Yale University Library

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1IYALE UNIVERSITY

> SCHOOL OF THE FINE AKTS <

Old Plate • -+ //
The Gorham Manufacturing Company has just issued through the De Vinne
press, a large and copiously illustrated volume on the subject of old silver, with
an extended account of English and Dutch hall-marks, and a detailed descrip
tion of some famous pieces of plate, ecclesiastical and domestic, at present held
by owners in America. The book is of interest, not only to the collector, but
also to the general public. It is, perhaps, to be regretted, on their behalf, that
Mr. Buck, the compiler of the volume, did not allow more space to the subject
of the Goldsmiths' Guilds, and all the picturesque mediaeval work in precious
metals. The author's account of the assaying of gold and silver is, in the main,
accurate though not exhaustive. The rough and approximate method of test
ing silver which succeeded the touch-stone, is cleady and fully explained, but
nothing is said of the Gay-Lussac method of volumetric assay, which, by the use
of chlorine, precipitates the silver and forms the only perfectly accurate test in
general use. Again, Mr. Buck is in error when he states, on page 39, that, at
the United States assay-office in Wall Street, no assay similar to those of the
Goldsmiths' Hall, London, from a few grains scraped here and there on an
article of silver is undertaken. On the contrary, this is not infrequently done,
and always when requested by depositors. Many curious facts in the history
of civilization are brought out in the chapters on forks, spoons and toilet arti
cles. The use of forks, Mr. Buck tells us, was learned from the Italians, and
the custom was imported into England about the beginning of the seventeenth
century. He quotes the following passage from Ben Jonson's play :
14 The Devil is an ass" \
"Shdye. Forks ! What be they ? " - —^ '"' ' " (
" Mur. The laudable use of forks, brought into cdftom ¦^rere as they are in Italy*,
to the sparing of napkins.1' Tb».^i"'~
The spoon, of course, dates from much more remote antiquity, ^HEJ*3s^Is a
French authority has said, " if not as old as the world, at least as old as soup."
The history of the tankard, the beaker and the chalice is full of interest, and
much better worth the reader's attention than the description of the individual
pieces of plate in America.
The book is intended to be a handsome one, but it betrays many errors in
proof-reading and other evidences of carelessness very unusual in the publica
tions of the De Vinne press. Artistically, the volume would have been improved
even at the same cost, by having fewer illustrations, better executed.

BOSTOll, mass.

ii^./C

One of the most luxurious forms of collecting,
now enjoyed by people with wealth and leisure
for the purpose, Is that of picking up rare pieces
of oltl silver. Since much historic knowledge be
sides artistic taste is needed, a hand-book like
the newly-published treatise upon " Old Plate "
by Mr. J. H. Buck will be a useful guide. The
work treats of the history and marKs of the most
valuable decorative and domestic plate, aud con
siders in detail the character and inscriptions of
ecclesiastical plate in this country. To those who i
have no intimate knowledge of the mysteries of
the silversmith's art the work will prove a delight- '
ful means ot appreciating some historic results.
The author has considered the subject sympa
thetically, and has interwoven in iis accounts of
old silver many interesting items of social life. In
Saying that American art is now applied most •
characteristically to the manufacture of silver he i
has noted a well-known sign of decorative prog
ress. Gorham Manufacturing Co., publishers.

NO. 1. — EWER AND SALVER. (1793.)
THE PKOPEKTT OP MEB. M. A. RIVES.

#(t> $kte,

G(^lgsiasti<£Sl, Dg^oratiyg, add Dome$Ti<£;

9lt0 jftaftens ann jftