the handle the date 1692 pounced or pricked, but the make is probably earlier.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. There are in Exeter parish churches several communion cups of the sixteenth century, mostly 1570 to 1580, bearing the stamp IONS, with or without the crowned X, which may be part of a maker’s name, Jonson or Johnson. Another spoon bears the impress of a castle and the word BAR, and the initials under, I.P. The owner interprets it Barum or Barnstaple. It has the date of presentation pricked upon it, 170^, but it was doubtless made before the passing of the Act of 1700.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. A stoneware jug of the sixteenth century, mounted in silver, bears the marks of the letter X crowned and the word YEDS.— South Ken¬ sington Museum. A spoon with a maiden’s head on the stem, of old Exeter make, has the X crowned and the name of the maker, OSBORN, impressed. Date of presentation I.H. 1612.— Dr. and Mrs. Ashford. Dr. Ashford informs us he has met with an old Exeter seal-top spoon with the maker’s name, BENTLY. A silver apostle spoon has in the bowl—1st, the letter X crowned ; 2nd, on the stem the name RADCLIFF ; and 3rd, the letters I.R. and a flower. It also bears the pounced or pricked letters and date of presentation 1637.— Rev. T. Stan forth, Storrs, Windermere. A brown stoneware jug of the sixteenth century, mounted in silver handsomely chased, has the marks of an X crowned, with two pellets in the side angles and the word HORWOD stamped.— In the possession of Martin Tucker Smith, Esq. There are two silver apostle spoons marked with the letter X crowned in a dotted circle, and a goldsmith’s mark, ET, repeated thrice,* with pounced letters and date 1659.— In the Salford Royal Museum, Peel Park. A silver apostle spoon has the letter X crowned, as before, and a goldsmith’s mark, and is pounced with letters and date of presentation 1635.— Rev. T. Staniforth, Storrs , Windermere. Dr. and Mrs. Ashford possess several apostle spoons, with the * Repetitions of the maker’s mark frequently occur in close proximity on the same piece, when other stamps are wanting, on provincial silver. This double or treble stamp may perhaps denote the quality of the silver, a system adopted in other countries ; e.g., at Geneva, in the time of the old Republic, the stamp for silver of the first quality was the City Arms ; for the second, the double punch of the maker ; for the third, the maker’s single punch. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. J 47 crowned X inscribed with the following dates, which in many instances are much later than the periods of their manufacture :— 1634 and 1646. The crowned X has a small cross in each lateral angle, on a round shield. 1649. The crowned X has a triangular pellet in each lateral angle, ditto. 1660. The crowned X is on an escutcheon shaped to the letter. 1675. Crowned X with round pellets in each lateral angle, on a round shield. 1678. Crowned X with two pellets and round beaded escutcheon. 1682. Crowned X with two stars of five points at the sides and a small s under. By reference to the dates of presentation on the pieces of plate here described, it will be observed they range from 1586 to 1700; and doubt¬ less at Exeter most of the plate made in the West of England, especially at Plymouth, was sent to be stamped. Indeed, so much was an Assay Office required, that in the year 1700 Exeter was included in the statute, and after that date the shield of arms of the town (a castle with three towers) was adopted; and although Bristol was empowered -to assay plate, both by 2 Henry VI. (1424), and also by 12 William III. (1700), it never availed itself of the powers thereby conferred. On the other hand, Exeter, before the Act came into operation, appointed its wardens and assayers with all convenient speed and safety, and they were sworn in on the 19th of November 1701. The first page of the register-book in which the plate-workers entered their names and marks being lost, w r e can only commence with u Peeter Eliot of Dartmouth,” who entered on the 13th November 1703, stamping the two first letters of his surname, E.L., in old English capitals, in compliance with the Act for the New Standard, a specimen of which will be seen in the examples (page 151) occurring on a rat-tail spoon of the year 1712. Other marks of goldsmiths follow, who resided princi¬ pally at Plymouth, a few at Exeter, and other places — May 8, 1704. Richard Wilcocks, Plymouth—Wj. ,, ,, Richard Holin, Truro—HO crowned. ,, , Edward Sweet, Dunster—SW. „ ,, Richard Vavasour, Tottoness—VA. &c. &c. In 1773 the names of the members of the Goldsmiths’ Company at Exeter w T ere Mr. Thos. Coffin, Mr. Richard Sams, Mr. David Jones, and Mr. Richard Jenkins ; and Mr. Mathew Skinner the Assay Master. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 148 The names and places of abode of all the Goldsmiths, Silversmiths, and Plate-workers then living (1773), that had entered their names and marks in the Assay Office at Exeter, were—Messrs. Edward Broadhurst, Plymouth. John Brown, Plymouth. Roger Berryman Symons, do. Thomas Strong, do. Welch, do. William Harvey, do. Jason Rolt, do. Thomas Beer, do. James Jenkins, do. Richard Bidlake, do. Thomas Thorne, do. William Eveleigh, Dartmouth, Benjamin Symons Nathan, do. Richard Jenkins, Exeter. John Tingcombe, do. William Coffin, do. David Hawkins, do. EXETER ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. 1 49 CYCLE 1. A AUGUST 1701-2 1 1702-3 C 1703-4 LDl 1704-5 E 1705-6 F 1706-7 G 1707-8 0) 1708-9 i 1709-0 !KI 1710-1 L 1711-2 M 1712-3 N 1713-4 O 1714-5 P 1715-6 Q 1716-7 R 1717-8 SI 1718-9 T 1719-0 V 1720-1 vv 1721-2 X 1722-3 Y 1723-4 z 1724-5 Five Stamps. 1. Lion’s Head erased. 2 . Britannia. 3 . Castle. 4 . Date-Mark. 5 . Maker’s Initials. [In 1720 the Marks of CYCLE 2. a AUGUST 1725-6 b 1726-7 c 1727-8 d 1728-9 e 1729-0 1730-1 0* & 1731-2 li 1732-3 • 1 1733-4 k 1734-5 1 1735-6 m 1736-7 n 1737-8 0 1738-9 p 1739-0 q 1740-1 r 1741-2 r 1742-3 t 1743-4 y 1744-5 w 1745-6 X 1746-7 y 1747-8 Z 1748-9 Five Stamps. 1 . Lion passant. 2 . Leopard’s Head. 3 . Castle. 4 . Date-Mark. 5 . Maker’s Initials. Old Standard resumed.] CYCLE 3. A AUGUST 1749-0 B i 1750-1 C 1751-2 D 1752-3 E 1753-4 F 1754-5 G 1755-6 H 1756-7 I 1757-8 K 1758-9 L 1759-0 M 1760-1 N 1761-2 O 1762-3 P 1763-4 Q 1764-5 R 1765-6 S 1766-7 T 1767-8 y 1768-9 w 1769-0 X 1770-1 Y 1771-2 z 1772-3 Five Stamps. 1 . Lion passant. 2 . Leopard’s Head. 3 . Castle. 4 . Date-Mark. 5 . Maker’s Initials. CYCLE 4. AUGUST 1773- 4 1774- 5 1775- 6 1776- 7 1777- 8 1778- 9 1779- 0 1780- 1 1781- 2 1782- 3 1783- 4 1784- 5 1785- 6 1786- 7 1787- 8 1788- 9 1789- 0 1790- 1 1791- 2 1792- 3 1793- 4 1794- 5 1795- 6 1796- 7 Five Stamps. 1 . Lion passant. 2 . Castle. 3 . Date-Mark. 4 . Maker’s Initials. 5 . Duty-Mark of King’s Head in 1784 . 150 EXETER ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. CYCLE 5. CYCLE 6. CYCLE 7. CYCLE 8. AUGUST 1797-8 AUGUST 1817-8 (D AUGUST 1837-8 © AUGUST 1857-8 B 1798-9 b 1818-9 18 1838-9 B 1858-9 C 1799-0 c 1819-0 C 1839-0 C 1859-0 D 1800-1 (l 1820-1 B 1840-1 D 1860-1 E 1801-2 e 1821-2 € 1841-2 E 1861-2 F 1802-3 f 1822-3 df 1842-3 F 1862-3 G 1803-4 O’ 1823-4 0 1843-4 G 1863-4 H 1804-5 h 1824-5 1844-5 H 1864-5 I 1805-6 • 1 1825-6 3 1845-6 I 1865-6 K 1806-7 k 1826-7 & 1846-7 K 1866-7 L 1807-8 1 1827-8 31 1847-8 L 1867-8 M 1808-9 m 1828-9 1848-9 M 1868-9 N 1809-0 11 1829-0 1849-0 N 1869-0 O 1810-1 0 1830-1 1850-1 O 1870-1 P 1811-2 p 1831-2 1851-2 P 1871-2 Q 1812-3 q 1832-3 1852-3 Q 1872-3 R 1813-4 r 1833-4 1853-4 R 1873-4 S 1814-5 s 1834-5 §5> 1854-5 S 1874-5 T 1815-6 t 1835-6 % 1855-6 T 1875-6 U 1816-7 11 1836-7 m 1856-7 U 1876-7 Five Stamps. Five Stamps. Five Stamps. Five Stamps. 1. Lion passant. 2 . Castle. 3 . King’s Head. 4 . Date-Letter. 5 . Maker’s Initials. 1 . Lion passant. 2 . Castle. 3 . King’s Head. 4 . Date-Letter. 5 . Maker’s Initials. 1 . Lion passant. 2 . Castle. 3 . Queen’s Head. 4 . Date-Letter. 5 . Maker’s Initials. 1 . Lion passant. 2 . Castle. 3 . Queen’s Head. 4 . Date-Letter. 5 . Maker’s Initials. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. L5 1 The arms of the City of Exeter are :—Per pale gu and sa a triangular castle with three towers or. Crest a demi-lion rampant gu, crowned or, holding between its paws a bezant, surmounted by a cross botonne or. Supporters, two pegasi ar, wings endorsed, maned, and crined or; on the wings three bars wavy az. Motto, “ Semper Fidelis.” EXAMPLES. H K H 0 l J0JJS ESTON Exeter. Apostle spoon, 1637.— Rev. T. Staniforth. Exeter. Apostle spoon, date about 1576.— Messrs. Hancock. Exeter. A spoon of the sixteenth cen¬ tury, with hexagonal stem, pear-shaped bowl, button top. Date of presenta¬ tion 1620.— Earl of Breadalbane. Exeter. A spoon of about 1670, flat stem and oval bowl, bears this stamp with monogram and maker’s initials W.F.— Earl of Breadalbane. Exeter, 1703. These new standard marks are on a three-pint tankard. (Britannia holds in her hand a flower or sprig, not a cross as here given in the cut.)— Messrs. Hancock. Exeter, 1712. On a rat-tail spoon, given in 1713. The maker was Peter Eliot of Dartmouth, who entered his name at Exeter in 1703. The City mark of a castle has a thin line rising from the pointed base of the shield to the central tower, indicating the par¬ tition per pale, like the City arms.— Messrs. Hancock. 152 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE. The annual letter appears to have been used from 1702. Mr. Thomas Sewell, one of the Wardens of the Assay Office, has kindly furnished us with a Table of Date-Letters, chronologically arranged, compiled from the Assay Office books and the copperplate on which the maker strikes his initials, as well as from pieces of old plate which have from time to time come under his notice. From careful examination of various examples of Newcastle plate, we have, in this edition, altered some of the characters, making the table more complete. The change of letter takes place on the 3rd of May in each year. At Newcastle-upon-Tyne as early as 1249, Henry III. commanded the bailiffs and good men to choose four of the most prudent and trusty men of their town for the office of moneyers there, and other four like persons for keeping the King’s Mint in that town; also two fit and prudent goldsmiths to be assayers of the money to be made there. In 1536 the goldsmiths were, by an ordinary, incorporated with the plumbers and glaziers, and the united company required to go together, on the feast of Corpus Christi, and maintain their play of the “ Three Kings of Coleyn.” They were to have four wardens, viz., one goldsmith, one plumber, one glazier, and one pewterer or painter ; and it is quaintly added that no Scotchman born should be taken apprentice or suffered to work in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. They had their hall in “ Maden Tower,” granted them in the mayoralty of Sir Peter Riddell in 1619, and the association of the goldsmiths with the other tradesmen seems to have lasted till 1702.* In 1773 the members of the Goldsmiths’ Company at Newcastle- upon-Tyne were—Mr. John Langlands and Mr. John Kirkup, Gold¬ smiths and Silversmiths, Wardens ; and Mr. Matthew Prior, Assayer. The names and places of abode of all the Goldsmiths, Silversmiths, and Plate-workers then living, who had entered their names and marks, were—Mr. John Langlands, Mr. John Kirkup, Mr. Samuel James, Mr. James Crawford, Mr. John Jobson, Mr. James Hetherington (Newcastle- upon-Tyne), Mr. John Fearney (Sunderland), and Mr. Samuel Thomson (Durham). * From an “Impartial History of the Town and County of New'castle-upon-Tyne,” pub¬ lished in 1801 , p. 429 . NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. 153 CYCLE 1. CYCLE 2 . A MAY 1702-3 % MAY 1724-5 B 1703-4 B 1725-6 C 1704-5 5 8 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. SHEFFIELD. At Sheffield, silver only is assayed. Mr. J. Watson, the Assay Master, has most courteously furnished us with the variable letter for each year from the commencement in 1773, from references to the minute- book wherein are recorded the meetings for the election of new wardens, as Avell as the letter to be used in the ensuing year. The change takes place on the first Monday in July. The plan adopted at Sheffield differs from all the other offices, for instead of taking the alphabet in regular succession, the special letter for each year is selected apparently at random until 1824, after which the letters follow in their proper order. Through Mr. Watson’s kindness, we are enabled to lay before our readers a Table of Marks, which has been verified by him. The marks used at this office are the same as at London, except that the crown is substituted for the leopard’s head, and variation of the date-mark. Sometimes we find the crown and date-letter combined in one stamp, probably on small pieces of plate, but they are generally separate on square punches. When practicable, the four marks are placed in order and struck from one punch, but they are struck separately when that cannot be done. Occasionally we find the crown and lion on one stamp. The marks are so combined for the convenience of the wardens in marking the goods, but the letter only is used to denote the year in which the article was made. The date-letters are invariably placed in square escutcheons. SHEFFIELD ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. *59 CYCLE 5. - A 1868-9 B 1869-0 C 1870-1 D 1871-2 E 1872-3 F 1873-4 G 1874-5 H 1875-6 1 1876-7 K 1877-8 L 1878-9 M 1879-0 N 1880-1 O 1881-2 P 1882-3 Q 1883-4 R 1884-5 S 1885-6 T 1886-7 U 1887-8 V 1888-9 w 1889-0 X 1890-1 Y 1891-2 z 1892-3 1 . Lion passant. 2 . Crown. 3 . Date-Letter. 4 . Duty. 5 . Maker. CYCLE 1. & a ft IT % € B 1684-5 D 1708-9 1733-4 3D 1758-9 t JAMES II. 1685-6 E 1709-0 0 1734-5 e 1759-0 1686-7 F 1710-1 1735-6 $ GEORGE III. 1760-1 s b 1687-8 G 1711-2 0 1736-7 <$ 1761-2 WILL. & MARY. 1688-9 H 1712-3 St 1737-8 $ 1762-3 / t 1689-0 I 1713-4 1738-9 3 1763-4 fe 1690-1 K GEORGE 1. 1714-5 X 1739-0 M 1764-5 1 1691-2 L 1715-6 J? 1740-1 3L 1765-6 m 1692-3 M 1716-7 M 1741-2 50 1766-7 it 1693-4 N 1717-8 Sf 1742-3 $ 1767-8 0 1694-5 O 1718-9 $ 1743-4 J© 1768-9 p WILLIAM III. 1695-6 P 1719-0 0> 1744-5 1769-0 q 1696-7 Q 1720-1 £ 1745-6 1770-1 r 1697-8 R 1721-2 01 1746-7 m 1771-2 s 1698-9 S 1722-3 s 1747-8 1772-3 t 1699-0 T 1723-4 & 1748-9 c 1773-4 p 1700-1 U 1724-5 m 1749-0 m 1774-5 to 1701-2 Y 1725-6 1750-1 1775-6 ANNE. 1702-3 W 1726-7 m 1751-2 % 1776-7 2 1703-4 X GEORGE II. 1727-8 % 1752-3 e 1777-8 ? 1704-5 Y 1728-9 0 / 1753-4 m 1778-9 Z 1729-0 sc 1754-5 1779-0 Four Stamps. Four Stamps. Four Stamps. Four Stamps. 1 . The Castle. 2 . The Assay Master’s Initials. 3 . The Maker’s Initials. 4 . The Date Letter in a pointed shield. 1 . The Castle. 2 . The Assay Mark. 3. The Maker's Initials. 4 . The Date Letter in a pointed shield. 1 . The Castle. 2 . The Assay Mark. 3 . The Maker’s Initials. 4 . The Date Letter in a square shield. 1 . The Castle. 2 . The Thistle, in 1757 . 3 . The Maker’s Initials. 4 . The Date Letter in a square shield. From 1700 to 1720 Britannia was added for the New Standard. * The standard mark of a thistle was used instead of the Assay Masters initials in 1757. EDINBURGH ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. 169 CYCLE 5. CYCLE 6 . CYCLE 7. CYCLE 8 . Roman Capitals. Roman Small. Old English Caps. Egyptian Capitals. OCTOBER. 1780-1 (aj OCTOBER. 1806-7 Igi OCTOBER. 1832-3 @ OCTOBER. 1857-8 B 1781-2 b 1807-8 3S 1833-4 B 1858-9 C 1782-3 c 1808-9 C 1834-5 C 1859-0 D 1783-4 d 1809-0 3B 1835-6 D 1860-1 E* 1784-5 e 1810-1 C 1836-7 E 1861-2 F 1785-6 f 1811-2 f VICTORIA. 1837-8 F 1862-3 G 1786-7 1812-3 © 1838-9 G 1863-4 G + 1787-8 h 1813-4 * 1839-0 H 1864-5 H 1788-9 • 1 1814-5 3 1840-1 1 1865-6 I 1789-0 • J 1815-6 H 1841-2 K 1866-7 K 1790-1 k 1816-7 2. 1842-3 L 1867-8 L 1791-2 1 1817-8 M 1843-4 M 1868-9 M 1792-3 m 1818-9 0 1844-5 N 1869-0 N 1793-4 n 1819-0 © 1845-6 O 1870-1 0 1794-5 0 GEORGE IV. 1820-1 1846-7 P 1871-2 P 1795-6 p 1821-2 <& 1847-8 Q 1872-3 Q 1796-7 ' q 1822-3 351 1848-9 R 1873-4 R 1797-8 r 1823-4 1849-0 S 1874-5 S 1798-9 s 1824-5 % 1850-1 T 1875-6 T 1799-0 t 1825-6 WL 1851-2 U 1876-7 U 1800-1 u 1826-7 © 1852-3 V 1877-8 Y 1801-2 Y 1827-8 m 1853-4 w 1878-9 W 1802-3 W 1828-9 ¥ 1854-5 X 1879-0 X 1803-4 X 1829-0 g) 1855-6 Y 1880-1 Y 1804-5 y WILLIAM IV. 1830-1 % 1856-7 z 1881-2 Z 1805-6 Z 1831-2 Five Stamps. Five Stamps. Five Stamps. Five Stamps. 1 . The Castle. 2. The Thistle. 3 . The Maker’s Initials. 4 . The Date Letter in a pointed shield. 5 . King’s Head, 1784 . 1 . The Castle. 2. The Thistle. 3. The Maker's Initials. 4 . The Date Letter in a square shield. 5 . Sovereign’s Head. 1. The Castle. 2. The Thistle. 3. The Maker’s Initials. 4 . The Date Letter in a shield, concave sides. 5. Sovereign's Head. 1 . The Castle. 2. The Thistle. 3. The Maker’s Initials. 4 . The Date Letter in an oval. 5 . Sovereign’s Head. * In 1784 the Duty Mark of the Sovereign’s Head was added, t The G is repeated, according to the Minutes. 170 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. The preceding Table of Assay Office Letters and the following List of Plate are taken from a communication by Mr. J. H. Sanderson to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, published in vol. iv. of their Transactions in 1862, page 544, and plate xx., vol. iv., and we have to acknowledge with thanks the kind permission accorded to us by the Council to reprint any portions of the paper bearing upon the subject. Our indebtedness to Mr. J. H. Sanderson for his valuable assistance was duly acknowledged in the preface to our first edition of 1863, which we have reprinted in this edition. LIST OF PLATE FROM WHICH THE ANNUAL LETTERS HAVE BEEN TAKEN, MANY OF THEM BEARING DATES. CYCLE I. Most of the letters in this cycle are taken from the Minutes of the Goldsmiths’ Corporation, in many cases from an impression of the actual punch given on the paper. Those from plate are :— B. 1682—3. A Jug, the property of the late Lord Murray. There seems to have been another form of B. used this year, as on the Duddingston Communion Cups, dated 1682. E. 1685—6. Auchtermuchtie Communion Cups, “gifted by Janet Ross,” bearing date 1686. N. 1693—4. Trinity College Communion Cups, “the gift of George Stirling,” the arms of Edinburgh engraved inside, and bearing date 1693. R. 1697—8. A Cup at Messrs. C. R. & Son. S. 1698—9. Trinity College Communion Cups, a gift, arms of Edin¬ burgh inside, and dated 1698. W. 1701—2. New North Kirk Communion Cups, “the gift of Mr. William Archibald,” 1702. Y. 1703—4. New North Kirk Communion Cups, “the gift of John Cunningham of Bandales,” 1704. CYCLE II. C. 1707—8. Lady Yester’s Communion Cups, “presented by Thomas Wilkie,” 1708; another C. New North Kirk Baptism Laver, “gifted by Mary Ereskin,” 1708. D. 1708—9. Eddleston Communion Cups, bearing date 1709. H. 1712—3. A pair of Candlesticks, at Messrs. C. R. & Son. P. 1719-0. Punch Bowl, Royal Company of Archers, bearing date 1720. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 171 CYCLE III. B. 1731—2. Sugar Basin, Messrs. Mackay & Chisholm. O. 1743—4. Silver Club, the Edinburgh Golfers, bearing date 1744. T. 1748-9. Dinner Spoon, Mr. Munro. U. 1 749-0. The Old Church, St. Giles’ Communion Cups, bearing date 1750. Y. 1753—4. Dinner Spoon, Mr. Stewart. B. H. I. M. N. P. Q. R. S. Y. &. E. K. L. R. W. A. D. E. G. H. L. T. CYCLE IV. 1756—7. Teapot, Messrs. Mackay & Chisholm. 1762- 3. Old Chapel of Ease Communion Cups, St. Cuthbert's Parish, 1763. 1763— 4. Baptismal Laver, ditto,’ ditto, 1763. 1766— 7. Cake Basket, Messrs. Mackay & Chisholm. 1767— 8. Snuffer Tray, late Lord Murray. 1 769-0. Sugar Basket, Messrs. Mackay & Chisholm. 1770— I. Spoon, Captain Gordon of Cluny. 1771— 2. Salt Cellar, Messrs. C. R. & Son. 1772— 3 - Spoon, Captain Gordon of Cluny. 1777—8. Salver, Messrs. C. R. & Son. 1779—o. Spoon, Mr. Munro. CYCLE V. 1784—5. Medal, Royal Company of Archers, 1785. 1790— v Cup, Messrs. C. R. & Son. 1791— 2. Medal, Royal Company of Archers, 1792. 1 797 - 8 - Spoon, Mr. Sanderson’s. 1802—3. Spoon, Mrs. Aitchison’s. CYCLE VI. 1806—7. Salver, Mr. Nisbet’s. 1809— 0. Pepper-Box, Messrs. C. R. & Son. 1810— I. Salver, Mr. Nisbet’s. 1812— 3. Basin, ditto, 1812. 1813— 4. Spoon, Mrs. Aitchison’s. 1817—8. Medal, Royal Company of Archers, 1818. 1825—6. Mr. Sanderson’s. Cycles VII. and VIII. require no proof. 172 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. EXAMPLES. Edinburgh. George Robertson, maker of the mace of the city in 1617. — Mr. J. H. Sanderson's Paper, Transactions of the Society of Anti¬ quaries, Scotland, vol. iv. p. 543, and plate xx. Edinburgh. “ On the Dalkeith Church plate there is no date, but it is knoAvn from the records to be older than that of Newbattle” (dated 1646).— Ibid. Edinburgh. From the plate belonging to Trinity College Church, Edin¬ burgh, bearing date 1633.— Ibid. (The castle is omitted by mistake in the cut.) Edinburgh, 1713. On a Quaigh, hemi¬ spherical bowl with flat projecting hollow handles, on one A C, on the other I M C L; engraved outside with full-blown roses and lilies. The initials I M C L are found as a maker on the Glasgow Sugar Castor (p. 176).— Earl of Breadalbane. Edinburgh, 1749. On a Table Spoon, French pattern, rat’s tail. On back of spoon are four marks: (1) maker’s unknown ; (2) castle; (3) deacon’s mark ; (4) date-letter U.— Earl of Breadalbane. Edinburgh , 1757. On a Dessert Spoon, French pattern. The date-letter is the old English of 1757, showing that the thistle was used in this year, as before stated. Maker un¬ known.— Earl of Breadalbane. Edinburgh, 1766. Maker’s name un¬ known.— Earl of Breadalbane. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. *73 GLASGOW. The arms of the City of Glasgow are— Ar. on a mount in base vert, an oak-tree ppr., the stem at the base thereof surmounted by a salmon on its back also ppr., with a signet ring in its mouth or; on the top of the tree a redbreast, and in the sinister fess point an ancient hand-bell, both also ppr. Crest. The half-length figure of St. Kentigern affrontee vested and mitred, his right hand raised in the act of benediction, and in his left a crosier, all ppr. Supporters. Two salmon ppr., each holding in its mouth a signet ring ppr. Motto, u Let Glasgow flourish.” The bearings of the western metropolis are to commemorate the well-known miracle of St. Kentigern (also called St. Mungo), the Patron Saint of the City, with reference to the recovery in the fish’s mouth of the lost ring of the frail Queen of Caidyow. An ancient seal attached to a deed of the sixteenth century bears a full-faced head of the saint, mitred, between an ancient square bell, fish and ring on the dexter, and a bird on a tree on the sinister side, inscribed “ Sigillum comune de Glasgu.” ( Laing's Ancient Seals.) The ancient marks on plate made at Glasgow previous to the Act of 1819 were :—1. The city arms, a tree with a hand-bell on one side, and sometimes a letter G on the other, a bird on the top branch, and a fish across the trunk, holding a ring in its mouth enclosed in a very small oval escutcheon. 2. The maker’s initials, frequently repeated ; and 3. A date-letter; but it is at present useless to attempt to assign correct dates of manufacture. The parliamentary inquiry of 1773 did not extend to Scotland. Glasgow was made an assay town by the 59 Geo. III. (May 1819). The district comprised Glasgow and forty miles round, and it was directed that all plate made in the district should be assayed at that office. The peculiar mark of the Company is a tree growing out of a mount, with a bell pendant on the sinister branch, and a bird on the top branch, across the trunk of the tree a salmon holding in its mouth a signet ring. The marks used on the silver plate stamped at Glasgow are—since the Act of 1819 :— 1. The standard, lion rampant. 2. The Hall-mark, the arms of the city, a tree, fish, and bell. 3. The maker's mark, viz., his initials. 4. The date-mark, or variable letter, changed on the 1st July in every year. 5. The duty-mark of the sovereign's head. Abolished 1890. 174 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. For gold of 22 or 18 karats the figures 22 or 18 are added, and for silver of the New Standard, Britannia is added. The Scotch Act of 6 and 9 Wm. IV., 1836-7, in some respects extended to Glasgow, although it is generally regulated by the 59th of Geo. III.; but they have not adopted the marks prescribed by this statute of 1836, and continue those previously in use. The only differ¬ ence, however, is, that the lion rampant takes the place of the thistle. The lower gold standards of 15, 12, and 9 karats bear the mark of the lion rampant as well as the town mark, being the same as the higher standards with the exception of the omission of the sovereign’s head duty-mark (although subject to the same duty), and the difference of quality expressed by numerals. GLASGOW ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. *75 A 1st JULY. 1819-0 a 1st JULY. 1845-6 A 1st JULY. 1871-2 B 1820-1 E 1846-7 B 1872-3 C 1821-2 € 1847-8 C 1873-4 D 1822-3 IB 1848-9 D 1874-5 E 1823-4 © 184.9-0 E 1875-6 F 1824-5 f 1850-1 F 1876-7 G 1825-6 © 1851-2 G 1877-8 H 1826-7 I 1852-3 H 1878-9 I 1827-8 3 1853-4 1 1879-0 J 1828-9 3 1854-5 J 1880-1 K 1829-0 It 1855-6 K 1881-2 L 1830-1 l 1856-7 L 1882-3 M 1831-2 JR 1857-8 M 1883-4 N 1832-3 0 1858-9 N 1884-5 0 1833-4 © 1859-0 O 1885-6 P 1834-5 IP 1860-1 P 1886-7 Q 1835-6 © 1861-2 Q 1887-8 R 1836-7 1862-3 R 1888-9 S 1837-8 £ 1863-4 S 1889-0 T 1838-9 © 1864-5 T 1890-1 U 1839-0 m 1865-6 U 1891-2 Y 1840-1 © 1866-7 V 1892-3 W 1841-2 m 1867-8 w 1893-4 X 1842-3 1868-9 X 1894-5 Y 1843-4 i 1869-0 Y 1895-6 Z 1844-5 % 1870-1 z 1896-7 Five Stamps. Five Stamps. Five Stamps. 1. Lion rampant. 2. Tree, Fish, and Bell. 3. Sovereign’s Head. 4 . Date Letter. 5. Maker’s Initials. 1. Lion rampant. 2. Tree, Fish, and Bell. 3. Queen’s Head. 4 . Date Letter. 5. Maker’s Initials. 1. Lion rampant. 2. Tree, Fish, and Bell. 3. Queen’s Head. 4 . Date Letter. 5. Maker’s Initials. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 176 EXAMPLES OF EARLY MARKS. Glasgow. These marks are on the narrow rim of the foot of an elegant silver Tazza, chased in centre with bold leaf scrolls, bordered with engrailed lines. The work is evidently of the time of Charles II., 1670—1680.— Messrs. Hancock. M&O M&O Glasgow. These four stamps are found on an oval silver box, originally made to contain the wax seal appended to a diploma granted by the University. The cover is finely engraved, having in the centre the University mace and an open Bible above. On each side are re¬ presented the objects composing the coat- of-arms of Glasgow, viz., to the right a tree, with a bird perched on the top branch, to the left a hand-bell, and at the base a salmon on its back holding a signet ring in its mouth. Surmounted by the motto of the University, “ Via Veritas Vita,” instead of that of the city, “ Let Glasgow flourish.” The usual case to contain the diploma is made of tin ; but this, being of sterling silver, was probably presented to some person of great distinction. Dated about 1700 .—In the possession of the Earl of Breadalbane. Glasgoiv. On a Sugar Castor, chased with festoons of roses. This maker’s initials are also found engraved on the handle of a Quaigh of Edinburgh make of 1713.— The Earl of Breadalbane. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 177 ABERDEEN. The town of Aberdeen bears, gu. three towers, triple towered, within a double tressure flowered and counter-flowered arg. Supporters. Two leopards ppr. Motto , “Bon Accord!” This was the watchword of the town when it was attacked by the English, and the latter were all massacred, for which service the extra tressure was accorded. A much earlier seal of the town represents the three triple-towered castles, with three cones or spires, attached to a deed for the ransom of King David II., in 1357 , preserved in H.M. Record Office, thus described ( Laings Ancient Seals ) :— A figure of a bishop (St. Nicholas) bestowing the benediction ; on the dexter side, a crescent; and on the sinister, a mullet of six points. “ Signum Beati Nicolai Aberdonensis.” The counter seal represents a church, or other edifice, with a large central spire and two smaller ones each terminating in a cross. “ Sigillum de Commune Aberdonensis.” The Town Assay Office mark adopted at Aberdeen consisted of two or more of the letters in the word, thus, the letters B D or A B D, with a mark of contraction above, and later A B D N, as in the following example:— Aberdeen. On a Table Spoon, handle turned up, and ridges in front of stem, elongated oval bowl, date about 1780.— Earl of Breadalbane. MONTROSE (Angus). A Burgh Royal, as relative to the name, carries roses. Thus in the Lion register of arms— arg. a rose gules with helmet, mantling and wreath suitable thereto. Crest. A hand issuing from a cloud, reaching down a garland of roses ppr. Supporters. Two mermaids rising from the sea. “ Mare ditat Rosa decorat ” (The sea enriches and the rose adorns), which are upon the face of the town seal; and upon the reverse of it, gules St. Peter on his proper cross, with the keys hanging at his girdle. On an ancient seal of Montrose is represented the Crucifixion, the counter seal being a rose ; and on a seal of causes we find a rose seeded and barbed, inscribed “ Sig. Burgi de Muntros ad causas.” M 178 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. The Montrose Assay Office mark was probably a seeded rose with the maker’s initials, which may be confounded with a similar mark sup¬ posed to have been used at Norwich. DUNDEE (Angus). On the North side of the Frith of Tay. The arms of the town are an az. a pot of growing lilies arg. Crest. A lily arg. Supporters. Two dragons vert, tails knotted together below T the shield. Motto, “ Dei donum.” The patron saint of Dundee was the Virgin Mary, and the arms a pot of lilies, which are still adopted. In the Advocates’ Library, Edinburgh, there is an interesting brass matrix of a seal of the fifteenth century in excellent preservation, executed for the use of the Incorporation of Hammermen of Dundee, representing a figure of St. Eligius, in episcopal vestments, holding a hammer in his right hand and a crosier in his left, within a niche ; at each side is a bough-pot of lilies, and beneath, a shield bearing a hammer in pale, a crown of three points in chief, inscribed “ S. ce Malliato Sci Elegi de Dundee.” The goldsmiths, being then incorporated with the hammermen of Dundee, chose as their patron the celebrated St. Eligius, the Councillor- Minister and Goldsmith of Dagobert, King of France. He became Bishop of Noyon, and died a.d. 659. He was the patron of French and Flemish goldsmiths. The town mark adopted by the Dundee Assay Office is a pot with two handles containing three lilies, as shown in the following EXAMPLES. rCAMl flmoxl 011 DUN DEE Dundee. On a pair of Sugar Tongs, shell and fiddle pattern, about 1880. —Earl of Breadalbane. Dundee. On a Table Spoon, oval bowl, rat’s tail, flat stem, leaf-shaped end, date c. 1660.—Earl of Breadalbane. Tea Spoon, fiddle head, Dundee, present century. —Earl of Breadalbane. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 179 PERTH. The arms of the City of Perth (alias St. John’s Town), so called since the Reformation, are :—An eagle displayed with two heads or, sur¬ mounted on the breast with an escutcheon gules , charged with the holy lamb passant regardant , carrying the banner of St. Andrew within a double tressure, flowered and counter-flowered, arg., with the hackneyed motto, “ Pro Rege Lege et Grege ; ” the two-headed eagle being in imitation of the Roman ensign, which, according to Menestrier, was borrowed from the East, to denote the conjunct reign of two emperors, and bears reference to its Roman origin. The old City seal, which was laid aside at the Reformation as “ superstitious,” represented the decolla¬ tion of St. John the Baptist with the legend, “ S. Communitatis Ville Sancti Johannis de Berth.” In Perth Cathedral a curious cup is preserved, called Queen Mary’s Cup, which has been reproduced by the electro process, and may be seen at the South Kensington Museum. It is thus described by Mr. W. J. Cripps in the “Art Handbook” (College and Corporation Plate, page 66): — “ It is a composite cup, formed of a very finely chased body of Nurem¬ berg work, c. 1560-1570, of the best kind, with some additions and repairs of coarser and commoner work, executed at Dundee, as records testify, in 1637. The curious Scotch Hall-marks bear out the record ; the maker’s mark being a known one of that period.” The seal of the City of Perth, used on public documents and heading of letters. Spread eagle with two necks, on its breast, in an escutcheon, the holy lamb and flag, adopted occasion¬ ally as a town mark on plate in the early part of this century. RG EXAMPLES. Perth. On a small Quaigh, or cup with two handles, date about 1660, with these two marks only. The lamb and flag, emblem of St. John, being the arms of St. John’s Town, as Perth was formerly called.— C. A. North , Esq. i8o HALL MARKS ON PLATE. m RK RK Perth. On a set of Table Spoons, French pattern, with rat tail on back of bowl, date about 1760. Some have four marks of spread eagles only, with¬ out the shield on the breast, as used recently.— Earl of Breadalbane. Perth. On a Dessert Spoon, fiddle head, date circa 1820. The spread eagle part of the City arms, on its breast a shield with the lamb and flag of St. John; made by Robert Kay, silversmith, at Perth, in 1815.— Ditto. Perth. On a set of four Salt-Cellars, gadroon edge on three legs and claws —the seven marks arranged in a circle underneath with the town mark in the centre, three makers’ initials, and three town marks round—date circa 1810. — Ditto. INVERNESS. Capital of the County and a Royal Burgh. The present seal, or matrix, not earlier than the last century, in the Town Clerk’s Office, is, a camel passant, above the shield INVERNESS, inscribed “ Fidelitas et Concordia.” The armorial ensigns on this seal differ materially from those dis¬ played in the Town Hall, where they are executed in stone. There they appear as the Saviour on the Cross, with a camel as the dexter supporter of the shield, and an elephant for the sinister. Crest. A cornucopia, and on a ribbon above the motto, “ Concordia et Fidelitas.” The crest and the supporters were assumed as represent¬ ing the extensive trade once carried on between the port of Inverness and the East. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 181 EXAMPLES. RN INS ES2 CJ INS Inverness. On a Tea Spoon, fiddle head, date about 1820, with a cornu¬ copia, the crest of the town of Inver¬ ness. —Earl of Breadalbane. Inverness. The camel, one of the supporters of the City arms. On a large annular Scotch Brooch, flat, with engraved Vandykes, and a cluster of fine small annulets between each. Maker’s mark, and another of the same, larger, as Deacon. Attributed to Chas. Jamison, c. 1810.— Ditto. LINLITHGOW. Arms : az. St. Michael, with wings expanded, treading on a serpent, a spear in his dexter hand piercing the head of the serpent, and in his sinister hand an inescutcheon charged with the Royal Arms of Scotland. STIRLING. Capital of the County and a Royal Burgh. The seal is a lamb couchant on the top of a rock, inscribed with the motto, “ Oppidum Sterlini.” The ancient seal of the Corporation bears : a bridge with a crucifix in the centre of it; men armed with bows on one side of the bridge, and men with spears on the other, and the legend, “ Hie Armis Bruti, Scoti stant hac cruce tuti.” On the reverse, a fortalice surrounded with trees, inscribed “ Con¬ tinent hoc in se nemus et castrum Strivilense.” “ Burke’s General Armory ” gives the arms of the town, as at present used : az. on a mount a castle, triple towered, without windows arg., masoned sa. t the gate closed gu., surrounded with four oak-trees dis¬ posed in orle of the second, the interstices of the field being semee of stars of six points of the last, and the motto as above. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Stirling. On an oblong Tobacco Box, engraved on the cover with two coats-of-arms surmounted by a ducal coronet. The town mark is a castle, triple towered, as described above, having beneath the letter S to distinguish it from a similar mark at Edinburgh. The maker’s (?) mark, a mermaid and star, and his initials G R.— Earl of Breadalbane. ST. ANDREWS (Fife). A Royal Burgh, 26 miles N. of Edinburgh. Its University is the oldest in Scotland, being founded in 1444. On the matrix of a privy seal in custody of the Town Clerk of St. Andrews is a wild boar passant, secured by a rope to a rugged staff. u Sigillum Secretu Civitatis Sancti Andree Aposti.” Another seal, affixed to a deed dated 1453, bears a full-length figure of a bishop holding a crosier, &c. The counter seal has a figure of St. Andrew extended on his cross. In the lower part of the seal is a wild boar passant in front of a tree, inscribed around, “ Cursus (Apri) Regalis.” — Laing's Ancient Seals. BERWICK (North). Capital of the County, and created a Burgh at an early period. A very fine seal, appended to a document dated 1330, is in the possession of the Dean and Chapter of Durham. A bear chained to a tree, in the branches of which are two birds (parrots) surrounded by a double tressure of fleur-de-lis. “S . . . T . . . Ville Berwic . . . edam.” — Laing's Ancient Seals. The counter seal represents the Trinity. The town of Berwick-on-Tweed, in Northumberland, bears the arms az. on a mount, a bear standing against a tree all ppr., the bear collared and chained or. In fesse two escutcheons with the arms of France and England quarterly ; on a chief of the first a king crowned and habited, of the second, holding in his dexter hand a mound, and in the sinister a sceptre, both gold. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 183 JEDBURGH (Roxburgh). A Royal Burgh, 34 miles S.E. of Edinburgh. The seal of the town of Jedburgh, in Teviotdale, is azure , a unicorn tripping argent, angled, maned and horned.— Nisbct. Another seal bears a shield with a unicorn passant, inscribed “ S. Comunitatis de Jedburgh.”— Laing's Seals. Another coat-of-arms is a horse salient and a chevalier armed at all points. DUNBAR (Haddington). A Royal Burgh created by King David II., 20 miles E. of Edinburgh. Seal. An elephant with a castle on its back. Inscribed “ Sigill. comune Burgi Dun.”— Laings Seals. ELGIN. A Royal Burgh, 30 miles E. of Inverness and 59 miles N.W. of A berdeen. The assay towns of Aberdeen, Inverness, and Banff in the adjoining counties adopted abbreviations of their names, usually the first two or three and the last letters, thus : ABDN, INS, and BA ; hence, on the same principle, Elgin used ELN. The annexed marks are on a Table Spoon, with oval bowl, the end of the handle or stem turned upwards with a ridge down the centre : a form in use from about 1730 to 1760.— In the Earl of Breadalbane’s Collection. 184 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. LEITH. A seaport town in the County of Edinburgh , is a large and populous place , with a good harbour and quay, the commerce with foreign countries being very considerable. From the fact of several pieces of plate having been bought here, bearing the stamp of an anchor which indicates its position as a harbour for shipping, we are inclined to attribute this mark to Leith. The circular object with rays which accompanies it yet remains to be ex¬ plained, but in another example here adduced it is placed by the side of the thistle, the standard mark of Scotland. The crest of Edinburgh is an anchor wreathed about with a cable; but in this instance the cable is omitted. Leith. Five Tea Spoons, French pattern, last century.— Earl of Breadalbane. Leith. Tea Spoon and Tongs, French pattern, last century.— Ditto. Leith. Caddy Spoon, shell-shaped bowl, fiddle head, with Scotch standard mark and that of a provincial town ; no duty-letter, but made about 1820, judging from the fashion.— Ditto. Leith. A Scotch Brooch of conventional form, with circular broad band, plain surface, short pin at back with hinge and clasp; stamped behind with five marks.— Ditto. saisi® S H [o> @ gg HADDINGTON. Capital of the County , 14 miles E. from Edinburgh. A Royal Burgh. Seal. A goat reared on its hind-legs browsing against an apple- tree. “ Sigillium Commune Burg de Hadington.” Another seal bears a goat passant; another a goat standing. DINGWALL (Ross-shire). Capital of the County. A Royal Burgh. Arms. A star-fish or estoille ; between the points are two lozenges, a heart and two mullets. “ Sigillum Comune Burgi de Dingwall.” The present seal is copied from an older one.— Laing's Seals. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 185 NEWTON-ON-AYR (Ayrshire). A Royal Burgh. A seal of the fifteenth century, still in use, bears a fess cheque be¬ tween three monograms of old English letters WB. Inscribed “Sigillum comune Nove Ville de Are.”— Laing's Seals. BANFF. Capital of the County. Erected into a Burgh a.d. 1372. A matrix in the office of the Town Clerk of Banff bears an oval¬ shaped seal of a boar passant, “ Insignia Urbis Banfiensis.”— Ibid. Banff. Dessert Spoon, French pattern. —Earl of Breadalbane. Banff. Dessert Spoon, French pattern, with king’s head.— Ditto. Banff. Table Spoon, French pattern. -— Ditto. Banff. Table Spoon, French pattern, with king’s head.-— Ditto. CRAIL. A Royal Burgh in the County of Fife , 8 miles from St. Andrews. Chartered by King Robert Bruce. Arms. A galley with sails furled, stars and crescent above, in¬ scribed “ Sigillum Commune Burgi de Karale.” From an original matrix in the Town Clerk’s Office. BA IA M rBANTl ® " 11 ii hh ® IRVINE (Ayrshire). A Royal Burgh, 2 1 miles S. IV. of Glasgow. Arms. A lion sejant, guardant, crowned, between two trees. TAIN (Ross-shire). A Royal Burgh, principal town of the County, 8 miles N. of Cromarty, 24 miles N.E. of Inverness. Las TAlNl ($> Tain. On a pair of Toddy Ladles, date about 1800 .—Earl of Breadalbane. 186 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. MELROSE. In the County of Roxburgh, 25 miles S.S. IV. from Edinburgh, famous for its Monastery, now in ruins, founded in 1136 by King David of Scotland. A Royal Burgh. A stone preserved in this town bears the arms of “ A mell or mallet, surmounted by a rose, being a pun upon the name.” DYSART. County of Fife. Arms. A tree eradicated. AYR. Arms. A castle, triple towered, between the holy lamb passant with banner. UNCERTAIN SCOTCH MARKS. (AD) Unknown. These three stamps are on the inside of a silver lid of a Shell Snuff Box. Date about 1800.— In the possession of the Earl of Breadalbane. Unknown. On a fiddle head Toddy Ladle, provincial mark of some town in Scotland, un¬ known. Made circa 1810. Representing an otter or badger on a wheat-ear (?) and the letters I. & G. H.— Earl of Breadalbane. Unknown. On a Seal Top Spoon, of English or Scotch make, of the seventeenth century, the baluster end well finished. The monogram inside the bowl, the animal on the back of the stem. w.s. Letters on the bottom, w.e.— Lady Du Cane. 1624. Uncertain. (Query Edinburgh.) These four marks are on the bottom of a Mug with one scroll handle, broad mouth, repousse pyriform ornament round the lower part. The small mark is that of the maker, the other two those of the Deacon, probably the same silversmith. Date about 1680. — Messrs. Mackay < 5 * Chisholm. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 187 3! r c I a n D* DUBLIN. CHARTER OF INCORPORATION. The Goldsmiths’ Company of Dublin has the exclusive management of the assaying and marking of wrought gold and silver plate in Ireland. The harp, and subsequently, a.d. 1638, the harp crowned, was the original Hall or district mark for all Irish manufactured plate assayed in Dublin and found to be standard, and was used long previous to the charter granted by Charles I., 22nd December, in the year 1638, in the thirteenth year of his reign, to the Corporation of Goldsmiths of Dublin, Ireland. This charter adopted for Ireland the standards then in use in England, viz.—22 karats for gold, and 11 oz. 2 dwts. for silver. “ The harp crowned now appointed by his Majesty” has been continued in use ever since, in pursuance of a clause contained in that charter, and also by the Act 23 & 24 Geo. III. c. 23, s. 3 (1784). A date-mark was used in Dublin from a very early period, as it appears to have been in use previous to the year 1638. STANDARDS.—LEGAL PUNCHES. a.d. 1729. 3 George II. The Irish Parliament enacted that all articles of gold and silver should be assayed at Dublin by the Assay Master appointed by the Company of Goldsmiths, the standard of gold being fixed at 22 karats and silver at 11 oz. 2 dwts., and ordered that the articles should be marked with the marks then used, viz., the harp crowned ,, a date-letter , and the maker's initials. DUTY IMPOSED AND MARK OF HIBERNIA. a.d. 1730. The figure of Hibernia was used by order of the Com¬ missioners of Excise in the year 1730, when a duty was first imposed, to denote the payment of the duty, viz., sixpence per ounce on manufac¬ tures of gold and silver plate, which has been used ever since on every standard of Irish plate. REDUCED STANDARDS OF GOLD.—NEW GENEVA. a.d. 1783-4. 23 & 24 George III. c. 23. In this year a Company of Geneva Watchmakers came to Ireland, and commenced an establishment near Waterford, and the place or locality of this establishment was called 188 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. New Geneva. An Assay Office and a Deputy Assay-Master or Assayer were granted to them at that place. This Act came into operation on the 1st June 1784, and repeals so much of the 3rd of Geo. II. as respects the assaying of gold, or regulating the manufacture, assaying, or exchange or sale of gold, or the duty on any manufacture of gold in Ireland. The only standard of gold allowed by the Act 3 George II. was that of 22 karat fine; this was altered by the above Act, whereby three standards are provided of 22, 20, and 18 karats fine respectively. These standards were authorised to facilitate and encourage the manufacture of gold and silver wares and watch-cases, &c. &c., in Ireland, and especially at New Geneva. This establishment and Assay Office did not continue to work over five or six years, and with this exception the Assay Office in Dublin has been and is the only one in Ireland, and has power and jurisdiction in all parts of Ireland. For description of articles that are exempted from duty and marking by this Act, see sec. 6 (page 26). By the nth section of this Act it is enacted, “That on and after the 1st June 1784, every person making, or causing to be made, any manu¬ factures of gold, are to enter an impression of his or her new marks or punches made as aforesaid, with his or her name and place of abode, in either of the said Assay Offices, upon paying the sum of five shillings to the Assayer or Wardens, who are hereby required to make, on a plate of pewter or copper, impressions of such marks or punches ; and also entries of such marks or punches, with the names and places of abode of the owners thereof, in a book or books to be carefully kept for that pur¬ pose, if such owners be resident in Dublin or at New Geneva. And that no person or persons shall be entitled to have any manufactures of gold made, or caused to be made by him or her, assayed or stamped at either of the said Assay Offices, until after same have been stamped by the maker, and until after such impression and entry have been made at such office of the mark or punch of said person or persons, which denotes the particular standard of such manufactures of gold; and that no manufacture of gold shall be assayed or stamped at the said Assay Offices, if marked with any other mark or punch but such as is duly entered; and that no manufacture of gold shall be assayed or stamped at such Assay Offices unless such gold work be marked with the mark which denotes the true standard of same.” The maker’s marks were in use, and were also registered, at the time of the passing of this Act and for many years previously, in accordance with other Acts of Parliament and the practice of the London Hall. The manufacturers were required to stamp and register their mark punches in the Assay Office in Dublin, previous to the year 1694, and this practice has been continued to the present time. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 189 These three standards of 22, 20, and 18 karats, directed by this Act, were continued by another Act, subsequently passed, namely, the 47 Geo. III., sess. 2, c. 15, s. 3, 10th August 1807, and are still in use. By the same Act, c. 23, s. 29 (Ireland), no refiner may sell gold without alloy, or less fine than with one grain per ounce. KING’S HEAD DUTY-MARK.—DUTY INCREASED. a.d. 1807. 47 George III., sess. 2, c. 15, s. 6 (Ireland). The stamp of the King’s head, or head of the reigning sovereign, was now for the first time added to the others to denote payment of the duty, but no notice was taken of the former mark of Hibernia, and both marks were used. The duty was raised to one shilling per ounce on gold and silver plate. (The duty on silver plate abolished 1890.) By the same Act, sect. 15, both buyer and seller are liable to a penalty for plate without the required marks. STANDARD OF SILVER IMPROVED. a.d. 1825. 6 George IV. c. 1 18. A small Roman letter e is found for the date towards the end of this year, succeeding the capital letter E. This was done in compliance with the order of the Commissioners of Stamps, to denote the transfer of the duty from the Commissioners and Collectors of Excise to the Commissioners of Stamps ; and also to mark the change of the standard of silver made in Ireland at that time, by having to adopt the practice of the London Hall in marking silver plate, at an allowance of only one pennyweight and a half below the standard— this was also by order of the Commissioners of Stamps, and according to the 47 Geo. III. c. 15, sess. 2. Previous to this order, Irish manu¬ factured silver plate used to be marked in Dublin, at some periods, as standard, at an allowance of from two and a half to three and a half penny¬ weight worse than the standard ; consequently Irish sterling, manufactured previous to that date, was inferior to English sterling, and to the Irish sterling subsequently manufactured. FOREIGN PLATE ASSAYED AND MARKED. a.d. 1842. 5 & 6 Victoria, c. 47, s. 59, 60. The several Assay Offices in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland are directed and empowered to assay and mark foreign manufactured gold and silver plate ; and also to assay and mark, at any of the said Assay Offices, gold and silver plate manufactured in any part of the said United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Previous to the passing of this Act, each of the Assay Offices had 190 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. power only to assay and mark gold and silver plate manufactured within their own districts. N.B. —The mark punch of the resident shopkeeper, or importer of plate, is required to be registered, in respect of assaying and marking foreign plate, or plate manufactured out of the district of the Assay Office that it is sent to be assayed at; but the maker’s marks are not required unless he is resident in the city or town or district of the assay. The variable letter of the year is the date-mark, and is impressed on all manufactured gold and silver plate that is stamped at the Assay Office in Dublin, in accordance with the practice of the Goldsmiths’ Hall in London; but the letter, and also the character of the letter, used in Dublin in each year is not the same as is used in London in each corresponding year. REDUCED STANDARDS OF GOLD. a.d. 1854. 17 & i 8 Victoria. It was enacted that from and after the 22nd December 1854, three lower standards for gold wares were allowed in addition to the standards of 22, 20, and 18 karats, fixed by the Act 23 and 24 Geo. III. (1784). The figures 15, 12, and 9, and thousandths parts to be stamped denoting the true quality of the same. The marks of the harp crowned and the sovereign’s head are omitted, although subject to the same duty as the higher standards. There are six legal standards for gold in Ireland and only one for silver. DRAWBACK. a.d. 1866. 29 & 30 Victoria, c. 64. An Act to amend the laws relating to the Inland Revenue. Section 1 5 provides for allowing draw¬ back on plate made in Great Britain exported from Ireland, and on Irish plate exported from Great Britain. I.—THE STANDARD (as fixed by the Act 1st June 1784). For Dublin. —Gold of 22 karats ; a harp crowned and the numerals 22. Gold of 20 karats ; a plume of three feathers and 20. Gold of 18 karats; a unicorn’s head and 18. Silver of 1 1 oz. 2 dwt.; a harp crowned. No New Standard silver is stamped in Ireland. THREE LOWER STANDARDS (17 and 18 Viet., 1854). For Dublin.—On these the mark of the standard proper (a harp crowned') is omitted , and although subject to the same HALL MARKS ON PLATE. i 9 j duty, the mark of the Sovereign's head is also with¬ held, but Hibernia is used as a Hall-mark. Gold of 15 karats; a stamp of 15.625 (thousandths). Gold of 12 karats ; a stamp of 12.5 ,, Gold of 9 karats ; a stamp of 9.375 „ For New Geneva. —Gold of 22 karats; a harp crowned with a bar across the strings and 22. Gold of 20 karats ; a plume of two feathers and 20. Gold of 18 karats ; a unicorn’s head with collar on the neck and 18. The watch manufactory at New Geneva was discontinued about 1790, having only lasted six years. II.—THE HALL-MARK. For Dublin.— A figure of Hibernia, used since 1730, on gold or silver of every standard. III.—THE DUTY-MARK. The Sovereign’s Head, first used in 1807 to denote the payment of duty on silver and on the higher standards of gold of 22, 20, and 18 karats; but not on the lower gold of 15, 12, and 9 karats, although paying the same duty. IV.—THE MAKER’S MARK. Formerly some device, with or without the initials of the gold¬ smith ; later the initials of his Christian and surname. V.—THE DATE-MARK. A Letter of the Alphabet, changing every year from A to Z (omitting J), in cycles of twenty-five years, is now adopted. Total of Marks now required to be stamped on gold and silver plate in Ireland :— GOLD. Standard 1st, 22 karats (6 marks). r I. Quality in karats (22). 2. Harp crowned. 3. Hibernia (Dublin assay mark, first used 1730). 4. Date-letter. 5. Duty-mark (first used in 1807). , 6. Maker’s mark. 192 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Standard 2nd, 20 karats (6 marks). Standard 3rd, 1 8 karats (6 marks). 3 Lower Standards (4 marks). ' 1. Quality in karats (20). 2. Plume of three feathers. 3. Hibernia. 4. Date-letter. 5. Duty-mark. k 6. Maker’s mark. 1. Quality in karats (18). 2. Unicorn’s head. 3. Hibernia. 4. Date-letter. 5. Duty-mark, sovereign’s head. > 6. Maker’s mark. r 1. Quality, karats and thousandths in one stamp. 2. Hibernia. 3. Date-letter. . 4. Maker’s mark. SILVER. Old Standard, 1 1 oz. 2 dwts. { (5 marks). 1. 2 . 3 - 4- 5 . Harp crowned. Hibernia. Date-letter. Duty-mark. Discontinued 1890. Maker’s mark. No New Standard silver is marked in Ireland. We frequently meet on silver plate of the seventeenth century the stamp | STERLING | and the punch of the maker’s initials; some¬ times in two lines, thus These marks are attributed by Irish silversmiths and collectors to Cork, at which city there was no Government Assay Office ; but in con¬ junction with that of the maker, it was considered a sufficient guarantee in the South of Ireland, without the trouble and expense of sending all the plate to Dublin to be Hall-marked. The Dublin Goldsmiths’ Company may appoint assayers for any part of Ireland. 47 George III. c. 15, s. 3 (Ireland). In Ireland the marks for silver do not seem to be determined by the statutes, but are those in use in 1807, or as determined by the Commissioners of Taxes. STER ISterl LING 01 f ling \ HALL MARKS ON PLATE. I 93 GOLD AND SILVER PLATE DUTY. The duties were first imposed in 1730 at 6d. per ounce both on gold and silver. The rates were doubled in 1807 by the Act of 47 Geo. 3 (Sess. I.), c. 18, which was repealed by Statute Law Revision Act, 1872 (No. 2). The receipt of the duties was committed to the Excise Department, until by the Act of 6 Geo. 4, c. 118, it was transferred to the Depart¬ ment of Stamps. 1807. 47 Geo. 3, Sess. 2, c. 15. “An Act to provide for the regulating and securing the Collection of the Duty on Gold and Silver Plate wrought or manufactured in Ireland.” This Act is still in force, except Sects. 1, 2, and 12, repealed by Statute Law Revision Act, 1872 (No. 2). Sects. 3 and 4 relate to the assaying and marking by the Assay Master, &c. Sect. 5 provides for a written note to be delivered of certain parti¬ culars, and of the weight of every parcel of gold or silver, and for pay¬ ment of the duty. Sect. 6. As to accounting for the duty. Sect. 7. Allowance of one-sixth of duty on goods sent to be assayed in a rough state. Sect. 8. As to filing of notes and accounts of duties to be kept in books. Sect. 9 provides for books being lodged by Assay Master with Goldsmiths’ Company, and for inspection of such books. Sect. 10. As to payment of the duties. Sect. 11. As to any Deputy Assay Masters in the country paying the duty and accounting. Sects. 13 to 17. Penalties for various offences and mode of recovery. 1842. 5 & 6 Viet. c. 82. “An Act to assimilate the Stamp Duties in Great Britain and Ireland, and to make Regulations for collecting and managing the same until the Tenth day of October 1845.” (Partly repealed by 8 & 9 Viet. c. 76, s. 1, and 33 & 34 Viet. c. 99.) Sect. 1. Repeal of duties on gold and silver plate granted by 47 Geo. 3, s. 1, c. 18. Sect. 2. Duties on gold and silver plate to be the same as by 53 Geo. 3, c. 185. N 194 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. PLATE DEALERS’ LICENSES IN IRELAND. From 1785 to 1804 were £1 per annum. In 1805-6, £2 per annum. In 1807, in the City of Dublin and in any city or town sending one or more members to Parliament, £$. In any other part of Ireland, £2. In 1812 it was raised to 5 and 2 guineas. In 1842. Act 5 & 6 Viet. The licenses »were the same as in England, viz., for 2 dwts. and under 2 oz. of gold and under 30 oz. of silver, £2, 6s.; above that quantity, £5, 15s. Chronological Lfet of §>pectmen0 of Jrteh Plate, DATE. MAKER. ARTICLE. 1638-9 VB Communion Flagon; given by Moses Hill in 1638. — Trinity Coll., Dublin. I679-O ES Chalice, with IHS engraved.— Messrs. Waterhouse. 168O-I AG Great Tankards. — Merchant Taylors' Company, London. 168O-I IS Box, with scroll feet.— T. G. Willes Sandford, Esq. I682-3 IS Tazza Bowl.— Mrs. Bischoffsheim. 1693-4 STM (mon .) Octagonal Casket, with Chinese Figures.— T. G. Willes Sandford , Esq. 1693-4 }) Cup; given in 1696.— Mansion House, Dublin. 1693-4 Cup, ex dono Duncombe.— Trinity Coll., Dublin. 1694-5 Cup and Cover.— Sir Jno. Esmonde. I695-6 DK Monteith and Coronal.— Earl of Charlemont. 1695-6 38 Flagon, dated 1700.— Trinity Coll., Dublin. I696-7 DK A Cup exhibited in the Dublin Exhibition. 1697-8 pk A Cup exhibited in the Dublin Exhibition. 1697-8 Pair of Taper Candlesticks, with Law’s name, x|f| stamped subsequently.— Dublin Exhibition. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. •95 DATE. MAKER. ARTICLE. 1699-O DK Punch Bowl, “ Plunket,” 1702. — Trinity Coll., Dublin. 1700-1 &SB (won.) A piece exhibited at the Dublin Exhibition. 17 IO-I MW Two-handled Cup.— Sir Jno. Esmonde. I710-I )J Cup, “Pattens;” given 1705. — Trinity Coll., Dublin. i 714—5 V Tazza Bowl.— Mrs. Bischoffsheim. 1715-6 )) Tazza Bowl.— Mrs. Bischoffsheim. 1716-7 )) Cup with two handles.— Messrs. Hancock. 1717-8 DK Two-handled Cup.— Messrs. Hancock. 1718-9 MM Corporation Mace.— Dublin. 1718-9 MW (; mon.) Basin.— Mr. Jos. Johnson, Dublin. 1718-9 L O {lion rampant between letters .) Cup.— Messrs. Han¬ cock. 1720-1 MlM Bowl Plate, fluted, escalloped edge. —Dublin Exhi¬ bition. 1724-5 — Two-handled Cup. — Lord John Butler. 1725-6 IH {letters crowned .) Alms Dish ; given in 1725 to St. Michan's, Dublin. 1725-6 TS {letters crowned .) Bowl Plate.— Mrs. Bischoffsheim. 1726-7 mm Chalice and Patten ; given in 1725 by Mrs. Dorothy Ormsby of Rookewood to Athleage Church. 1727-8 WA Two-handled Cup. — Hon. Eric Barrington. 1727-8 W0 Two-handled Cup. — Messrs. Hancock. 1727-8 RG Piece of Plate. — Messrs. Hancock. 1728-9 WW Mace, dated ij 2$.—Goldsmiths' Company, London. 1728-9 TW Mace, dated 1728, top embossed with royal arms. — Messrs. Hancock. 1729-0 ill eg- Sugar Basin, repousse flowers. — Earl of Breadal- bane. 1730-1 MM Cup and Cover ; the gift of W. Duncombe. — Trinity Coll., Dublin. 1731-2 DK | Pair of Tazze. — Earl of Breadalbane. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 196 DATE. MAKER. ARTICLE. 1736-7 IW Pair of Square Waiters. — Earl of Breadalbane. 1736-7 RG Plate, won by “ Cheshire Tom/' Mullingar Races, in 1737. — Sir C. Domville. 1736-0 RG Three Table Spoons and a Mug.— Messrs. Water - house. 1739-0 AG Two-handled Cup, see cut. — Messrs. Hancock. 1739-0 — Cup; presented by P. Routledge in 1741 to H. Blake. 1743-4 LET Gilt Plateau ; given by Dr. Gilbert to Trinity Coll., Dublin. 1748 WW Six Spoons, leaf-shaped ends. — Sir Jno. Esmonde. 1750 MW Five two-handled Cups, in sizes, with festoons.— Sir Jno. Esmonde. 1754 CS Gravy Spoon with curved end.— Messrs. Waterhouse. 1755 RW Soup Ladle, scroll end, fluted bowl. — Sir Jno. Esmonde. 1757 TJ Sugar Basin, on three feet. — Sir Jno. Esmonde. 1759 — Table Spoons. — Messrs. Waterhouse. 1762 CS Two-handled Cup, chased with scrolls. — C. M. Long- field, Esq. 1762 CS Soup Ladle. — Sir Jno. Esmonde. I769 IC Epergne. — Dublin Exhibition. 1769 CT Two-handled Cup.— C. M. Longfield, Esq. 1770 RB Large silver Cruet Frame, with branches and 14 bottles. — Mr. Harris of Dublin. 1770 WW Six Spoons. — Sir Jno. Esmonde. 1778 — Plate, with Hibernia. — Dublin Exhibition. 1735-6 MW Sugar Basin. — Rev. T. Staniforth. 1790 — Cup, with Hibernia. — Dublin Exhibition. 1792 — Cup. — Dublin Exhibition. 1793 Cup ; presented in 1799.— Lady Loftus. 1817 I’LB Sugar Bowl, Cover and Stand, and Waiter, made by I. Le Bas.— Sir Jno. Esmonde. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 197 DATE. MAKER. ARTICLE. 1824 EP Teapot, chased with flowers, made by E. Power.— Sir Jno. Esmonde. 1825 EP Bread Basket, chased with flowers. — Sir Jno. Esmonde. 1830 Mount of a Bog Oak Cup, presented to King William IV.— H.M. the Queen. 1832 Two-handled Cup, made by G. Bryden .—Sir Jno. Esmonde. i8 37 RS Waiter; presented in 1837, made by R. Sayer.— Sir Jno. Esmonde. 1864 SL’B Trowel, presented to Sir Jno. Esmonde. Dublin a.ssap Dfltce Letters The time appointed for the letter to be changed, and the new punches put in commission, is the 29th or 30th May in every year; but this date has not been strictly adhered to, the changes having been made at various later periods in some years. 1638 to 1729. 3 marks: harp crowned, date-letter, and maker’s mark. 1806 to 1807. 4 marks: harp, date, Hibernia, and maker’s initials. 1807 to 1882. 5 marks: harp, date, Hibernia, sovereign’s head for duty, and the maker’s initials. From 1638, the year in'which the Communion flagon was given by Moses Hill to Trinity College, Dublin, the fact is clearly established, confirmed also by the Charter granted by Charles I. on the 22nd December of 1638, that a Roman letter for that year was adopted, com¬ mencing with A. No other examples between 1638 and 1679 have come under our notice, but in the latter year we have a chalice with the Old English 33, followed in 1680 by the tankard preserved in the Merchant Taylors’ Company, bearing an Old English (JD- Following the order of the alphabet, plate was doubtless stamped down to i686 ; finishing with ^f. 198 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. The unsettled state of Ireland during the next six years will account for the cessation of work at the Dublin Assay Office. In 1693 letter 1R (next in succession) was adopted and continued alphabetically down to 1 R in 1700. At this time the Act of William III., in 1700, reappoint¬ ing the provincial offices for adopting the new or Britannia standard, and making it imperative on all the provincial offices to discontinue the old , may have operated in Dublin, where the new standard was never made, so that a few years may have elapsed before work was resumed. It appears, from no examples having been discovered during this period, that in 1710 the Hall recommenced stamping old standard plate with the letter next in succession (the top of the shield being escalloped) down to % in 17 1 7, thus completing the Old English alphabet. In 1718 a new alphabet was commenced, and as we have met with two court hand letters, A and C, they represented the years 1718 and 1719. In 1721 Old English letters were used, and continued with unin¬ terrupted succession (omitting J) from A to Z, in all twenty-five letters. In 1746 Roman capitals commence. It seems unaccountable and con¬ trary to the practice of every other Assay Office to repeat the same character of letter in four successive cycles—the custom has always been to vary the style of alphabet in succession ; but at Dublin we have Roman capitals from 1746 to 1845, just a century, the only variations in the Hall-marks being the introduction of the king’s head duty-mark in 1 807, and apparently a distinctive form of shield, which, however, was not strictly adhered to throughout each cycle. The arrangement of the tables is still unsatisfactory, and it is to be hoped the promised assistance of the Royal Irish Academy will enable us to clear up the existing dis¬ crepancies. Mr. Thomas Ryves Metcalf more than twenty years ago furnished us with extracts from the local Acts of Parliament and extracts from the Minutes of the Goldsmiths’ Company recording the Assay Office letters and dates, but he could not do more than give us Roman capitals without any variation of type, hence the present uncertainty, and, I am compelled to add, incompleteness of our Dublin Tables. DUBLIN ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. T 99 CYCLE 5. Old English Caps. CYCLE 6. Roman Capitals. CFCLE 7. Roman Capitals. CYCLE 8. Roman Capitals. m 1721-2 1746-7 [AJ 1771-2 1796-7 1722-3 B 1747-8 B 1772-3 B 1797-8 c 1723-4 C 1748-9 C 1773-4 C 1798-9 2D 1724-5 D 1749-0 D 1774-5 D 1799-0 € 1725-6 E 1750-1 E 1775-6 E 1800-1 1726-7 F 1751-2 F 1776-7 F 1801-2 45 1727-8 G 1752-3 G 1777-8 G 1802-3 $ 1728-9 H 1753-4 H 1778-9 H 1803-4 3 1729-0 I 1754-5 I 1779-0 I 1804-5 M 1730-1 K 1755-6 K 1780-1 K 1805-6 JL 1731-2 L 1756-7 L 1781-2 L 1806-7 1732-3 M 1757-8 M 1782-3 M 1807-8 1733-4 N 1758-9 N 1783-4 N 1808-9 €> 1734-5 0 1759-0 O 1784-5 O 1809-0 $ 1735-6 P 1760-1 P 1785-6 P 1810-1 n 1736-7 Q 1761-2 Q 1786-7 Q 1811-2 1737-8 R 1762-3 R 1787-8 R 1812-3 s> 1738-9 S 1763-4 S 1788-9 S 1813-4 c 1739-0 T 1764-5 T 1789-0 T 1814-5 1740-1 U 1765-6 U 1790-1 U 1815-6 in 1741-2 y 1766-7 y 1791-2 y 1816-7 aa* 1742-3 w 1767-8 w 1792-3 \Y 1817-8 * 1743-4 X 1768-9 X 1793-4 X 1818-9 1744-5 Y 1769-0 Y 1794-5 Y 1819-0 1745-6 Z 1770-1 Z 1795-6 Z 1820-1 Four Stamps. Four Stamps. Four Stamps. Five Stamps. i. Harp crowned. 1 . Harp crowned. 1 . Harp cr., Plume, 1 . Harp cr., Plume, 2 . Date-Letter. 2 . Date-Letter. or Unicorn. or Unicorn. 3 . Maker’s Initials. 3 . Maker’s Initials. 2 . Date-Letter. 2 . Maker's Mark. 4 . Hibernia in 1730 . 4 . Hibernia. 3 . Maker’s Initials. 4 . Hibernia. The three Standards of 22 , 20 , and 18 karat, di¬ rected to be used after 1784 , are the Harp, Plume, or Unicorn. 3 . Date-Letter. 4 . Hibernia. 5 . The King’s Head in 1807 . 200 DUBLIN ASSAY OFFICE LETTERS. CYCLE 9. CYCLE 10. CYCLE 11. Roman Capitals. Roman Small. Roman Capitals. 1821-2 a 1846-7 © 1871-2 B 1822-3 b 1847-8 B 1872-3 C 1823-4 c 1848-9 C 1873-4 D 1824-5 d 1849-0 D 1874-5 1825-6 e 1850-1 E 1875-6 F 1826-7 f 1851-2 F 1876-7 G 1827-8 O’ 1852-3 G 1877-8 H 1828-9 h 1853-4 H 1878-9 I 1829-0 • 1 1854-5 I 1879-0 K 1830-1 k 1855-6 K 1880-1 L 1831-2 1 1856-7 L 1881-2 M 1832-3 m 1857-8 M 1882-3 N 1833-4 11 1858-9 N 1883-4 0 1834-5 0 1859-0 O 1884-5 P 1835-6 p 1860-1 P 1885-6 Q 1836-7 q 1861-2 Q 1886-7 R 1837-8 r 1862-3 R 1887-8 S 1838-9 s 1863-4 S 1888-9 T 1839-0 t' 1864-5 T 1889-0 U 1840-1 u 1865-6 U 1890-1 y 1841-2 Y 1866-7 V 1891-2 w 1842-3 W 1867-8 w 1892-3 X 1843-4 X 1868-9 X 1893-4 Y 1844-5 y 1869-0 Y 1894-5 Z 1845-6 Z 1870-1 Z 1895-6 Five Stamps. Five Stamps. Five Stamps. 1. Harp crowned, Plume, or Unicorn. 2 . Maker’s Mark. 3 . Date-Letter. 4 . Hibernia. 5 . King's Head, or Queen’s. 1 . Harp crowned, Plume, or Unicorn. 2 . Maker’s Mark. 3 . Date-Letter. 4 . Hibernia. 5 . Queen’s Head. 1 . Harp crowned, Plume, or Unicorn. 2 . Maker’s Mark. 3 . Date-Letter. 4 . Hibernia. 5 . Queen’s Head. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 201 EXAMPLES. 1680-1. Two Tankards presented in 1680 to the Guild of St. John.— Merchant Taylors' Company. And a Box with scroll feet.— Dublin Exhibition. 1725-6. Piece of Plate.— Messrs. Hancock. 1728-9. Mace, dated 1728. The top em¬ bossed with the royal arms. — Messrs. Hancock. l 739 ~°- Two-handled Cup.— Messrs. Han¬ cock. Celetiraten ENGLAND. 1100. Leofstane, Goldsmith, Provost of London. 1189. Henry FitzAlwyn, Fitz Leofstane, Goldsmith, and Mayor of London. 1200. Ade, the King’s Goldsmith. 1222. Itger, Goldsmith, Master of the Mint. 1258. William, the King’s Goldsmith, Master of the Mint. 1275 to 1281. Gregory de Rokesley, eight times Mayor, Chief Assay Master of all the King’s Mints in England. 1280. William Farringdon, Goldsmith, Sheriff of London. 1308, 1323. Sir Nicholas Farrindon, Goldsmith, Mayor four times. 1255. William de Gloucester, Goldsmith, Keeper of the Dies. 1276. Jocee the Goldsmith, Keeper of the Dies. 1410. Sir Dru Barentine, twice Lord Mayor, died 1415, Foster Lane. 1415. William Fitzhugh, Goldsmith, Comptroller of the Mint. 1452. Humphrey Hayford, Goldsmith, do. do. 1485. Bartholomew Read, Goldsmith, Master of the Mint. 1527. Martin Bowes, do. do. do. 1543. Sir Martin Bowes, five times Mayor, Goldsmith, Master of the Mint. 1545. Lawrence Warren, Goldsmith, Mint Assay Master. 1702-1722. Sir Francis Child, Goldsmith, Temple Bar, Mayor. 1712-1740. Paul de Lamerie, Crown Goldsmith. Note .— The initials of all Goldsmiths found stamped on English Plate may be identified by the entries in the books at Goldsmiths’ Hall. These have been accurately copied, with their names and addresses in full, and dates of entry, in a work entitled “ Gilda Aurifabrorum , or a History of English Goldsmiths and their Marks ,” &c., by W. Chaffers. (Reeves & Turner, 196 Strand.) 202 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. ENGRAVERS TO THE MINT. 1100. Otto the elder and younger, Goldsmiths. 1150. Wm. Fitz Otho, Goldsmith. 1243. Richard Abel, do. 1265. Thomas Fitz Otho, do. 1280. Hugh Fitz Otho, do. 1290. Thomas Fitz Otho, do. 1294. William Fitz Otho, do. 1389. J. Edmund, do. 1422. Gilbert Van Brandeburg, Goldsmith. 1432. John Orewell, Goldsmith. 1455. William Wodeward, do. 1461. German Lynch, graver of the puncheons. i483-*John Shaa. 1487. Nicholas Flynte. 1507. John Sharpe. 1520. Demaire. 1553. Deric Anthony. 1555. Vincentius. 1560-78. Deric Anthony. 1579. Menestrelle. 1611. Charles Anthony. 1612. John Dicker. 1628-36. Nicholas Briot. 1633. Edward Greene. 1646-49-58-72-74. Thomas Simon. 1648. Thomas Rawlins. 1672. James Roettier. 1672. Norbert Roettier. 1672. Phillip Roettier. 1672. Joseph Roettier. 1674. Peter Blondeau, Engineer. His patent expired in 1688. 1674-88. John Roettier.f 1685. Henry Harris. 1706-26-27. John Croker. 1706-26. Samuel Bull. 1706. Gabriel Clerk. 1727. John Rolles. 1727. Beresford. 1729-40. J. Sigismond Tanner. 1741, 1749. Jas. Anthony Dassier. 1741. Richard Yeo. 1741, 1742, 1749. J. Ralph Ocks. 1742. John Tanner. 1764. Lawrence Natter. 1771. Thomas Pingo. 1779. Lewis Pingo. 1787. John Pingo. 1797. Nathaniel Marchant. FRANCE. Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries.—Etienne Marcel, died 1358. Of the fifteenth century, Denis Le Maignan; Jean Le Maignan; Hans Crest and Nicolas Giffart, of Paris; Jean Delut; Jean Nicolas de Gonesse ; Julien Gaultier; Jean de Nimeguen; Robert Lenoble, of Burgundy; J. Durosne, of Toulouse; Jean Hasquin, &c. Sixteenth Century.—Gilles Steclin, of Valenciennes; Claude Marcel ; Benvenuto Cellini, Orfevre du Roi, 1542; Etienne Delaulne, called * It was not until Henry VII.’s reign that any real expression was given to the human countenance, either in sculpture or coinage, in England. t Roettier left the year William III. came to the throne. He had coined for Charles II. and James II. Being a Jacobite, he made King William’s halfpence so that the back part of the head represented a satyr’s face with horns. For this he was turned out of his office, and was subsequently employed in the French Mint. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 2 03 Stephanus, born at Orleans, established at Strasbourg, circa 1550; Robert Rouvet de Paris; Jean Vovert; Jean Toutin de Chateaudun; Stephanus Carteron de Chatillon; P. Simony de Strasbourg; Claude and Jean de la Haye, Goldsmiths of Charles IX.; Jean Cousin; Francois Briot, c. 1550; Philippe Le Roy; Jean l’Enfant; Mathieu Marcel; Nicolas Lepeuple; Jean Hirondelle; Victor Mas, of St. Omer; Vincent de Fourques, of St. Omer. Seventeenth Century.—Claude Ballin; Louis Roupert de Metz; Gilles & Gedeon L’Egare, Alexis Loire; Rene de la Haye; Pierre de Montarsy; P. A. Du Cerceau; J. M. Bernard Tarot; Thomas Germain; Delaunay; Mellin ; Roettier, &c. GERMANY. The Goldsmiths of Nuremberg and Augsburg were celebrated all over Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the finest examples of ornamental plate now in existence emanated thence. We give a few of the more important names, but the list is very meagre, considering the numerous meritorious artists who executed them, the initials of whose names alone are preserved. Sixteenth Century.—Theodor de Br}', of Frankfort; Lucas Lilian; Hans Schroder, of Augsburg; Christopher Jamnitzer, of Nuremberg; Marc Krundler, of Nuremberg; Johann A. Sande; Johann Helleck; Johann, of Cologne, &c.; Johann Perckman, of Augsburg; Meiitings, of Nuremberg; A. Schweinberger, of Augsburg. Seventeenth Century.—Christopher Lencker, of Augsburg. HOLLAND. Seventeenth Century.—The Goldsmiths of Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Groningen were celebrated over Europe. Jehan Lutma, of Amsterdam ; Michael Le Blond, of Frankfort and Amsterdam; Laurent Jans Micker; Adrian Muntinck; Adam Van Vianen, c. 1620; Abraham Heckius; Henry Janssen ; John of Nimeguen. BELGIUM. Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries.—Simon Lachengon; Baudouin Le Prestre; Jean Mainfroy, Goldsmith of the Duke of Burgundy, suc¬ ceeded by Gerard Loyet, 1405-76; Corneille de Bonte; Van Houten ; Valin; Borlunt; Vilain; De Schoenen; Van Ravenscoot, all of Ghent. 204 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Michelet Ravary; Jean Pentin; Cunin; Clasquin; Domenique; Martin Guisbrecht; Jean de Miron, all of Bruges. Jean Van Acken; Gaspart and Henri de B ache re; Jean Elselaire; Jean Van der Kelde; Lionis Meert; Jean Van Berghem, all of Brussels. Jacquemart Festau, of Mons; Jean de Brye, of Tournay; Jean Gogele, of Liege; Jacques Alart, of Douay; Jean de Bethencourt; Regnault de Barbier, of Arras; Girard Van Bure, of Lille. EXAMPLES OF ENGLISH AND FOREIGN HALL MARKS. 1. LONDON. 1545. Silver Spoon with a lion sejant on stem.— Dr. & Mrs. Ashford. 2. London. 1654. Silver Spoon with a knob on the stem, like the capital of a column. 3. LONDON. 1698. Britannia or new standard. Pair of Silver Candle¬ sticks, plain baluster stems. 4. PARIS. Circa 1720. Pair of Silver Boxes. (Loan Catalogue, 6413.) —Lord Bateman. 5. France. Circa 1784. Pair of Silver Powder Boxes, with the arms of the Due de Rohan.— Felix Slade , Esq. 6. France. Circa 1750. Gold ena¬ melled Snuff Box, temp. Louis XV.— C. Goding , Esq. 7. France. Circa 1740. Silver Sugar Pot and Cover, rococo scrolls, &c. — South Kensington Museum, No. 4246. 8. Augsburg. Circa 1650. Silver Ewer and Salver. (Loan Catalogue, 6251 .)—Duke of Manchester. 9. Nuremberg. Circa 1650. Silver Standing Cup. (Loan Catalogue, 6197.)— Her Majesty the Queen. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 205 ® ® CE 10. HOLLAND. Circa 1642. Silver Salver with inscription. (Loan Catalogue, 6182.)— Baron Lionel ae Rothschild. 11. HAARLEM. Circa 1700. Oviform Silver Tea Canister.— South Ken¬ sington Museum. 12. AMSTERDAM. Seventeenth century. Oval Silver Box and Cover, with large repousse flowers. 13. SAXONY. Seventeenth century. Sil¬ ver gilt Cup, repousse historical subjects. 14. Berne. 1690. Large Lion Cup, given by William III. to the city of Berne. (Loan Cat., 6363.)— Baron M. de Rothschild. 15. DOCCUM. 1648. Silver Beaker, en¬ graved with costume figures, &c.— South Kensington ATuseum, No. 3636. 16. Wurtemberg. Circa 1660. Silver Beaker, with landscapes and figures. (Loan Cat., 6394.)— J. D. Gardner , Esq. 17. Vienna. Sixteenth century. Silver Salt Cellar. (Bernal Coll.)— South Kensington Museum. 18. UTRECHT. Seventeenth century. Sil¬ ver Beaker with bells and Dutch inscription. 19. MAYENCE. Circa 1620. Silver Tan¬ kard, repousse classical subject. (Loan Cat., 6324.)— E. Waterton } Esq. 206 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. <$> * L V* cf. 20. Rome. 1790. Silver Ewer of the late Card. York, made by L. Valadini. —Duke of Hamilton. ® (84]H)[st 1 STAP ^ 716 ^ PD 21. St. Petersburg. 1829. Silver Cup, 84 parts fine, 16 alloy.— W. Chaffers , Esq. 22. NAPLES. Circa 1740. On a Spoon and Fork. In Professor Church's possession. 23. The Hague. Circa 1700. On a pair of Candlesticks.— Dublin Ex¬ hibition. jToreign ©all The following imperfect list is here given merely as an attempt to reduce to a system the marks adopted by other countries in marking their plate. No works have hitherto been published on the subject, and therefore great allowance must be made for any inaccuracy in the appropriation of localities. It is in fact a few notes made by the author alone, on the inspection of pieces of plate which have come under his immediate observation. He will therefore feel obliged for further infor¬ mation from those gentlemen who have opportunities of assisting him. The great centres of Goldsmiths’ work, Augsburg and Nuremberg, where nearly all the finest pieces of plate were produced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, do not appear to have dated their works, as we seldom find more than two marks, viz., that of the city and that of the maker. Amsterdam and other towns in Holland probably had date-marks, as a letter is generally found in juxtaposition with the town mark and that of the maker. On many pieces of German plate are stamped the figures 13 or 12. These numbers refer to the quality of the silver accord¬ ing to Cologne weight, viz., 13 parts of fine silver and 3 parts alloy, making up the 16 loths of which the Cologne mark or half a pound con¬ sisted. It is still adopted in the northern parts of Germany, but troy weight of 12 ounces in the pound is mostly used. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 207 Augsburg. Nuremberg . . . . Prussia. Austria. Cologne . . . . . Mayence . Vienna. Vienna. Berlin. HamburgandLubeck Dantzic. Brunswick . . . . Limburg . WURTEMBERG . . . Saxony. Cleves . Ratisbon or Minden Worms. Bremen . Hungary. Hall. Biberach . * . . . . Greuzenbach . . . Konigsberg . . . . Westphalia . . . . Coblentz . Keyserberg . . . . Biel. Ravensberg . . . . Speyer and Prague . Hamburg . Antwerp . Unknown. . . . . Unknown. Unknown. Unknown. GERMANY. A pine-apple, the arms of the city (see plate, p. 204). The capital Roman letter N (see plate, p. 204). Spread eagle (one neck). Imperial eagle (two necks). Three crowns in chief on a shield, and eleven flames. A wheel with six spokes (see plate, p. 205). A shield of arms with two bars (see plate, p. 205). The imperial eagle and W. (Wien). A sceptre. The imperial eagle. Two crosses, crowned. A lion. A horse. Three stags’ horns on a shield. Two crossed swords; sometimes “ 13 ” (13 fine silver and 3 alloy of the Cologne mark, see plate, p. 205). Three lines with forked ends, crossed. Two crossed keys. A single key. A single key. A double cross, crowned, on a mound. A crescent and star above. A wolf rampant. A fish on a shield. A crowned head. A horse galloping. A fleur de lis. A saddle. Two hatchets crossed. A castle with two towers. A castle with three towers. A castle with three towers. A citadel, from which issue two hands. A griffin sejant. A A in monogram; a small N and 5 on each side, perhaps Frankfort (Nieu stadt). N A crowned and 92 beneath. T F under an imperial crown, an eagle in the centre. 208 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Unknown . Unknown. Unknown. Unknown. Unknown. Unknown. Unknown. Unknown. Unknown. Geneva Neuchatel An anchor. Zona shield. A double diamond with a C in each space. A spread eagle on a rock. A horse galloping and a triangle, perhaps Hanover. An open hand crowned, and a spread eagle. A shield with three squares, two and one. A sword and an arrow crossed. Two banners crossed. Dexter, a demi-spread eagle with two necks ; sinister, a key. Three chevrons. HOLLAND AND BELGIUM. Holland . Haarlem . Lille . . Tournay . Utrecht . Hague . . Amsterdam Maestricht (?) . Doccum .... Flushing . . . Orange (House of) Leyden .... Hainault . . . Breda .... Bergen op Zoom Brussels . . . Dordrecht . . Delft .... . A lion rampant, usually accompanied by the mark of a town and Goldsmith’s mark (see plate, p. 205). . A dagger, with four stars at the sides and a cross at the point, sometimes crowned, and occasionally the lion rampant is added (see plate, p. 205). . Gules, a fleur de lis argent. . A tower. . A shield of arms of the town and lion rampant (see plate, p. 205). . A lion rampant for Holland, a stork holding a horse-shoe in its beak, a letter crowned and a monogram (see plate, p. 206). . Three saltire crosses, one above the other on a shield, crowned; recent stamps have a letter at the side (see plate, p. 205). . A star of six points. . A crescent and three stars (see plate, p. 205). . A silver flagon or amphora, crowned. . A hunting horn on a shield. . Two crossed keys. . Four lions on a shield, two and two. | Three saltire crosses, two above, another below on a shield. St. Michael killing the dragon. V A shield, party per pale. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 209 Holland . Holland . Holland . Holland . Holland . The letter V on a shield, crowned. A hunting horn on a shield. A rose under crown, and lion rampant. A cock, a shield of arms and a small letter, and the lion rampant of Holland. Two lions, one above the other, and a crown, and the lion rampant. VARIOUS. St. Petersburg . . Moscow. Sweden. Berne . Rome. Spain, Fuente d’onoro Burgundy (House of) SCHAFFHAUSEN . . Naples. One sceptre crossed by two anchors (see p. 206). St. George and the Dragon. Three crowns, two over one. A bear passant (see p. 205). Two crossed keys and a tiara (see p. 206). The pillars of Hercules crowned “Fuente,” and a pelican “ in her piety.” A steel (fer a feu) crossed by two clubs. The forepart of a goat. An iron crown and NAP with the numerals 716, denoting the standard (see p. 206). After the simple and uniform methods of stamping plate adopted in England by the use of the lion passant from the arms of England appropriately denoting the standard, and the leopard's head taken from the arms of the Goldsmiths’ Company, denoting the assay, with the alphabetical cycles enabling us to determine the exact date of manu¬ facture, and later, the head of the sovereign attesting payment of the duty, we are astonished and perplexed at the complicated and apparently incongruous methods adopted on the Continent by the employment of punches of animals, birds, classical heads, fabulous animals, and copies from Greek coins, which would baffle all the attempts of a sphinx to guess at their meaning; and which, moreover, appear to undergo a change every twenty or thirty years, new designs from heathen mythology being substituted to represent the various standards. In fact, it appears to have been the aim of the projectors of the laws to keep the secret of time and place entirely within the knowledge of the officials alone. Hieroglyphics of the Assay Offices and the wardens were inserted, that fraudulent imitations of the marks might be more easily detected by them. This is especially the case in France, where the double stamping or countermarking on the upper and under surfaces of plate is effected at the same blow by means of what are termed bigornes or engraved punches applied by a screw to the anvil, representing insects, &c. o 210 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. In Germany and Holland it was formerly the custom to indicate the date by means of letters, but this seems to have fallen into disuse toward the end of the last century. In France a date-letter was used down to the time of the Revolution in 1789, when all the laws of imposts were abolished, and there was no sort of restriction with regard to the standards of gold and silver, the manufacturers making whatever quality they pleased. The great French Act of the 19 Brumaire, An VI. (1797), formed the groundwork of all future legislation on the standard and assay of the precious metals, but the alphabetical date-mark was not revived. Nearly all Continental States seem to have founded their systems on this important law, which we have quoted at length in Part II. THE AUSTRIAN EMPIRE. Principal Assay Office, Vienna.* From November 1866, the punches for marking gold and silver works were fixed as follows. There are four legal standards for gold and four for silver. Standard Millims kar. grs. Description of Punch. Position of Numeral. Form of Punch. 1st 920 22 0^ GOLD. Head of Apollo to left ... 1 in front. Pointed top and bottom, 2nd 840 20 Of do. do. . 2 at back. with convex sides. Hexagon of concave lines. 3rd 750 18 0 do. do. . 3 nape of neck Pentagon, point downwards 4th 580 13 3f do. do. . 4 under chin... Quadrangle, concave sides 1st 950 oz. dwts. 11 8 SILVER. Head of Diana to the right 1 in front. Cinquefoil, flat base. 2nd 900 10 16 do. do. . 2 at back. Hexagon (perfect). 3rd 800 9 12 do. do. . 3 nape of neck Cinquefoil (perfect). 4th 750 9 0 do. do. . 4 under chin... Pentagon, point upwards. Gold standard punch. Small size Goat’s head to right. 3 at back. Irregular hexagon, do. do. do. Fox’s head to left. 4 at back. do. Silver do. do. Greyhound’s head to right. 3 at back. do. do. do. do. Lion’s head to left. 4 at back. do. Punch for old works of Gold and Silver. VR. monogram, do. Foreign do. do. AY. monogram. * We have been favoured by Mr. Walter Prideaux, Secretary of the Goldsmiths’ Company, with the laws relating to the Standards of Vienna, Geneva, and Neuchatel, from which we have made these extracts. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 211 A special letter denoting the provincial Assay Office is stamped upon the standard mark, opposite the numeral, on the other side of the head. REPUBLIC AND CANTON OF GENEVA. Assay Office established September 22, 1815. The punches for marking gold and silver were fixed as follows :— 1st. That of the Maker. 2nd. That of the Assay. 3rd. That of the Guarantee. There is only one legal standard for gold and three for silver. Standard. Millims. kar. grs. Description of Punch of Assay. Guarantee Punch. One only 750 18 0 GOLD. The bow of a key, G enclosed... The shank of the key, G above. 1st. 950 oz. dwts. 11 8 SILVER. Head of an eagle in profile. ) 2nd . 875 10 10 A horse’s head . A crown for the 3 standards. 3rd . 800 9 12 A lion’s head, full face. There is also a fourth punch for verification (recense), changeable. The remedy (tolerance) of standards is for gold 3 millims, for silver 5 millims. Each punch has a different form, as determined by tbe Council. Works in copper gilt to be stamped CUIVRE ; if of silver gilt, ARGENT. REPUBLIC AND CANTON OF NEUCHATEL. Assay Office reorganised December 14, 1852 (abrogating the laws of 1839, 1841, and 1846). The punches for marking gold and silver are of two sorts, viz.:— 1st. That of the Maker. 2nd. That of the Standard or Assay. There is only one legal standard for gold, and only one for silver. For GOLD, 750 millims or 18 karats fine. For SILVER, 800 millims or 9 ounces 12 dwts. fine. The punch of assay is as heretofore, for gold and silver THE THREE CHEVRONS. No remedy or tolerance is allowed. All watch-cases to be marked with an ordinal letter by the maker. Copper or silver gilt works are to be stamped CUIVRE or ARGENT as the case may be. 2 L 2 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. VARIOUS STANDARDS OF GOLD AND SILVER, IN MILLIEMES OR THOUSANDTHS. The Gold estimated in karats and grains. Silver in ounces and dwts. 4 grains = I karat. 20 dwts. = i ounce. COUNTRIES. England ... 33 33 33 33 33 France . 33 33 33 33 33 Austria & Prussia ... Denmark & Sweden ... Geneva 33 33 33 33 33 33 *3 SILVER. GOLD. MILLIMS. OZ. DWTS. EAR. GR8. Of the Old Standard, still used Gold... . 22 0 917 „ New „ (Dublin only) 33 . 20 0 834 >> do. „ . 33 . 18 0 750 do. ,, . 33 • • • • • • 15 0 625 >> do. ,, . 33 . 12 6 500 „ do. „ . 33 * * * ... ... 9 0 375 Old Standard. Silver.. 11 2 925 New do. (Britannia) . 33 11 10 959 Old Standard, with 3 punches.. Gold... 01 0 7 " 1 "8 906 ,, do. Jewellery . 33 18 0 750 New do. 1st . 22 0£ 920 „ do. 2nd . 33 20 Of 840 ,, do. 3rd . 18 0 750 Old do. . Silver.. 11 74 948 New do. 1st . 11 8 950 ,, do. 2nd . 33 9 12 800 New Standard, 1st . Gold... 22 01 920 „ do. 2nd . 3 3 20 Of 840 ,, do. 3 rd . 33 18 0 750 „ do. 4 th . 33 13 3 f 580 ,, do. 1st . Silver.. 11 8 950 ,, do. 2nd . 33 10 16 900 „ do. 3 rd . 33 9 12 800 ,, do. 4 th . 33 9 0 750 ()ld Standards . Gold... 19 21 819 do. . Silver.. 10 u 840 Old Standard, before 1800 . Gold... • • • • • • 18 0 750 do. (Stamp, arms of Geneva) 1st Silver.. 10 18 J 910 do. (2 stamps of the maker) 2nd 33 10 0 833 do. (1 stamp of the maker) 3 rd 33 9 0 750 New Standard, since 1800 ... Gold... 18 0 750 do. do. 1st ... Silver.. 11 8 950 do. do. • 2nd .. 33 10 10 875 do. do. 3 rd .. 33 9 12 800 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 213 COUNTRIES. SILVER. GOLD. MILLIMS. OZ. DWTS. KAR. GRS. Neuchatel. New Standard, one only . Gold .. 18 0 750 11 do. do. Silver.. 9 12 800 Holland ... NewStand d (since July 1807 ) 1 st Gold... 22 0 917 11 do. „ 2 nd 11 20 0 833 a do. „ 3 rd 11 18 0 750 a do. „ 1 st Silver.. 11 4 933 » do. „ 2 nd 11 10 0 833 19 Old Standard Silver, beforel 807 11 10 10 875 Belgium ... Formerly the Standards were as in Germany; after the Conquest as France. Spain . The Standard after the Assay is Gold... 21 2| 905 Silver.. 8 17 738 77 y y There was probably a higher standard for Silver Tuscany ... No information, but probably as France. Italy . The same Stand 1, as in France. Milan . Ancient Stand 8, of the Ex Duchy Gold... 22 0 917 Silver. . 10 10 875 After the Re-union the same as France. Naples. In the 18 th century very low... After 1789 the same as France and Italy. Silver. . 8 12 716 Portugal... After the Assay . Gold... 20 1 844 do. . Silver.. 10 2i 844 11 Russia. No information, but about. Gold... 21 93 . 900 11 a a . Silver.. 10 1| 840 11 » a . 11 9 0 750 Savoy and Piedmont . Old Standards were . (Since the Re-union as in France) Gold... Silver.. 11 8i 20 1 844 952 America ... No information. But according to Ryland no assay marks are used, and no State protection afforded to purchasers of plate. China . N0 information, but said to be for Gold... 19 0 | 800 (Gold 80 toques, Silver 98 toques) Silver.. 11 15* 980 Morocco ... Probably the same as the coins Gold... 19 1 802 If 11 11 . Silver.. 10 H 840 END OF PART I. , J, * PART II. L’ORFEVRERIE FRANCAISE WITH Extracts from tfje Statutes anti ©romances RELATING TO THE STAMPING OF GOLD AND SILVER WARES, FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MAKER’S MARK TO THE PRESENT DAY. EHustratrti fottf) SEfocIbe plates of ^all fftarks OF THE STANDARD AND ASSAY; AND DESCRIPTIVE NOTICES OF THE PUNCHES, STANDARD, ASSAY, REGULATIONS OF GOLDSMITHS, FRAUDS AND OFFENCES, SUMPTUARY LAWS, METRIC SYSTEM, RECENSE OR VERIFICATION, THE ARGUE, Etc. BY WILLIAM CHAFFERS, AUTHOR OF “MARKS AND MONOGRAMS ON POTTERY AND PORCELAIN,” ETC. “ Opus quale sit, ignis probabit.” — i Cor. iii. 13 . {Motto of the Goldsmiths’ Company of Rouen .) LONDON. 1896. jfrance. DECLARATIONS, EDICTS, AND DECREES REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK. 1275. Compelling goldsmiths to stamp their works with the seign or punch of the town in which they lived. 1313. Ordering gold works to be stamped with the punch of the Goldsmiths’ Company of Paris. 1506. Nov. Confirming ancient privileges and enjoining goldsmiths to have their works countermarked by the wardens and limiting the weight of silver works to 3 marks. 1510. Feb. Authorising the manufacture of vessels of gold and silver of any weight conformable to the standard. 1554. Limiting the number of goldsmiths, and relating to the keeping of registers of buyers and sellers of gold and silver works, partly repealed in the following year. 15/7- Sept. Relating to marks and countermarks. 1631. Oct. Placing a duty (droit de remede) on all works of gold and silver. 1633. May. The previous Act revoked, by the goldsmiths of Paris paying the composition of 24,000 livres, and 8000 by the wire drawers. 1672. March 30. Goldsmiths’ work to pay a duty of 30 sols per ounce on gold and 20 sols per mark on silver to the King’s profit. 1674. Feb. 17. Augmenting the duty on gold and silver, viz., 60 sols per ounce on gold and 40 sols per mark on silver. 1679. Dec. 30. Regulating the goldsmiths’ trade, and on the com¬ merce of gold and silver. 217 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 218 1681. July. Duties on gold and silver (de Marque); 3 livres per ounce on gold and 40 sols per mark on silver. 1685. Feb. 3. For the countermark of old vessels and other large works of gold and silver. 1687. Feb. 21. Prohibiting the manufacture of works in gold and of massive pieces of silver, therein named. 1689. Oct. 25. Regulations for the refining of gold and silver. 1697. June. Concerning the droit de Marque and Controle on works of gold and silver. 1700. March. Limiting the weight of vessels of gold to 1 ounce, and silver to 12 marks; prohibiting the manufacture of massive plate. 1720. Feb. 18. Renewing the prohibitions decreed in March 1700. 1721. Nov. 23. Permitting the manufacture of gold snuff-boxes, etuis, and other jewels of the weight of 7 ounces, and reducing the standard for watch-cases, boxes, &c., to 20J karats. 1724. Jan. 4. Declaring sentence of death against those who counter¬ feit stamps, or insert or solder stamps on other plate. 1725. April 20. Regulating the commerce of gold and silver. 1733. Nov. 13. Ditto, and relating to the stamping of metals. 1735. April 19. Confirming the decree of Jan. 1724, &c. 1746. May 21. Regulating the fabrication of galloons and lace of gold and imitation. 1749. Jan. 26. Concerning the duties on gold and silver. 1751. Mar. 17. New regulations for the marque of gold and silver. 1760. June 21. Directing the Farmer of the duties not to apply the stamp of discharge on plate, unless previously stamped by the Maison Commune. 1763. Dec. 5. Directing all assayers of the Mint of the kingdom to adopt an uniform method of making assays of gold and silver. 1765. Dec. 2. Requiring all silver articles plated, or covered with gold, to be distinctly stamped ARGENT. 1769. Sept. 9. Concerning works of gold and silver coming from abroad. 1779. Mar. 18. Concerning the duties on plate sold at the Mont de Piete in Paris. 1782. Aug. 31. Regulating the duties and describing all the marks of standard, &c., to be used. 1783. Sept. 10. Authorising wardens to increase the number of punches for small works of gold and silver. 1783. Sept. 20. Forbidding the sale of jewels or small works of gold and silver which have not been assayed and marked. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 219 1783- 1783. 1795 * 1797. 1S03. 1817. 1818. 1825. 1835. *837 • 1838. Dec. 13. Regulating the standard of works of silver at 11 ounces 12 grains, and gold at 20J karats. Dec. 15. Establishing an invariable mark for each community of goldsmiths in France. (An IV.) Introducing the metric system of weights. (An VI.) Re-establishing the standards of gold and silver, and ordering new punches, &c., recense, &c. May 31. Ordering new punches as herein described. Oct. 22. Ditto ditto. July 1. Ditto ditto, recense, &c. Dec. 18. Relating to the metric system. June 30. Ordering new punches of standard and assay, &c. July 4. Relating to the metric system. April 7. Ordering the recense gratuite or gratuitous verification of works of gold and silver. BOOKS OF REFERENCE. Livre des Metiers, by Etienne Boileau, Provost of Paris. Thirteenth century. Statuts et Privileges du Corps des Marchands Orfevres-Joyailliers de Paris, by Pierre Le Roy (see Appendix). Paris , 1734-1759. Journal pour servir d Messieurs les Gardes de I Orfevrerie, printed at the end of the seventeenth century. Traite sonnnaire de !Institution du Corps et Communaute des Marchands Orfevres, by Pierre de Rosnel. 1662 Code de 1 Orfevrerie ou Recueil & Abrege Chronologiques des Reglemens, &c., sur les Ouvrages d’Or et dArgent, par M. Poullin de Vieville, published by Knapen. Paris , 1785 Traite de la Garantie , par B. L. Raibaud. Paris , 1825 Maticres d’Or et d'Argent, par B. L. Raibaud. Paris, 1835 Histoire de VOrfevrerie-Joaillerie, by P. Lacroix and F. Sere. Paris, 1850 FRANCE. In France a system of stamping gold and silver wares was adopted as early as the thirteenth century, but the means of ascertaining the date of manufacture is not so easily determined as in England. In the Livre des Metiers, for the regulation of trades in France, com¬ piled by Etienne Boileau, Provost of Paris 1258-1269, we find some of the rules by which the goldsmiths were regulated, and that masters were appointed to see them carried into effect. This was probably the first 220 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. institution of the Goldsmiths’ Company in Paris, in which we meet with the following clauses, in the old language of the time of Saint Louis:— “Nus orfevres ne puet ouvrer d’or a Paris qu’il ne soit a la touche de Paris ou mieudres, laquele touche passe touz les ors de quoi on oeuvre en nule terre.” Again, “ Nus orfevres ne puet ouvrer a Paris d’argent que il ne soit ausi bons come estelins ou mieudres.” No goldsmith may work gold in Paris which is not of the Paris touch or better, which touch or standard surpasses all the gold which is worked in any other country. No goldsmith may work at Paris any silver which is not as good as sterling (of England) or better. “Nus orfevres ne puet avoir que un aprenti estrange mes de son lignage ou du lignage sa fame, soit de loing soit de pres en peut-il avoir tant come il li plaist.” No goldsmith can have but one apprentice who is a stranger, but as many of his or his wife’s relations as he pleases. “ Nus orfevres ne puet ouvrer de nuit, se ce n’est a l’euvre lou Roy, la Roine, leur anfans, leur freres et l’evesque de Paris.” No goldsmith may work at night except on work commanded by the King, the Queen, their children, their brothers, and the Bishop of Paris. “Nus orfevres ne doit paiage ne costume nule de chose qu’il achate ne vende apartenant a leur mestier.” No goldsmith shall pay any tax or duty on anything he buys or sells appertaining to his trade. “Nus orfevres ne puet ouvrir sa forge au jour d’apostele, se ele n’eschiet au Samedi fors que un ouvroir que chascun ouvre a son tour a ces festes et au diemenche; et quanques cil gaaigne qui l’ouvroir a ouvert, il le met en la boiste de la confrairie des orfevres, en laquele boiste en met les deniers Dieu que il orfevre font des choses que il vendent ou achetent apartenans a leur mestier, et de tout l’argent de celle boiste done-on chascun an le jor de Pasques un diner as povres de 1 ’Ostel Dieu de Paris.” No goldsmith may open his forge on the day of the fete of one of the twelve Apostles, if it does not fall on a Saturday, with the exception of the shop, which every one opens in his turn on the fete days and on Sundays, and all that he gains who has an open shop on these days he shall put in the box of the Confrerie of Gold¬ smiths, in which box the alms are placed, given by the goldsmiths according as they buy and sell their merchandise, the contents being- devoted on Easter Day every year for a dinner to the poor at the Hotel Dieu of Paris. These regulations appear to have supplemented an ordinance which has not come down to our times, for they do not enter into any details of the fabrication of works of gold and silver, or notice the stamps necessary to be placed upon them. In an ordinance of Philippe le Hardi, A.D. 1275, the argentarii were compelled to stamp their works with the seign of the town in which their HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 221 forge was situated, on pain of confiscation of the goods; and in the reign of Philippe le Bel, A.D. 1313, gold was ordered to be stamped with the punch of the Goldsmiths’ Company of Paris, which was kept by the prudhommes of the Company. “Tout orfevre qui negligerait de faire marquer ses ouvrages serait puni de corps et d'avoir; ” that is, by fine and imprisonment. It was also ordained that each city should have a particular mark for works in silver. This was the origin of the Hall-mark in France, each town having a different device and a letter, changing every year at the election of the new masters. The marks for goldsmiths’ work made at Paris were anciently of two sorts, the maker’s mark, and the assay mark of the maison commune , or common hall. The first was the signature of the goldsmith, who usually adopted some emblem, as a star, cross, rose, &c., surmounted by a flour de lis. The second, or assay mark, was impressed by the Corporation, and proved that the article had been assayed, and found to be as good as the Paris standard. This stamp can be traced back as far as 1275, as before noticed. The punch was at Paris a letter of the alphabet crowned, changing every year with the new wardens of the craft, or gardes du metier , in alphabetical order. We are informed by Pierre de Rosnel, in the third part of his Mercure lndien ) that the letter for the year 1752 was M; but as several irregularities occur from incidental circumstances, the exact order cannot be ascertained without consulting the minutes of the Mint, where all the marks were registered on a plate of brass by the identical punches. In 1680 the letter L was ordered to be used; in 1783 a man was convicted for forging the letter T of the previous year. The variable mark continued in use until 1783, U being the letter for that year, when Louis XVI. assigned to each community of goldsmiths in France an invariable mark, that of Paris being the letter P crowned. From 1789 we find no stamp until 1797. In the Wardrobe Accounts of Edward VI. we have a very early record of this Hall-mark in the year 1300 {Lib. Gard. Soc. Ant. 352):— “ Item, viij. cocleares argenti signata in collo signo Parisius scilicet, de quondam flore glegelli" —which may be thus rendered—Item, eight silver spoons, marked on the neck or stem with the Paris mark, that is to say, a certain fleur de lis. In the Inventory of the Dukes of Burgundy, 1423, “Pour un pou avoir amende x marcs ij. ounces xv. esterlins dudit or estant a xix. karas, pour faire aultre vaisselle et favour fait venir a xix. karas et un quint, qui est or de touche et au dessoubz n’oseroit on oeuvrer.” Again, in the will of Thomas Rotherham, Archbishop of York, A.D. 1498, are the following allusions to the touches or Hall-marks of Paris, 222 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. London, and Bruges:—“ Item volo quod Thomas Sentegeorg habeat sex taceas sive Bollezbasse Stantes (standing low bowls), in fundo tacearum sunt flores tres sunt Paris towch , et ponderant de Troy LXXI. unc’; aliae tres sunt London Towch, et ponderant cum coopertor, C unc’ de Troy. “Volo etiam quod habeat duas ollas argent’ wynding chaced, quarum una et Bragg's towch , altera London et est ponderant Troy XI. unc.” (Lib. Nig. Scacc., vol. ii. p. 676.) La Croix ( Histoire de /’ Orfevrerie) says:—“The Revolution of 1789 disorganised all the Trade Guilds and Communities, and the Goldsmiths did not escape the universal shipwreck which ingulphed at the same time Religion, Royalty, and the Public fortune. Of what avail could be the Goldsmiths’ trade in a time when sceptres and crowns were broken, all the church plate melted and jewels placed on the altar of the country, when gold and silver coin was replaced by bell-metal and assignats. The Goldsmiths’ trade could not survive the Monarchy and the Ecclesi¬ astical power which had given it birth, and under which it had flourished for fifteen centuries.” From 1789, therefore, little or no attention was paid to the stamping of plate in France until the passing of the Act of 1797, so that for a period of nearly eight years goldsmiths were allowed to make whatever quality of gold and silver articles they pleased. SUMPTUARY LAWS. Laws restricting the manufacture of gold and silver to pieces of a certain weight were decreed by Philippe le Bel in the thirteenth century, as well as by his successors, not only to moderate or limit the progress of luxury, but with a view of reserving a sufficient quantity of the precious metals for the coinage. Goldsmiths’ work was therefore limited in weight according to the exigencies and resources of the State at particular times. Under Louis XI. ([461-1483), who disdained luxury and frequently ate and drank out of tin or pewter vessels, the goldsmiths’ art was not much supported, his principal employment of the precious metals being to enshrine the relics of saints and make gifts to ecclesiastical edifices, adorning tombs, &c. His greatest personal expense was the use of enseignes or brooches for his hat, sometimes of gold, but more frequently of baser metal. The former restrictions, therefore, in the size and weight of vessels of gold and silver were continued. Louis XII.’s first ordinance, given at Blois in November 1506, con¬ firmed the ancient decrees and limited the manufacture of silver vessels to three marks, without his express permission. The Goldsmiths of Paris complained bitterly of this restriction, and HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 223 the increased prosperity of the country induced Louis XII. to alter this law four years after. In February 1510 another ordinance authorised goldsmiths to make all manner of silver vessels “de tels poids et fa^on que chacun le jugera convenable,” provided they were of the Paris standard and received the mark of the wardens of the assay. It also states that, in consequence of the ordinance of 1506, many prelates, princes, and nobles had been com¬ pelled to have their large pieces of plate made in other countries, to the great injury of the trade. Louis XII. and his Minister the Cardinal d’Amboise, in patronising the arts generally, paved the way for the development of the Renaissance under Francis I. and Henri II. Francis I. greatly encouraged the goldsmiths’ trade and drew all the best Italian artists to Paris by his liberal patronage, among them the famous Benvenuto Cellini, who was created Orfevre du Roi; but a great many jewels which are attributed to him (if really of the time) are the works of contemporary artists, and Cellini was not the only goldsmith employed by the King. The sumptuous presents the King made to his favourites, and lords and ladies of his court, kept the trade generally in full activity, and he frequently directed the artist himself, and furnished models with his own hands. All the works of Cellini and others were first submitted to the King for approbation and approval. Brantome relates that Francis I. ordered a great number of jewels, ornamented with emblems and devices and set with precious stones, for his mistress, Madame de Chateaubriand; but his penchant for the lady having subsided or become extinct, he reclaimed all the jewels which had been presented to her. The Countess, obeying his command, returned them all melted into ingots. The reign of Henri II. was still more favourable to the goldsmiths’ and jewellers’ trade, and his inventory records the wonderful jewels and works in gold and silver made by his orders. His taste was ably seconded or probably inspired by Diana of Poitiers, and the goldsmiths’ art kept pace with the other arts which flourished in this King’s reign. It must be remembered also that after the discovery of the New World, when the quantity of gold and silver had increased to such an amazing extent, these sumptuary laws fell into disuse and were dis¬ regarded ; the manufactures increased, and the State obtained sufficient specie without intrenching upon the luxuries of the rich. It is said that Spain withdrew from America alone, from the end of the fifteenth to the commencement of the eighteenth century, specie of the value of five milliards of piastres in gold and silver, which is about twenty-five milliards of francs, much more than existed in the whole world before the voyage of Christopher Columbus. In a declaration of 1672, Louis XIV. sets forth in the preamble : “The 22 4 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. care which the Kings our predecessors have taken from time to time by ordinances, &e., to repress luxury, has prompted us frequently to follow their example; but the abundance with which God has blessed our kingdom since the Peace, the benefits which our subjects enjoy, and the dignities to which we have elevated those whose distinguished services have entitled them thereto, having insensibly augmented their expenses, we have not thought it d propos to subject them to the severity of the ancient ordinances which would not suit the present state of the kingdom. "We have endeavoured by divers edicts and regulations to prevent the use of many costly works, especially gold and silver lace, which independent of the price of fashion consume the largest proportion of gold and silver, which form the true riches of the State, &c. But as much of the precious metals is consumed by the excessive weight and quantity of vessels of silver and works of gold, so much so that scarcely any find their way into the Mint for coinage, we have sought the most convenient means to remedy this disorder, without injuring the freedom of commerce, amongst which we have found none more easy than the imposition of a duty. For these reasons we will and desire, that there shall be raised for our profit on all gold and silver that shall be worked throughout the kingdom 20 sols for each mark of silver, and 30 sols for each ounce of gold.* And as our principal aim is to reduce the fabrica¬ tion of silver vessels to a reasonable weight so that sufficient be returned into our Mint to be converted into coin, we enjoin that these works be limited to a certain weight which cannot be exceeded without our per¬ mission in writing, and which we reserve to ourselves the right to accord, as we think fit and proper.” The weight of any piece of silver was not to exceed 8 marks, except for ecclesiastical purposes, which were to be made as heretofore without limitation of weight. (This was renewed in February 1687, March 1700, and in February 1720.) These prohibitory edicts, however, do not appear to have had the desired effect, or it may have happened that the King and his special favourites who had his permission to use massive plate carried their extravagance to a high pitch, for it continued to be made and used to a great extent; and in an edict of 30th December 1679, relating to the commerce of gold and silver, a long list is appended giving goldsmiths instructions on what particular parts the stamps were to be applied. The massive character of some of these may be inferred from the de¬ scriptions of objects it includes : Chenets or fire-dogs with the garnitures de feu or grilles, chandeliers with branches, girandoles, torcheres, gueri- * In February 1674 this duty was doubled and increased to 2 livres (francs) per mark on silver, and 3 livres per ounce on gold. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 225 dons, mirrors, flambeaux, tables, large salieres or salts with flambeaux, urns, ewers, cassolettes, &c. To give some idea of the extravagance of Louis XIV., one instance will suffice: it relates to a fete given at Versailles in 1668, and describes some of the costly pieces of silversmith’s work displayed on that occasion, which were all melted in 1688. On each side of the royal buffet was elevated on a portico, 10 feet high, a grand silver gueridon bearing a silver girandole, which lighted the buffet, accompanied by numerous large silver vases ; on the table and steps of this buffet, which reached the altitude of not less than 25 feet, were shown, beautifully arranged, twenty-four massive bowls of marvellous workmanship — these were separated by as many large vases, cassolettes, and girandoles of equal beauty. On the table of the buffet was the gold Nef and the silver gilt vessels for the King’s use—these shone forth from among twenty-four large silver jardinieres full of flowers; in front of the table was a grand silver cistern, shaped like a shell; at the two extremities were four gueridons, 6 feet high, surmounted by silver girandoles. Two other buffets for the service of the ladies displayed, each, four large bowls and four silver figures, supporting a grand vase fitted with girandoles; above the backs of each of these buffets a silver gueridon, gleaming with wax candles, threw a lustre on six grand silver bowls, which served as a background, and many large vases of extraordinary weight and value; before the table of each buffet was a silver cistern weighing 1000 marcs. All this chased and modelled silver-work was of the estimated weight of more than 100,000 marcs of metal (800,000 ounces). An Edict of February 1687 again forbids the manufacture of these large pieces, mentioning those just referred to in the list of 1679, which was probably this time more effectual, for the King himself set an example and his court followed it. A time of great scarcity of money had arrived, and Louis XIV., to raise money for the expenses of his wars, sent all his massive plate to the Mint, and made it compulsory that the nobility and gentry should do the same; in 1688, therefore, all the magnificent services of plate made by Claude Baffin, Pierre Germain, Montarsy, and other celebrated goldsmiths, designed by Le Brun and artists of note, were sold for their intrinsic value to the Mint. The King’s plate alone, which had cost more than ten millions of francs, realised only three millions; the plate of other persons produced a similar amount. These chefs-d'oeuvre were, however, before being broken and cast into the melting-pot, all carefully copied or drawn by the artist-goldsmith Delaunay, and their forms are consequently faithfully preserved. Many of the crown jewels were saved from destruction, among the rest the gold Nef or ship just mentioned, weighing 150 marcs, or about 1200 ounces, which Charles V., Francis I., Henri II., and Charles IX. had successively bequeathed to the crown of France. r 226 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. The decree of February 1687, and the King’s magnanimity (if we may so term it), caused a taste to arise for materials of a less expensive character, and, by the force of circumstances, the age of silver was suddenly metamorphosed into an age of pottery; painted and gilt earthen¬ ware, and eventually porcelain, became the fashion of the day for table services and ornament. Hence a great impetus was given to the fabriques of pottery at Moustiers, Marseilles, Nevers, and Rouen. Louis XIV., it is said, ordered a table service at Rouen, the principal pieces of which were in form of birds, poultry, and animals, and even of vegetables, to replace those magnificent pieces of plate which political exigencies had caused to be so ruthlessly destroyed. The saying of Horace was thus put to the test, and le Grand Monarque (whose impresa was the sun in its splendour) and all his nobles were made cognizant of the fact that it was possible to make a good repast from plates of rude earthenware. FICTILIBUS BENE CCENATUR. In March 1700 the edicts of 1672 and 1687 were ordained to remain in force with certain additions; no work of gold was to be made exceed¬ ing an ounce in weight, and silver articles were not to exceed 8 marcs, under a penalty of 3000 livres and confiscation. All merchants and others were forbid in future to make or sell an}^ stuffs worked with gold or silver above the price of 70 livres the ell. No persons, of whatsoever rank they may be, were to wear clothes full and covered entirely with embroidery, tissue, or lace of gold and silver. Women were forbid, under 3000 livres’ penalty, to wear any embroidery, lace, buttons, or other ornaments on stuffs of gold and silver; nor to wear any gold or silver on scarves, aprons, neckerchiefs, tippets, &c.; nor to wear in future any jewels (except certain rings), stuffs, fringes, or embroideries of gold and silver. It was forbid to use gold or silver on carriages, horse trappings, tapestries, chairs or other furniture, liveries, &c. A declaration of 23rd November 1721, concerning vessels of silver, commences thus :—"Louis, &c., We are always of opinion that we cannot pay too much attention to the repressing of the luxury which causes the ruin of our subjects, and in preventing the precious metals of gold and silver being employed in useless and superfluous goldsmiths’ work. With this view our declaration of February 1720 forbids the fabrication of any work of gold exceeding the weight of one ounce, but our intention has not been to interdict for ever to our subjects a reasonable use of jewels of gold, nor that of silver vessels of such a weight as to preserve them without deterioration. We are also informed that since our said declaration, there have been introduced into our kingdom, by foreign HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 22 7 dealers and pedlars, a large quantity of snuff-boxes, etuis, and other jewels of gold, the greater part being of inferior quality, which is doubly prejudicial to our subjects, by reason of being deceived on the one hand, and on the other being deprived of the profit of manufacture, which frequently exceeds the intrinsic value, and of which the price has passed into foreign hands. We know also that the standard of gold regulated by the ordinances at 22 karats, with a remedy of a quarter, can only be observed on medals, jettons, and solid works, but that the small works in which solder is employed cannot be worked at this standard; so far from it, in fact, that it does not exceed 14 karats. A ces causes, nous ordonnons,” &c., that jewels of gold, as snuff-boxes, etuis, and other jewels, may be made of the weight of 7 ounces at the most. Goldsmiths and watchmakers are permitted to make and sell small objects of gold in which solder is employed, as crosses, snuff-boxes, etuis, buckles, buttons, watch-cases, &c., of the standard only of 20 karats and a quarter, with a remedy of a quarter; all other works to remain of the standard as heretofore, not exceeding 7 ounces in weight, without permission in writing. THE STANDARD. The Marc of the finest or pure gold contains 24 karats . The Marc of the finest or pure silver contains 12 deniers. Goldsmiths and others who employ materials of gold and silver must work them of the standard prescribed by the regulations and within the remedies allowed by the law. Refiners may not refine silver at a lower standard than 11 deniers 18 grains, and gold below 23 karats 26 thirty-seconds (f§). Goldsmiths are compelled to work gold of the standard 22 karats, with a remedy of a quarter of a karat, and silver at 11 deniers 12 grains, with a remedy of 2 grains; that is to say, if the gold does not contain 21 karats and three quarters, and if the silver does not contain 1 r deniers 10 grains, the metals are not of the standard, and after the assay made at the Maison Commune the work shall be returned to the workman, and shall not be marked with the punch of the countermark at the Common Hall. But the Paris goldsmiths take care, more than all the others, to attain the fineness required by the regulations; and that it is which contributes to keep up the reputation of the punch of Paris. It is, however, permitted that goldsmiths may manufacture small works and jewels of gold, such as crosses, snuff-boxes, etuis, buckles, buttons, &c., at a lower standard, viz., 20 karats and a quarter fine gold, with a remedy of a quarter of a karat. (13th Dec. 1783.) The wire-drawers ( Tireurs ) employ gold of 24 karats with a remedy of a quarter, and silver of 12 deniers with a remedy of 4 grains. The 2 2 00 O pH co H CO H 03 co 00 CO 00 CO tr~ VO 09 be co CO 05 CM VO 00 pH 00 r—H Cl eo H vo CD CO C3 o l-H CM H to co o pH co H 05 3 VO o VO T-H CD t-H CM P^ CO CD 03 Cl to CO pH Hi co pH . h 03 co CO Cl r— 1—H tO O H 00 CO l— pH to © CO o vo 03 00 09 tx 00 Cl tO 03 H 00 CM VO 1- O CO vo oo pH CO CO Cl 03 VO CM GO VO pH t— H CO Cl V- 03 Cl CD 03 pH OO Cl p— P H to o H 00 Cl VO P^ o CO to 00 pH CO © CM m a 00 00 HI CM i-H 03 1' VO CM H © CM Tfi CD 03 pH 00 CM pH VO 03 H* 00 CM VO O 03 pH a a 3 7 1 VO 03 Cl CO O Hi 00 CD H CM pH C5 VO H CM H 1- 03 CM SO 03 pH CO O l-H pH i—H CM Cl CO co CO pH to 03 Cl CD O H co CD Cl i—H 05 P— to Hi CM pH pH T—1 (M Cl CO CO CO pH to 03 Cl CD o H 00 CD Mi O pH pH 1—1 Cl (M CO CO CO p— i—i f—H CO o 03 o Cl CO to o CD pH CD Cl P^ CO CO CO P- pH to CO Cl CD o co P- H Pm VO CM co VO CD 00 C5 o r-H co H © P— 05 o Cl eo vo o SO pH CD Cl i— eo 00 eo 09 fcJO 00 CM CO o H 00 CM t— pH Cl CO to CD OO 03 O pH co CD 1— C5 o Cl CO wo © 3 © oo oo p- CD VO VO H 00 CM CD o H oo CM P— pH Cl co xr to O 00 03 o r-H co VO r—t CO C5 tO r-H CO 03 00 00 P— CD VO VO H H CO CM CO o 00 Cl p^ i—H CM OQ 03 © o O P H r-H Cl CM CO H H VO VO pH t- CO 03 vo pH CO o CO CO CD VO VO H H CO Jz; a co CO 03 CM to cc pH H o t-H pH Cl Cl CO to to pH p^ CO 03 to pH p^ co C5 CO o a t-H I-H l-H CM CM CM CO CO 03 CM to 00 pH o pH pH Cl CM CO H H to to r—H C6 pH r-H pH CM CM CM CO co C3 Cl VO co 1—H © i—H C5 pH pH CM Cl CM eo CD t-H CM eo H VO 6 7 00 03 o o o o o o O o o o o o o o O o o © o © pH (M CO H VO CO t- 00 03 o o o o o o o O © © © pH CM CO H VO CD p^ 00 © © © pH Cl D . VO - o o o o o o o 3 © © © £-3 03 00 p^ pH to O 05 H C5 CO 00 CO CO Cl P- to Cl o p- to Cl o P^ VO © cm H L- 03 Cl H t- o Cl H 00 CO P>- CM CD pH to o CO 05 co 00 CO 00 Cl VO s pH l-H pH pH CM CM HI fc- 03 CM I— 03 CM Hi CO CO P— Cl CD r-H to © C5 Mi l-H pH pH PH W ist. 0.950 2nd. 0.800. Q J O O Large. Small. Small. Distinction. ■ji W Bh < s < { SI < w > £ Large. Medium. Small. £ o P < u 3 ^ 3 w > Large. Medium. Small. £ o 3 « o Large. Small. Paris. Departments. (|P) m © 1 1 jj c/5 ISt. 0.950 2nd. 0.800 Large. Small. Paris. Departments. See the Divisional Punches. Distinction. Paris. Departments. Large. c/l x \ w > c/5 Medium. Small. None for the Departments. See the Table of Divisional Punches. Z o < O X w > Large. Small. Large. z o 3 ■{ x o fcd Small. See the Table of Divisional Punches. Remarks. —1. In the figure of the large punch of Assay of gold and silver, and of Verification, is engraved the number of the Department as shown in the list of Assay Offices. 2. The numeral indicative of each standard is engraved in the figure of the punches which serve to standard the works of gold and silver. 22nd October 1817. Special Punches for Watches. Silver Assay. Gold Assay. Remarks. —x. The letter P belongs to the Paris Assay Office. 2. The Departments have the number which is indicated for the other punches of Assay : thus 23. is that assigned to the Montb^liard As ay Office; 12.. to Arles; 57.. to Dunkerque ; 84. to Sens, and so on. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 267 Plate 8. In use from i6th August 1819 to ioth May 1838. TABLE OF DIVISIONAL PUNCHES, Made in execution of the Ordinance of 22nd October 1817. Division. 1 North. Car. Goi.d Assay. N.E. East. S.E. South. s.w. West. 8 1 N.W. Centre. Sword Hilt. Tiara. Fan. Helmet. Lyre. Morion. Trumpet. Fleur de Lys. Butterfly. Tortoise. Shell. Beetle. Lysse. Frog Snail. Silver i Assay. V ERIFICA- TION. Coffee-pot. T ower. Ciborium. Goblet. Bell. Watering-pot. Thorn back. Guinea Pig. Ewer. Guitar. f: Book. /ja ojN O { X /■. In the figure of the small punches of Assay of gold and silver and of Verification of each Division is engraved the characteristic sign indicated in the following List of Assay Offices. 268 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. In use from i6th August 1819 to ioth May 1838. LIST OF BUREAUX DE GARANTIE OR ASSAY OFFICES OF DEPARTMENTS, * DIVIDED INTO NINE REGIONS (See Plate 8), indicating the Characteristic Signs which distinguish the Punches of each Bureau (22nd Oct. 1817). Divisions. Z II. w M X o Z III. W IV. w q' D Departments. Bureaux. f Lille J i Nord ..0 Valenciennes ■ (^Dunkerque .. Pas-de-Calais.. Somme. Aisne. Seine-Inf6rieure. Oise. Eure . Eure-et-Loir... Seine-et-Oise... Seine-et-Marne. Ardennes Meuse .... Moselle... Rhin (Bas) Meurthe Vosges. Marne . Marne (Haute). Aube. Rhin (Haut) .... Saone (Haute). Doubs . Jura. Cote d’Or. Saone-et-Loire. Ain. Isere. Rhone . I I Arras . I St. Omer . Amiens Laon . / Rouen .... 1 Havre.... Beauvais . Evreux.... Chartres.. Versailles. Melun. M&ieres. j Verdun. t Bar le Due. Metz. Strasbourg. fNanci . -! Pont a Mousson l^Luntiville. Epinal. ( Chalons. "I Reims . J Chaumont . t Langres . Troyes. Colmar. Vesoul. / Besanpon. I Montb^liard. Lons-le-Saulnier Dijon. Macon . Trevoux . Grenoble . Lyon . Var. Bordes du Rhone Gard . Vaucluse. Alpes (Basse). Alpes (Hautes)... Drome. Ardeche. Loire (Haute) ... Loire. j Toulon. ( Grasse. f Marseille ... \ Aix. J Nimes. 1 Alais. Avignon .... Digne. Gap. Valence. Privas . Le Puy. St. Etienne. Characteristic Signs. Divisions. Large Small Work. Work. 57 A ( 57 * c 57 ** D 60 E V. 60* H 75 J 2 M 73 8 73* N v 58 T 25 V r\ 26 X 72 Y 71 * in 7 53 A C VI. 3 D 53 * D C/3 55 E 65 H 52 J V. 52* M 52** 8 f 85 N 49 T 49 * V So X H in 5 °* Y VII. “J 9 -F 0 66 A 68 c J 23 D 23* E f 35 H 19 T 69 M CO I 8 D 36 67 N T viii. 0 PS 0 78 A z 78* C 12 D k. 12* E 12** H r 28 J 28* M 79 8 fii X 4 5 N T IX. z S u 24 V 0 6 X 4i Y 40 V l Departments. Bureaux. Pyrthides-Orient.. j Perpignan.., Aude. Carcassone , H^rault. Montpellier. i 32 Tarn .| Castres. Aveiron. Rodes.! 11 Loz£re. Lot. Cantal. Correze. Ariege. Garonne (He.)... Pyrfnties (Ht.)... Pyrtin6es (B.)_ Landes. Gers . Tarn-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne.. Gironde. Dordogne. Charente . Charente-Inf. ... Vienne (Haute). Vienne. Vendee . Deux Sevres. Loire-Inferieure. Maine-et- Loire.. Indre-et-Loire... Vienne. Agen. Finistere. Morbihan . C6tes du Nord .. Ule-et-Vilaine_ Mayenne. Sarthe.... Orne. Manche.. Calvados. Angouleme... f La Rochelle . t Saintes . Limoges . Poitiers. Fontenay . Niort. Nantes......... Angers. T ours. Chatellerault. Brest_ Vannes. St. Brieux. / Rennes. v St. Malo... Laval . Le Mans .. Alencon.... /St. Lo. I Valognes.. Caen. Puy-de-Dome....' Clermont. Creuse . 1 Gueret.... Allier . Moulins. Loir-et-Cher . j Blois. Cher. _I Bourges. Nievre . Nevers .. / Auxerre ., 1 Sens. Loiret.; Orleans. Yonne. Foix. Toulouse.I 29 Tarbes. J Pau. 1 Baionne.I 62* j Characteristic Signs. Large Small Work. Work. 64 A IO C 32 D 76 E IX H 46 J 44 M 14 8 18 N 8 A 29 C 63 D 62 E 62* H 3 8 J 30 M 77 8 45 N 3 1 T 22 V 15 A l6 C 16* D 82 E 81 H 80 J 74 M 42 8 47 N 35 T 35 JL. * 27 A 54 C 20 D 33 E 33* H 51 J 70 M 59 8 | 48 N .1 48* T V • 61 A 21 C 3 34 E • 39 H • 17 1 • 56 M 84 N . 84* T ■| 43 8 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 269 Plate 9. In use from i6th August 1S19 to ioth May 1838. TABLE OF SIGNS Which cover the surface of Bigornes and of Countermark, made in execution of the Ordinance of the 1st July 1818. Large Countermark. Distinction. Paris and the Depart¬ ments. Denomination. Types. Small Countermark. Distinction.! Denomination. Notoxe. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Conops. Saperde. Criquet. Pentatome. Bibion. . Paris and 1 the Depart¬ ments. Paris only. Plain Ground. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Departments Ditto. Extra for the large Countermark. Ditto. Ditto. Head of Notoxe. Head of Bibion. Paris and the Depart¬ ments. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Gules. Or. Sable. Azure. Types. GAR- A y\ ■a • /ES\ t 4 ? % /A\ 270 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. THE RECENSE GRATUITE, OR GRATUITOUS VERI¬ FICATION OF GOLD AND SILVER. In order to prevent the effect of uncertainty in the Hall-marks on Gold and Silver Plate, which had been so much tampered with that people had no confidence in them as indicative of the actual quality of the material, the public authority took the matter into consideration, and directed the application of another punch, called de recense , or of verification upon all works of gold and silver. This punch was applied gratis, for a certain period, at the Assay Offices after the old marks had been verified by competent persons. The first general recense was decreed by the Act of the 19th Brumaire, An VI. (1797), with regard to works marked with the old stamps of the French Administration; the second in 1809; and the third on the 16th August 1819, of which the term expired on the 16th November of the same year. There was another recense for watches only, which finished on the 1st May 1822. After the expiration of the delay fixed for the gratuitous verifica¬ tion, works of gold and silver, although marked with the old stamps, which should be found in commerce, or exposed for sale, not bearing the new punches of recense and the countermark, were subjected to a fresh assay, and liable to a fresh duty. For many years the want of a new recense became more and more necessary. There were in the jewellers’ trade a great quantity of articles which by reason of the insertion of genuine Hall-marks on inferior gold, and some altogether false or cleverly imitated, had escaped the surveillance of the agents of the Administration. To put an end to frauds of this nature, a Royal Ordinance of the 30th June 1835 prescribed a general recense or verification, and the creation of a new series of punches. Another Ordinance of the 7th April 1838 decreed that the punch of verification ( recense ) should be applied from the 10th of May following, on all the works of gold and silver existing in commerce. A delay of three months was accorded for the application of this punch, and at the expiration of that term the works, although bearing the genuine old marks, were to be reputed as unmarked. The special punches for watch-cases decreed by the Act of 19th September 1821 were suppressed. The French watches were directed to be marked with the ordinary punches of standard and assay; those coming from abroad with a particular punch for imported watches, which was to be applied by the offices designated in the Act of the 2nd July 1836. These offices were Paris, Lyon, Besangon, Montbeliard, and Lons le Saulnier. (Ordinance 7 Avril 1838.) HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 271 The punch of the standard and that of the assay shall form but one stamp, which shall bear a particular sign for each office. A punch of remarque shall be stamped every centimetre on chains, bands, and other works of the same character. (Ibid.) The multiplicity of types of punches adopted in 1819 rendered the knowledge and verification of stamps very embarrassing for the officers of the Excise. In order to facilitate this study, the number of punches previously used was considerably reduced, and they were altered not only in their external form, but by the addition of a distinctive sign for each bureau. (Circulaire de l’Adm. des Contrib. indir. 10 Avril 1838.) It was ordained that, in order to stop the prevalence of counterfeit¬ ing and of inserting marks, the recense should be the reason for a severe and strict examination of the punches on each piece, in order to apply to them with discernment the benefit of this gratuitous mark, or submit them to the duty, or to clear entirely from fraud the commerce of gold and silver, which had so long been practised with impunity. (Circul. de la Comm, des Monn. du 28 Avril 1838.) The stamp of verification ( recense ) ought as nearly as possible to be applied by the side of the old punches, and to be accompanied by that of the countermark. Works in silver and jewellery in personal use by the merchants or makers ought to be submitted to the recense, as well as those of their commerce. Private people, not connected with the trade of goldsmiths or jewellers, have no right to claim the benefit of the recense. (Ibid.) ORDINANCE OF LOUIS PHILIPPE, Dated 7TH April 1838. We give a translation of this important Act, and a plate of the stamps directed to be used as therein stated. 7-12 April 1838, Louis Philippe, &c. —Royal Ordinance direct¬ ing a general verification of the quality of gold and silver works, and the employment of new punches. Referring to the clauses 7, 8, and 15 of the Act of the 19th Brumaire, An VI. (19th November 1797), and taking into consideration that numerous seizures have taken place of gold and silver works, in which the State punches have in a great degree been counterfeited, and that it is highly important as well that the public guarantee should be pre¬ served, as to secure the revenues of the Treasury and to put a stop to the use of false punches. It is enacted :— Art. 1.—From and after the 10th May following, a punch of verifi¬ cation shall be applied on all the works of gold and silver now existing in commerce, and bearing the impress of the legal marks. 272 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Art. 2.—From the same date the new punches of standard and guarantee or assay and the punch of the countermark (of which a table will be published w 7 ith this minute) shall be exclusively employed in all the Assay Offices. Art. 3.—The special punches for watch-cases, and other watch¬ makers’ work, decreed by Article 2 of the Act of the 19th September 1821, shall be repealed. French watches shall be marked with the ordinary punches of standard and assay. Those coming from abroad shall be marked with a special punch for imported watches, which shall be applied in the offices designated by the Act of the 2nd July 1836. Art. 4.—The punch of the standard and that of the Assay Office shall consist of a single stamp, which shall bear a particular sign for each office. A punch called the Remarque shall be placed every decimetre (4 inches) on chains, and other works in gold of the same class. Art. 5.—At the expiration of three months from the day when the new punches are to be used, all merchants, working goldsmiths, jewellers, watchmakers, cutlers, armourers, cabinetmakers, and all other workmen and merchants dealing in gold and silver works, shall be compelled to carry to the Assay Office of their districts the gold and silver works in their possession, to be there marked, free of expense, with the punches of verification and countermark. Art. 6.—At the expiration of the term fixed for the verification, the gold and silver works marked with the ancient punches which shall be found in commerce, without being stamped with the punch of verification, shall be reputed as unmarked, and the holders subject to the condemnations decreed by the law. An Appendix to this Act gives a table of the punches of Standard and Assay , and of Verification , of works in gold and silver as prescribed by the ordinance. The designations, forms, and types of these stamps are engraved in the annexed plate, as they appear on gold and silver, but considerably enlarged. Plate io. Used on the ioth May 1838. (See Act of April 1838, Clauses 2 & 4.) TABLE OF STAMPS Of Standard and Assay, and of Verification of Gold and Silver Works, for Paris and the Departments, as directed by the Act of 30th June 1835. E T | Stamp for Foreign Wares. Head of a Greek Physician. Gold. Standard No. i. 0.920. Paris and Departments. D under the chin. Head of a Greek Physician. Gold. Standard No. 2. 0.840. Paris and Departments. D behind the neck. Head of a Greek Physician. Gold. Standard No. 3. 0.750. Paris and Departments. D behind the neck. Head of Minerva. Silver. Standard No. 1. 0.950. Paris and Departments. D under the chin. Head of Minerva. Silver. Standard No. 2. 0.800. Paris and Departments. D before the forehead. Head of an Eagle. Gold Assay Mark. Paris. Head of a Horse. Gold Assay mark. Departments. D on the cheek. Head of a Wild Boar. Silver Assay mark. A Crab. Silver Assay mark. Departments. D between the claws. Head of a Rhinoceros. Re-mark or mark of repetition for Gold Chains. Paris and Departments. D between the horn and forehead. A Weevil (Large). Guarantee of Standard. Foreign Gold and Silver. Paris and Departments. D between the legs. A Weevil (Small). Guarantee of Standard. Foreign Gold and Silver. Paris and Departments. D between the legs. A Chimera (Large). Silver. Watches imported. Paris and Departments. D between the wings and back. A Chimera (Small). Gold. Watches imported. Paris and Departments. D between the wings and back. Head of a Giraffe. Gold and Silver. Stamp of Verification. Paris and Departments. D below the lower jaw. Head of a Bulldoc. Gold and Silver. Stamp of Verification. Paris and Departments. D on the collar. Note .—The dotted lines indicate the forms of the Punches for the Paris Assay Office. There is no particular sign for Paris, but the distinctive sign of the Assay Office of each Department (see Plate 11) is placed in that pai t of the stamp indicated in the last line of the above descriptions, marked D. The four special Assay Offices for imported Watches are those of Lyon, Besancon, Montbeliard, and Lons-le-Saulnier. S 2/4 HALL MARKS ON PLATE Plate ii. Used on the ioth May 1838. (Decree of 30th June 1835.) LIST OF ASSAY OFFICES (Bureaux de Garantie), Showing the Characteristic Signs which distinguish the Punches of Standard and Assay of each Office. Departments. Number of Department. Assay Offices. Signs of Punches of each Office. Departments. Number of Department. Assay Offices. Signs of ! Punches of | each Office. Ain .... I Trevoux . A Dordogne. . . 22 Perigueux . . . TJ Aisne .... 2 Laon .... Doubs .... ( 2 3 Besanfon . . . V 4 Allier .... 3 Moulins . . . 5 1 23* Montbfdiard . . Alpes (Basses) . 4 Digne.... Drome .... 24 Valence . . . X Alpes (Hautes). 5 Gap .... c Eure .... 2 5 Evreux. . . . (U Ardennes 7 Charleville . . E Eure-et-Loire 26 Chartres . . . Averon . 11 Rodez.... H Garonne (H.) 29 Toulouse . . . B. du Rhone 12 Marseille. . . Gironde . . . 3i Bordeaux . . . 0 Calvados. 13 Caen .... rt H^rault . . . 32 Montpellier . . Cantal . . . 14 Aurillac . . . I Ille-et-Vilaine j 33 Rennes.... + Charente. . . !5 Angouletne . J ^ 33 * St. Malo . . . z Charente-Inf. . f 16 •) La Rochelle K Indre-et-Loire . 35 Tours .... G ^ 16* Saintes . . . L Ishre .... 36 Grenoble . . . Cher .... 17 Bourges . . . • • Jura. 37 Lons-le-Saulnier N Correze . . . 18 Tulle .... O Landes . . . 38 Mont de Marsan A Cote d’Qr . . 19 Dijon .... 3 Loire-et-Cher 39 Blois .... =» Cotes du Nord . 20 St. Brieux . . s Loire .... 40 St. Etienne . . Creuse . . 21 Gu6ret . . . T Loire (Haute) 4 i Le Puy. . . . Plate 12. HALL MARKS ON PLATE. Departments. Number of Department. Assay Offices. Signs of Punches of each Office. l Departments. Number of Department. Assay Offices. Signs of ' Punches of each Office. Loire-Infcrieure 42 I Nantes . . . < ! Pyr6n6es (B.) 62* Bayonne . . . O J' Loiret.... 43 Orleans . . . Pyr6n6es(H.) . 6 3 Tarbes .... £ Lot .... 44 Cahors . . . H Pyrenees Orient. 64 Perpignan. 9 Lot-et-Garonne 45 Agen .... K Rhin (Bas) . . 65 Strasbourg . . )( Lozere . . 46 Mende . . . Rhin (Haut) . . 66 Colmar . . . era Rh6ne .... 6 7 Lyon .... Maine-et-Loire. 47 Angers . . . do ( 48 St. Lo Sa6ne-et-Loire . 69 Macon .... 0# Manche . . . J * 00 j Valognes. . . V | Sarthe .... 70 Le Mans . . A | Seine .... 7 i Paris (none) . >/ ( 49 Chalons . . lx Marne . . J 1 49* Reims . . . J2 f 72 Rouen .... CD Seine-Inferieure . Marne (Haute). 50 Chaumont . 4 (. 72* Havre .... Mayen ne. . 5 1 Laval .... A Seine-et-Marne . 73 Mel un .... T Meurthe . . 52 Nancy . . . -- Seine-et-Oise. 74 Versailles . . . 0 Sevres (Deux) 75 Niort .... ( 53 Bar-le-Duc . c 3 b Meuse . . . ^ 53 * Verdun . . © Somme. . . . 76 Amiens . . . * Tarn .... 77 Albv .... Y Morbihan . . 54 Vannes . b ' Moselle . . . 55 Metz .... Var. j ( 79 Toulon. . . . | a r 57 Lille .... '+j 1 79* Grasse . . . . j 7 Vaucluse . . . 80 Avignon . . . V Nord . . . . I 57* Dunkerque . . ! Vendee. . . . 81 Fontenay . . . a I57** Valenciennes . Oise .... 58 Beauvais . . . j L Vienne .... / 82 Poitiers . . . j 5 ( Ro* Chatellerault . . Orne .... 59 Alenpon ... 1 72 'aj Vienne (Haute) . 83 Limoges . . . (60 Arras . Pas-de-Calais . 'Op Vosges .... 84 / Epinal .... Y 60* St. Omer. . . Puy-de-Dome . 61 Clermont . . 7 Yonne .... 85 Auxerre ... >4 Pyr£n6es (B.) . 62 Pau .... 2 HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 276 It will be observed that in the table of new punches of the 30th June 1835 the assay marks for large pieces of gold and silver plate are omitted, and a punch, not previously used, called the poinqon de remarque , for gold chains, is added. The standard marks for large works are not now, as heretofore, accompanied by a large assay mark; it has been suppressed, as it could without in¬ convenience be replaced by a second impress of the standard mark, taking care not to employ the countermark except next that which takes the place of the large assay mark; thus, for example, a dish shall be marked on the bottom with the standard without the countermark, and on the border with a second standard mark, countermarked. ON THE APPLICATION OF THE STAMPS. Since the establishment of Assay Offices in the different depart¬ ments, the application of punches has been entrusted to the comptrollers of these bureaux, and in this operation, to ensure uniformity among the various places appointed for that purpose, a catalogue was published by the Administration previous to the prohibition of massive plate in December 1679 (and again on 15th July 1819) of the principal species of works, and instructing the comptroller with the exact position on each piece of plate where the marks and countermarks were to be placed. A new catalogue of the position of Hall-marks was issued in 1838. The punches at present in use are of two classes, which may be designated simple and countermark. The first are the punches of standard and the maker’s mark ; they are destined, according to custom, to stamp prominently the external surface of the gold or silver work after the nature of the piece and the character of the stamp. The others are effected by what the French term bigornes , a system introduced by the Decree of July 1818, which are engraved punches affixed by a screw to the anvil, serving to countermark the piece of plate underneath when the punch is applied upon the upper surface by a hammer or mallet, forming a reverse mark on the spot where the marks of the assay or verification of foreign plate are stamped, as well on the reverse of the special punches for watches. These bigornes are in every Assay office of three different sizes, and are thus used : the works which are destined to receive the stamps of the standard are marked upon an anvil having a smoothed and polished surface without any countermark ; but for the application of punches of assay and verification, on foreign plate and watches, the pieces of plate are placed upon the engraved surface of the anvil intended as the countermark, which is effected by the counter-blow struck on the upper surface. These engraved surfaces called bigornes or countermarks affixed HALL MARKS ON PLATE. 277 to the anvil are of different forms, very varied in design; those decreed in 1818 are given on Plate 9 (page 204), which remained in use until 1835. The number was considerably increased in that year in order to prevent as far as possible the means of counterfeiting the principal marks on the outer surface. They usually represent insects: those for Paris are engraved in profile or side view, those for the departments are represented as seen from above or full-faced. They are too numerous to be engraved here, but it may interest some of our readers to know the names of them : The Ichneumon, Hercule, Charangon, Scarabee, Sauterelle, Copris, Fulgore porte lanterne, Capri- corne, Fourmi, Anthia, Libellule, Perce-oreille, Carabe-Monitis, Mante, Manticore, Sphex, Staphilin, Clairon, Frelon, Mormolis, Ecrevisse Cicendele, Scorpion, Prione, Cetoine, Termite, Petatome, Crabe. There are 8 plates containing representations of 134 of these creatures, which may be referred to in Raibaud’s work, entitled Matieres d'Or et d'Argent, Paris, 1838. The poincon de remarque for gold chains was first adopted in 1838, and chains or bands are now required to be stamped every decimetre. In conclusion, we must acknowledge our obligations to M. Raibaud, the author of the Traite de la Garantie , from whose work we have derived much valuable information; and also express our thanks to M. le Baron Chas. Davillier, of Paris, for the loan of some scarce books, illustrating the early history of the Goldsmiths’ trade in France. APPENDIX APPENDIX T HE Goldsmiths’ Company of Paris has religiously preserved among its Archives a variety of curious materials for its history; these have been carefully and laboriously searched, and the selected portions commented upon and expounded by Pierre Le Roy, a Gold¬ smith and Warden of the Corporation, who has arranged them in order, and in a concise form for reference, so as to be serviceable to his successors in office. We have thought that a translation and selection from the Rules and Regulations of the Goldsmiths’ Trade in France might present some features of interest, and even suggest important alterations in our present laws for the government of the trade in England. The compiler of the Code de /’ Orfevrerie, published in 1785, by Knapen of Paris, thus refers to the work on the Statutes and Privileges of the Company of Merchant Goldsmith-Jewellers of the City of Paris, by Pierre Le Roy :— “ The enterprise of Le Roy was bold ; the Company of Goldsmiths pos¬ sesses a collection of documents which their antiquity and rarity render the more precious in consequence of their immense number. It was not an easy task to place in due order these scattered records, to collect and arrange them so as to form a complete and regular series. Le Roy under¬ took the task, and he has perfectly succeeded. One observes in the com¬ pilation of these Statutes the same intelligence which guides the clever goldsmith in the composition of the works of his art. All that surrounds him offers to the spectator nothing but detached pieces, mangled frag¬ ments, incoherent parts, and rough surfaces; but beneath the hands of the industrious artist all is placed in order and polished, the confused mass takes the form of a body and a soul; the astonished gaze admires a chef-d' oeuvre 1 and does not perceive the chaos of which the badly assorted scraps presented at first only a glimpse. “The work of Le Roy, divided into Sections, and subdivided into Clauses, comprehends all the statutes of the Goldsmiths. It lias not 281 282 APPENDIX. the actual force of law, but every one of its clauses, being founded upon the text of the laws themselves, which the author brings together, and containing no other expressions than those of the law; one can say with reason, that his work offers the most complete Code of legislation in that particular.” STATUTES AND PRIVILEGES OK THE COMPANY OF MERCHANT GOLDSMITH-JEWELLERS OF THE CITY OF PARIS. Collected together from the Texts of all the Edicts, Ordinances, Declarations, Letters Patent, Decrees and other Deeds, Ancient and Modern, which con¬ stitute the Prerogatives and the Administration of the Establishment of Goldsmith-Jewellers in this City, By PIERRE LE ROY, 1734 — 1759 - SECTION I. OF THE COMPANY IN GENERAL AND OF ITS CHIEF PRIVILEGES- CLAUSE i.—T he Art and Trade or Establishment of Goldsmith- Jewellers at Paris shall be and continue a Livery in this city, and con¬ sequently cannot be exercised by any but the Masters and Merchants, having been sworn to that effect, and forming together an administrative community, successively managed by Directors chosen from among them¬ selves, by the titles of MASTERS AND WARDENS. CLAUSE 2. —The Masters and Merchants forming the Company and exercising the trade of Goldsmith-Jewellers at Paris shall have for the object of their Art and their Trade the manufacture and traffic of works and matters of gold and silver, with the employment and dealing in diamonds, pearls, and all sorts of precious stones, under the title of GOLDSMITH-J E WELLERS. CLAUSE 3. —There shall be kept in the office of the Common Hall of the Company a common punch called the Countermark or Punch of Paris, the care of which shall be confided solely to the Wardens in charge; with which punch they shall stamp all the works of gold and silver APPENDIX. 283 made in Paris, to the end of verifying by their stamp the goodness of the Standard of the materials. CLAUSE 4.—The number of Goldsmiths of Paris fixed and limited to three hundred. CLAUSES 5 , 6, and 7 refer to the same subjects. CLAUSE 8. —No Goldsmith, although a Master, can exercise his trade in Paris in any Palace, Priory, Commanderie, College, or other enclosed and privileged places, or so reputed, except in the Galeries du Louvre only, under a penalty of five hundred livres and even corporeal punishment. CLAUSE 9.—No person can exercise the trade nor have a Goldsmith’s shop in any suburb of Paris under the pretended title of Master of the Suburbs or otherwise, unless he has been admitted into the Company in the manner prescribed by the regulations, and consequently subject to the rules of the Company and its administration and to the jurisdiction of the magistrates. CLAUSE 10.—It shall be lawful for any Master Goldsmith of the city of Paris, if he think fit, to establish himself and exercise his trade in other towns of the kingdom without being compelled to make a fresh oath in that he has selected ; but only to present his deed of administration to the Freedom, and have it registered in the Court of Record of the Jurisdiction to which he is subject. CLAUSE ii. —The said Goldsmith-Jewellers of the city of Paris, Pro¬ prietors and Founders of the Chapel of St. Eloi, their Patron in the Common Hall of the Company, are privileged to celebrate for ever the mass and other sacred offices soit a note ou a voix basse; and this by such priests approved and capable, and in such number as they think proper to select. CLAUSE 12.— Relates to the admission of the Brotherhoods ( confrairies ) of the Goldsmiths of Paris to attend and celebrate divine services at the Chapel of St. Eloi under the administration of the two junior Wardens. N.B .—Besides the worship rendered to St. Eloi, Patron of the Com¬ pany, the Goldsmiths of Paris had a Brotherhood of St. Denis, another of the Holy Martyrs, of St. Anne, and St. Marcel. CLAUSE 13.—The poor Master Goldsmiths and Widows of Masters shall be received and lodged by the Wardens in charge in the Common Hall of the Company, which is at the same time the Almshouse of the said poor persons, who shall be there as regularly and abundantly assisted as shall be in the power of the Wardens from the annual produce of the alms of the Company and other pious funds devoted to this work. CLAUSE 14.—The produce of confiscations awarded by the Courts of Justice for infractions of the Regulations of the Goldsmiths’ Company shall belong to the Common Hall, as well as a third part of waifs and strays or unclaimed goods left at the office; all these shall be employed by the Wardens, together with the alms collected each year in the Company, 284 APPENDIX. for the maintenance of divine service in the chapel and for the relief of the poor. CLAUSE 15.—The Company of Goldsmith-Jewellers of Paris, being one of the six companies of Merchants of this City, shall enjoy the preroga¬ tives which have been accorded them, and which they enjoy in common ; consequently their deputies in company with the rest shall carry the dais or canopy over the person of the Kings when making their solemn entry into Paris, and shall compliment their Majesties on great events, and their Merchants by their position shall be eligible for the Municipal and Magisterial Offices of this City. SECTION II. OF APPRENTICES. CLAUSE i. —Only one apprentice at a time shall be allowed to each master, and he shall not take a second until the apprenticeship of the first has entirely expired. CLAUSE 2.— Masters without shops cannot take apprentices. CLAUSE 3. —Apprentices shall not enter before the age of ten years nor after the age of sixteen. CLAUSE 4.—The apprenticeship shall last for eight years and for no shorter period, nor can the master remit any portion of it. CLAUSES 5 and 6 relate to the registering and binding of apprentices, with the penalties and fines. CLAUSE 7. —Apprentices shall work at their masters’ houses without wages and not elsewhere. CLAUSES 8, 9, and 10 relate to apprentices. CLAUSE 11.—The sons of Freemen are not subject to the laws of apprenticeship, but shall receive their freedom by their chefs-d'ccuvrc alone. SECTION III. OF ASSOCIATES. CLAUSE i. —All Goldsmiths’ apprentices of Paris who have served their term of eight years are compelled to serve with masters three years more as assistants, before they can be received themselves. CLAUSE 2. —All associates awaiting their freedom shall work at the masters’ wages by the day or month. CLAUSE 3.—They shall not quit service without legitimate cause. CLAUSE 4—Nor work in chambers or in secret places. CLAUSE 5. —Proprietors of houses shall not let them to associates. CLAUSE 6. —Principals of Colleges shall not give them retreat. APPENDIX. a *5 CLAUSE 7.—Associates working in secret places to be arrested. CLAUSE 8. —They shall not work nor trade on their own account. SECTION IV. OF CANDIDATES FOR THE FREEDOM. CLAUSE i. —No candidate shall be received as Master and Merchant in the Company of Goldsmith-Jewellers who has not attained the age of twenty years, whether he claims the freedom as the son of a Freeman, or whether he gains the franchise by way of apprenticeship. CLAUSE 2.—All apprentices, candidates for the freedom, shall be pre¬ viously bound to bring to the Masters and Wardens their certificates of apprenticeship duly discharged, with the certificate of their service with the masters in quality of assistants since the expiration of their term. CLAUSE 3.—Candidates, sons of Freemen, as well as apprentices, cannot be admitted freemen unless there are places vacant in the num¬ ber of three hundred, whether by death, abdication, or renunciation of any of them, by deed, or if any of the Masters have retired from trade and remitted their punches to the office, or have absented themselves to live in the provinces. CLAUSE 4.—Candidates, whether sons of Freemen or apprentices, shall be admitted to the freedom in equal numbers, commencing with the former; and in case one of these two classes of Candidates does not furnish sufficient to fill the moiety of places then vacant, they shall be filled from the other class. CLAUSE 5.—The Candidate shall be duly examined by the six Wardens in charge, not only on the division of the marc weight, but on the price and the alloy of matters of gold and silver, and on the manner of alloying the low and the fine qualities to make them of the proper standard to be worked, according to the ordinances; and, moreover, the said Wardens shall diligently inform themselves of the morals and con¬ duct of the said Candidates, who cannot be admitted if they do not know 7 how to read and write. CLAUSE 6 .—The said Candidates having passed the examination, and having been found capable in these different respects, shall be then bound to give proofs of their capacity in works of the Goldsmith’s art by a chef-d' oeuvre, which shall be suggested by the Wardens and made in their presence in the Common Hall. CLAUSE 7.—The sons of Freemen as well as apprentices shall be bound to execute the said chef-d'oeuvre to obtain the freedom, which cannot be dispensed with on any pretext whatever, on pain of nullity of admission. CLAUSE 8. —According to the Ordinances and Regulations of the Goldsmiths’ State, the Wardens in charge shall be the sole competent 286 APPENDIX. judges of the capacity of the Candidates in the Goldsmith’s art; con¬ sequently no Officer of Justice shall be called in, nor his presence required, during the operation or examination of the chefs-d'oeuvre of the Candidates. SECTION V. OF THE ADMISSION. CLAUSE i. —The Candidates for the Goldsmiths’ State who shall have been duly examined, and of whom the chefs-d'mcvre have been approved, shall be then presented to the Masters and Wardens to the Court of the Mint, to be by the said Court received as Masters and Merchant Goldsmiths. CLAUSE 2. —Therefore the said Wardens shall certify to the Court of the Mint, that the apprenticeships and the chefs-d'oeuvre of the Candi¬ dates which they present have been well and duly executed, and that the certificates are in proper form, without the Wardens or Candidates being bound to re-produce the said certificates. CLAUSE 3.—No Candidate can be admitted to the Court of the Mint unless presented and certified by the Wardens. CLAUSE 4.—Candidates shall be examined afresh on the duties of the Goldsmiths’ State by the Court of the Mint, and in pursuance the said Court shall admit them Masters and Merchant Goldsmiths, if they are found capable, on their taking the oath to keep and observe the ordi¬ nances, decrees, and regulations of the said State of Goldsmiths. CLAUSE 5.—The newly elected Freemen shall each give a bond of good and sufficient security for the sum of a thousand livres to the Mint. CLAUSE 6. —Every new Master shall cause to be engraved and shall receive from the Mint a punch of a fleur-de-lys crowned, and with his name and device, to mark his own works; the stamp of which punch of the maker shall not exceed in size, including the field, two lines in height by one line and a quarter wide. CLAUSE 7. —The punches of the new Masters shall be struck, and the names of those who are to use them engraved by the side of their stamps, on the table of copper in the Mint, as well as in the Assay Office of the Goldsmiths’ Company, before any use shall be made of the said punches. SECTION VI. OF THE DUTIES OF MASTERS AND MERCHANT GOLDSMITH- JEWELLERS IN THE PROFESSION OF THEIR ART. CLAUSE i.— All Masters and Merchant Goldsmith-Jewellers of the city and suburbs of Paris, as well as widows of Masters, shall be bound in three days after their establishment, or change of residence, to declare APPENDIX. 287 their abode to the Masters and Wardens of the Company, under a penalty of two hundred livres in case of omission. CLAUSE 2.—They shall have their shops in public and conspicuous places and in the public streets, in which they shall have their forges and furnaces fixed with cement, and not in back shops, halls, or secret chambers, nor other places. CLAUSE 3.—They are forbidden to melt works or matters of gold and silver, or to fabricate any work of their art, elsewhere than in their said shops, on pain of exemplary punishment; as also to melt and work beyond the hours prescribed to this effect by the Ordinances. CLAUSE 4.—In the fabrication of their works, they shall be bound to employ standard gold and silver, and in the legal remedies prescribed by the Ordinances, that is to say, gold of 22 karats fine, with a remedy of a quarter of a karat; and silver of n deniers 12 grains fine, with a remedy of 2 grains. CLAUSE 5.—They shall nevertheless be permitted to fabricate small works and jewels of gold, as crosses, snuff-boxes, etuis, buckles, buttons, &c., of the standard of 20 karats and a quarter fine, with a remedy of a quarter of a karat. CLAUSE 6. —The Delinquents in the aforesaid prescribed standards for gold and silver shall be condemned in fifty livres penalty for the first offence, besides the confiscation of the defective works; in one hundred livres for the second; and for the third offence they shall lose their freedom, and in no case can the said penalties be remitted nor lessened under any pretext whatever. CLAUSE 7.—The said Goldsmiths shall strike their punches upon all their works, not only on the body and principal pieces applied thereto, but upon the mountings that can bear the stamps without disfigurement; and every one of them shall be held responsible in his own name for any faults which may be found upon works marked with this punch, whether of standard or otherwise. CLAUSE 8.—They shall, moreover, be bound to send all their works in gold and silver, thus marked with their punches, to the office of the Com¬ mon Hall (Assay Office), to be there assayed and countermarked with the common punch by the Wardens, on all the pieces of the said work, which by their size, weight, figures, and forms can fairly and easily bear the said mark and countermark without disfigurement. CLAUSE 9. —The works coming from different fonts or meltings shall be sent to be countermarked in separate parcels, that they may be assayed separately; and cannot be confounded, on pain of confiscation of the said works, in case any shall be found of different standards beyond the remedy, and the Master fined. CLAUSE 10.—The said Goldsmiths shall not have in their houses and shops any works mounted and put together, finished at the edges, polished 288 APPENDIX. or otherwise too far advanced, unless the said works have been previously marked and countermarked as has been said; under pain of confiscation of the said works and a penalty. CLAUSE ii. —They shall not fabricate any works composed of parts of which the one shall be of gold and silver, and the other of copper gilt or silvered, nor even of gold and silver, in such a manner that the metals cannot be weighed and estimated separately, under the aforesaid penalties of confiscation and fine. CLAUSE 12.—They shall not likewise make the rims turned over full of solder, in form of hammered edges to basins, dishes, and plates; nor, under pretext of joining, solder on to them other bottoms; so also they shall not apply any new piece to old work unless it has been previously marked and countermarked, and that the old work shall not have been well and duly marked also. All under the same pain of confiscation and penalty. CLAUSE 13. — It shall be lawful for them to use indifferently any enamels on their works of gold or silver, on condition always that the said enamels shall be fairly and legally applied, and without any inten¬ tional excess and superfluity. CLAUSE 14.—They shall not work up any false stones or false pearls confusedly mixed with fine stones or otherwise, and they shall not even have, nor keep in their houses and shops, any false and imitation stones, on pain of confiscation and penalty. CLAUSE 15.— So also they shall not colour or place tinsel nor disguise any fine stones in setting them or otherwise, to make them appear of a kind more precious than they really are, or to hide any defect they may have in them. CLAUSE 16.—They shall not, moreover, without the express permis¬ sion of the King, undertake nor make any goldsmiths’ work of which the fabrication is prohibited by the edicts and declarations of his Majesty, under the penalties therein named. CLAUSE 17.—Those among the said Goldsmiths of Paris who, from whatever cause it may arise, shall cease to keep an open shop in this city, shall not be allowed to retain their punches, and shall be bound to return them to the Wardens, to be by the said Wardens sealed and deposited in the office of the Common Hall. CLAUSE 18. —They shall have the power to extract the precious metals from the sweepings * (lavures) themselves, or cause it to be done by their assistants and apprentices, or by any other persons they may think fit, without being prevented by the master refiners and parters of gold and silver. * See the Article on “ Waste and Sweep,” page 68. APPENDIX. 289 SECTION VII.. OF THE DUTIES OF MASTERS AND MERCHANT GOLDSMITH-JEWELLERS IN THE EXERCISE OF THEIR TRADE. CLAUSE i. —The Masters and Merchant Goldsmith-Jewellers of the City of Paris shall not form any Association of Trade with other Merchants than those of their Company to deal in Goldsmiths’ work, whether at fairs or otherwise, and in whatever manner it may be possible. CLAUSE 2.—The said Goldsmiths shall not sell or expose for sale any vessels or other works of gold and silver unless the said works have been duly assayed by the Master and Wardens of the Goldsmiths’ Company, and countermarked by them with the punch of the Common Hall according to the ordinances and regulations, on pain of confiscation of the works not marked, and of three thousand livres penalty. CLAUSE 3. —In their commerce the said Goldsmiths shall be bound to use just scales and marc weights * duly certified and marked at the Mint, and they shall have no others in their houses under any pretext whatever, on pain of confiscation and fine. CLAUSE 4.—They shall not buy nor sell materials of gold and silver at a higher price than that which shall be paid at the money-changers’, on pain of penalty and confiscation of the matters overpaid, and other fines prescribed by the ordinances. CLAUSE 5.—They shall have in a prominent place in their shops a table containing the value of the marc of gold and silver, of the standards to which they are bound to work, with the diminutions of the marc, to the end of making it conformable to the price given for the said materials whether in buying or selling. CLAUSE 6.—They shall sell the materials of their work separately from the fashion of the said works, and they shall give to those who purchase them invoices signed by themselves, in which they shall dis¬ tinguish the price of the material, and the price of the fashion, under the penalties prescribed by the ordinances in case of contravention. CLAUSE 7.—They shall each keep for their reference a good and faithful register of materials and works of gold and silver which they shall buy or sell, and on that they shall write the quality and the quantity of the said merchandises, with the names and residences of those to whom they have sold, or of whom they have bought, that the said register may be overlooked when necessary, under pain of arbitrary penalty. CLAUSE 8.—They shall not buy any pieces of plate with or without armorial bearings, although they have not had notice to stop it, except from persons who are known to them, or unless they can give references to residents by whom they are known, on pain of being proceeded against * The poids de marc was eight ounces, or half a pound, avoirdupois weight. T APPENDIX. 290 criminally in case of robbery, to answer for the damages and interests of parties and for restitution of the things stolen. CLAUSE 9.—They shall detain the plate or other pieces of Goldsmiths’ work brought to them for sale and suspected of being stolen, and when they shall have received notice to stop them, they shall immediately make their declaration to the Clerk of the Goldsmiths’ Company, so that he may use necessary diligence in the matter. CLAUSE 10.—The said Clerk shall keep a register of merchandise and matters of Goldsmiths’ work and jewellery lost or stolen, and as soon as notice is given him, he shall distribute handbills to stop them among the Goldsmiths, and promptly make his declaration to the commissary of the district of the particulars which have been given him on the subject. SECTION VIII. OF THE PRIVILEGES AND DUTIES OF THE WIDOWS OF MASTERS AND MERCHANT GOLDSMITH-JEWELLERS. SECTION IX. OF THE ELECTION OF MASTERS AND WARDENS OF THE GOLD¬ SMITHS’ COMPANY, AND OF THEIR OATH TO THE ADMINISTRATION. The election takes place on the 1st July every year of three Masters and Wardens of the Goldsmiths’ Company of Paris, in which offices they remain for two years. They are thus chosen, an ancient who has already served one year, and two juniors to replace those who have finished their service, making with the three of the preceding election six Wardens in charge. The Assembly is held in presence of the Prefect, or his Lieu¬ tenant-General, of the Administration, and the Procureur du Roi, and is composed of all the ancient Wardens and thirty other Masters and Merchants of the Company, who have not passed the said offices, &c. SECTION X. OF THE OATH OF THE MASTERS AND WARDENS AT THE COURT OF THE MINT, AND THAT WHICH RELATES TO THE NEW PUNCHES OF COUNTERMARK. CLAUSE I. —Immediately after their election, the new Wardens shall cause the matrices to be made, and upon them the punches shall be struck which are to serve for countermarking the works of gold and silver during the course of the first year of their functions; the said punches, APPENDIX. 291 as well as their matrices, shall be made and tempered in the Common Hall, in the presence of the said Wardens, and in that of the Farmer of the Duties on gold and silver (Fermier des Droits de la Marque sur for et l’argent). CLAUSE 2. —The said punches shall be four in number, and made of sizes convenient for the purposes to which they are destined; that is to say, one to countermark the large works of gold and silver, of which the impress shall be two lines high by one and a quarter broad; two others of half the size of the impress, the one for smaller works of gold, the other for smaller works of silver, and the fourth of as small an impress as possible, to countermark the very little pieces of jewellery which from their diminutive size can only be assayed by the touchstone. CLAUSE 3.—The first three of these punches shall represent one and the same letter of the alphabet crowned, which shall change annually in alphabetical order at each change of Wardens, in order that each shall be answerable for the work countermarked during his year of office; and considering the extreme smallness of the fourth of the said punches, it shall represent only a small character selected at random, which shall also change every year. CLAUSE 4. —The said new Wardens shall take the oath in the Court of the Mint to exercise their functions well and truly, and shall strike or insculp the new punches of countermark on the table of copper in the Registry of the said Court; at which insculpation the Farmer of the Duty of the mark on gold and silver shall be duly summoned to attend. CLAUSE 5.—The punches which shall have served to countermark the works during the course of the past year shall be at the same time returned to the Court of the Mint by the three Wardens retiring from the charge; which punches, having been previously restruck and identified with their insculped impresses, shall be, as well as the matrices, broken and defaced in presence of the said Court. CLAUSE 6. —The new punches of countermark shall be then in like manner insculped at the office of the Common Hall, and immediately put with their matrices into a casket, of which the Wardens alone shall have the keys; and the said casket shall be enclosed in a coffer fastened with several locks in the said bureau, of one of which the aforesaid Farmer shall have the key. CLAUSE 7.—The insculpation of the punches being done, the three new Wardens shall unite themselves with the three that remain who have still one year of their functions to perform, and shall together elect for a Dean one of the Ancients who shall have twice held the office of Warden, so that he may enjoy during the year of his Deanship the prerogatives of rank and similar dignities attached to this honorary title, and to assist the Wardens in charge with his counsel when it shall be required of him. 292 APPENDIX. SECTION XI. OF ASSAYS AND OF TIIE COUNTERMARK OF GOLDSMITHS’ WORK BY THE WARDENS IN THE COMMON HALL. CLAUSE i. —The six Wardens in charge shall assiduously attend every week at the office of the Common Hall, and as often as may be necessary, to assay and countermark the works of gold and silver made in Paris, as also to attend to the other functions of their charge and ordinary duties of the Company. CLAUSE 2. —They shall make the assays of gold and silver in the Common Hall; that is to say, of those in gold by aquafortis, and those of silver by the cupel, and not otherwise. The said Wardens may never¬ theless assay the very small articles of gold by the touchstone alone, if by their delicate workmanship and lightness of weight they cannot be assayed otherwise. CLAUSE 3. —In the operation of assaying and the judgment of the standard, the said Wardens shall bring to bear all the exactitude and care which the importance of the function requires of them; consequently all the works which they shall find beyond the remedy allowed by the ordinances shall be cut up and broken. CLAUSE 4. —The works considered to be standard by the said Wardens shall be countermarked by them in a conspicuous place, and as near as possible to the maker’s punch already stamped upon the works; and this in the presence of the Farmer of the Duty of the mark on gold and silver^ who shall produce for the purpose as often as may be necessary his key of the coffer containing the casket in which the punches of countermark are deposited. CLAUSE 5.—The said Masters and Wardens of the Goldsmiths’ Com¬ pany shall not be allowed to strike their punch of countermark on any works of gold and silver of which the fabrication is prohibited, under the penalties prescribed by the Edicts and Declarations of the King which forbid the fabrication of the said works. CLAUSE 6. —It is prohibited and forbidden that the Farmer of the Mark on gold and silver, his deputy and overseer, shall apply his punch, called the Discharge, upon any works unless the punch of countermark of the Common Hall has been previously struck upon them by the Wardens, under a penalty of three thousand livres for each contravention. CLAUSE 7. —The old works marked with the said punch of the Common Hall which, by default of payment of the duty on the resale of them, shall be seized by the said Farmer of the Duties cannot be taken to the Court of the Mint, nor their standard be there determined, seeing that the standard of the said works is known and verified by the impress of the said punch. APPENDIX. 293 CLAUSE 8.—And forasmuch as this punch of the countermark establishes the public faith, and is the guarantee of the goodness of the standard of works which bear its stamp, those who shall forge, counterfeit, copy, or otherwise imitate the said punch, or shall make use of it for a false mark, shall be condemned to do penance at the church door (amende honorable), and afterwards to be hung and strangled (a etre pendus et etranglez). SECTION XII. OF THE VISIT AND INSPECTION OF THE MASTERS AND WARDENS OF THE GOLDSMITH-JEWELLERS OF PARIS. CLAUSE i.— Visit of the Wardens among the Freemen of the Com¬ pany. CLAUSE 2. —Visit of the Wardens to those not of the Company. CLAUSE 3.—Inspection of Wardens over the Goldsmiths of the envi¬ rons of Paris. CLAUSE 4.—Officers of Justice shall assist the Wardens in their visits. CLAUSE 5.—Wardens shall not be liable to actions for seizures made in their visits of inspection. SECTION XIII. OF THE REGULATIONS OF THE GOLDSMITHS’ COMPANY IN REGARD TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT GOLDSMITHS. CLAUSE i. —All Merchants and Artisans of whatsoever quality or condition they may be, except Merchant Goldsmiths and their widows, are forbid to make any commerce of Goldsmiths’ work of the punch of Paris, on pain of confiscation and of one thousand livres penalty for every contravention. CLAUSE 2.—Merchant Mercers of Paris only are allowed to sell plate and jewellery coming from Germany and other Foreign Countries, on condition that after arrival and reception of the said Goldsmiths’ work they shall be bound to make their declaration to the Office of the Mer¬ chant Goldsmiths, who shall stamp them on the body or on one of the principal pieces with a special punch, used for no other purpose, in such a manner nevertheless that they shall not be disfigured. CLAUSE 3.—The said Merchant Mercers are forbid to expose for sale the said plate and jewellery of foreign manufacture before they have been stamped with the said special punch; and in case of contravention the Wardens of the Goldsmiths’ Company are permitted to cause them to be seized, and with this intent to send a commissary to the Chatelet. 294 APPENDIX. CLAUSE 4.—All strangers are likewise forbid to make or cause to be made, or bring, any Merchandise of Goldsmiths’ work and jewellery to Paris, to sell them there and hawk them about, unless they are fine stones loose and unset; and all hawkers male and female are forbid to meddle themselves with retailing the said Merchandises, on pain of confiscation and arbitrary fine. CLAUSE 5.—All persons of either sex, not qualified, commonly called brokers (courtiers), are forbid to expose for sale, hawk, or sell in Paris any works or materials of gold and silver, precious stones, rings and jewels, on pain of being prosecuted and also punished exemplarily. CLAUSE 6. —All private people of whatsoever station or condition they may be are likewise forbid to buy, sell, or cry about the streets of Paris old gold and silver lace, on pain of fine, confiscation, and imprisonment. CLAUSE 7. —Refiners and Parters of Gold and Silver, and Changers, shall not adventure or undertake directly or indirectly the establishment and commerce of Merchant Goldsmiths; consequently they shall not sell nor expose for sale any Goldsmiths’ works, on pain of confiscation of the said works and fine. CLAUSE 8. —The commerce of Diamonds and other precious stones, rough or cut, which shall be brought by Foreign Merchants to Paris shall be and remain free to the Merchant Goldsmith-Jewellers and Master Lapidaries. CLAUSE 9. —Neither Lapidaries nor Goldsmiths of Paris shall become directly or indirectly Commissioners or Agents of the said Foreign Mer¬ chants, on pain of a hundred livres penalty. CLAUSE 10.—The said Lapidaries are forbid to sell or expose for sale any precious stones mounted and worked, on pain of fine and confiscation ; and the said Lapidaries are only allowed to sell the stones rough or cut and not mounted. CLAUSE ii.— The said Lapidaries are likewise forbid to garnish or mount in work any precious stones in gold and silver, and also all others than the said Goldsmith-Jewellers, on pain of three thousand livres penalty, and all expenses, damages, and interests. CLAUSE 12.—The Master Sword Cutlers of Paris may make and fashion in gold and silver the hilts of swords and daggers provided they buy of the Goldsmiths the gold and silver in mass which they desire to employ on their works, and do not engage the services of Assistant Goldsmiths. CLAUSE 13.—The said Sword Cutlers shall be bound to employ gold and silver of the standards and within the remedies prescribed by the ordinances, and to have a punch to stamp their works, and to send them to the office of the Goldsmiths’ Company to be there assayed and countermarked by the Wardens. APPENDIX. 2 95 CLAUSE 14. —Master Engravers of Paris shall be allowed to make in gold and silver seals only, provided they buy the materials of the Goldsmiths, and work them of the standards prescribed by the ordi¬ nances, and to have a special punch to mark their works. CLAUSE 15. —The Masters and Merchant Goldsmiths are allowed to engrave seals and all sorts of Goldsmiths’ work which they have made, and also to make and engrave intaglio and cameo all sorts of punches and plates of steel, straight or otherwise, which may be necessary for the fabrication and ornamentation of their works. CLAUSE i6. —Master Watchmakers of Paris shall be allowed to make watch-cases, as well as every description of ornaments of gold and silver for their watches and clocks; and they shall not be able to employ Assistant Goldsmiths, nor to enrich with precious stones any of their said cases, under penalty of confiscation and fine. CLAUSE 17. —The said Watchmakers of Paris shall be bound to buy of the Goldsmiths of the said city and of no others the materials of gold and silver for the fabrication of their works, and to employ them of the standard prescribed by the ordinances, to have each their special punch to mark their works, and to send them to the office of the Goldsmiths’ Company to be there assayed and countermarked. CLAUSE 18. —The Master Founders shall not melt any works of gold and silver which are not of the standard, and only for the Goldsmiths and others who have the right to employ these materials, for which reason the said Founders shall not receive the said materials except in mass or in ingots, duly marked with the punch of him who gives them to him; and, moreover, the said Founders shall be bound to preserve the stamp of the said punch for ten days, to be pro¬ duced in case of seizure of the works melted, on pain of confiscation and penalty. CLAUSE 19. —The said Founders, Sword Cutlers, Watchmakers, and Engravers are bound to have, like the Goldsmiths, their forges and fur¬ naces fixed in their shops and in the public street; and they are forbid on pain of exemplary punishment to melt or work elsewhere than in their said shops, under any pretext whatever, and beyond the hours prescribed by the ordinances. CLAUSE 20 .—The Master Lace Button-makers shall have the privilege of selling, concurrently with the Merchant Goldsmiths, buttons formed of a cap of gold or silver, stamped and sustained by a mould of wood, and also to apply these caps to the said models or moulds, on condition that they buy of the Goldsmiths the said caps already stamped, finished, and marked if possible with the punch of the Goldsmith who sold them. So reciprocally the Goldsmith shall buy of the Button-makers or others the moulds of wood they may require to make the said buttons, and they shall be bound to keep a register of sales and purchases. APPENDIX. 9 6 SECTION XIV. OF WARDENS’ ASSISTANTS, THEIR FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES. SECTION XV. OF THE JUDICIAL REPORTS OF THE MASTERS AND WARDENS. SECTION XVI. and Last. OF THE ANNUAL ACCOUNTS OF THE WARDENS RETIRING FROM OFFICE. INDEX INDEX A Aberdeen, 177. Alphabetical List of Communities (France), 252. Amsterdam, 205. Andrews (St.), 182. Antwerp, 207. Argue (France), 233. Articuli super Cartas, 4. Assay by spectroscope, 67. Assay Offices and Marks, 9, 14, 61, 66, 80, 96-100. Assays (France), 238-242. Augsburg, 204, 207. Austria, 207, 210. Avoirdupois and Troy compared, 59. B Banff, 185. Bayonne, 252. Belgium goldsmiths, 203, 208. Bergen, 207. Berlin, 207. Berne, 205, 209. Berwick, 182. Biberach, 207. Biel, 207. Bigornes (France), 231. BIRMINGHAM Assay Letters, 28, 155, 157- Birmingham appointed to assay, 28. Books of reference (France), 219. Bordeaux Mint Marks, 252. Breda, 207. Bremen, 207. BRISTOL, 132. Britannia Standard, 30. Brussels, 208. Burgundy, 209. C Chaffers’ “ Gilda Aurifabrorum,” 83, 93 - Charge and Discharge (France), 231. Charters of Goldsmiths, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15. CHESTER Table of Letters, 86, 141, 137, 142. Chronological List of Plate, 101-117. Cleves, 207. Coblenz, 207. Coins, weight and fineness, 51. Cologne, 207. Copperplate at the Hall. Title. Copperplate (Rouen), 228. Cork (Sterling), 192. Countermark (France), 230. Counterfeit stamps (France), 248. Coventry, 12. Crail, 185. Criminal Law Consolidation, 32. 2 99 3°° INDEX. D Date-marks, 81. Decimal weights, 60. Declarations and Edicts (France), 217. Denmark, 212. “ Depart” in assay (France), 240. Departments (marks of France), 252. Dingwall, 184. Doccum, 205. Drawback, 31, 37, 45, 72. DUBLIN Assay Letters, 187, 199, 201. Dunbar, 183. Dundee, 178. Duty abolished on silver, 45. Duty, 28, 30, 45, 72, 74, 75 ) 76, 81. Duty on plate (France), 224, 233. Dysart, 185. E EDINBURGH Assay Table, 166-172. Elgin, 183. Exemptions from duty, 26, 27. EXETER Table of Marks, 144-150. Exports, 10-12. F Foreign plate to be stamped, 31-40. Frangaise (Orfevrerie), 217 adfincui. G Geneva, 211. Germany, 203-207. Gilding inferior medals, 10, 11. GLASGOW Table of Marks, 173—175. Gold alloys, 66. Gold assays, 66. Goldsmiths (celebrated), 201, 202. Goldsmiths’ Charters, 4, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 16, 40. Goldsmiths’ Communities in France, 253 - Goldsmiths’ Registers in France, 247. H Haarlem, 205. Haddington, 184. Hague, 206. Hall-Marks of Assay Towns, 80. Hamburg, 207. Holland, 203-208. Hungary, 207. I Inquartation of gold, 241. Inverness, 180. Ireland, Hall-Marks, 94, 194. Irvine, 185. J Jedburgh, 183. Jewellery exempt from assay, 27, 47. K Keyserberg, 207. King’s head duty-mark, 28. Konigsberg, 207. L Leith, 184. Leopard’s head, 4. Le Roy’s work quoted, 282, 296. Licenses, 27, 28, 39, 75. Lille, 255. Limoges, 255. Linlithgow, 181. LONDON Table of Assay Letters, 95- 100. Lyons, 255. M Maestricht, 208. Maison Commune (France), 230, 232. INDEX. 301 Makers’ marks, frontispiece, 83, 87, 93. Marks of Communities (France), 252. Marks of provinces, 7, 13, 15, 86, 87. Marks (Tables of), 78, 79. Marseille, 255. Mayence, 295, 207. Melrose, 185. Metric system, 235. Milan, 207. Mint engravers, 202. Mint marks of towns (France), 250, 254, 264, 278. Mont de Piete (France), 243. Montrose, 177. Moscow, 209. N Nantes, 255. Naples, 206, 209. Neuchatel, 211. NEWCASTLE Table of Letters, 21, I52-I54. New Geneva, 187. Newton on Ayr, 185. NORWICH, 80, 132. Nuremberg, 205, 207. O Obligations of Goldsmiths (France), 244. Offences and frauds, 120-128. Orange, 207. Orfevrerie Frangaise, 217 adfinem. P Perpignan, 255. Perth, 179. Petersburg, 206, 209. Plate (Chronological List of), 120, 128. Prague, 207. Provincial Offices, 19, 131. Prussia, 207. Public sales (France), 243. Punches (France), 228, 250, 254, 264- 275. Pyx (Trial of the), 68. R Ratisbon, 207. Ravensberg, 207. Recense or Verification (France), 270. Registers of Goldsmiths (France), 247. Report of Committee, 41, 118. Rome, 206, 209. Rouen, 255. Russia, 209. S Saxony, 205, 207. Schaffhausen, 209. Scotland, 94, 160-186. SHEFFIELD Table of Letters, 28, 158, 159. Spain, 209. Spectroscope, 67. Stamps and punches (France), 228-250, 254, 264-275. Standards, passim. Standards of various countries, 212, 213. Standards in France, 227. Statutes (extracts), 4, 18. Sterling (a mark), 192. Stirling, 181. Strasburg, 255. Sumptuary laws, 222. Sweden, 209. T Tables of Assay Letters— BIRMINGHAM, 157. CHESTER, 141. DUBLIN, 199. EDINBURGH, 168. EXETER, 144. GLASGOW, 175. 30 2 INDEX LONDON, 95-100. NEWCASTLE, 152. SHEFFIELD, 28, 158. YORK, 134. Table of exemptions, 26, 27. Table of Marks in England, Scotland, and Ireland, 94, 95. Table of statutes, 1-4. Tables, various (France), 237. Tain, 185. Troy weights, 59. V Vienna, 205, 207. W Waste and sweep, 68. Wedding-rings, 36. Weights, 55, 59. Westphalia, 207. Worms, 207. Wurtemberg, 205. U Y Utrecht, 205. YORK Table of Letters, 134. THE END. Printed by Bai.i.antyne, Hanson & Co. Edinburgh and London I EB “ On the above plate are the marks from Workmen taken at this office (Goldsmiths' Hall) prior to the Fifteenth of April a.d. 1697 of which not any other Entry is to be found." From the date of the Goldsmiths Order a.d. 1675 to the New Standard 1697. TV 1 -. S/itM. ■^jir i tu t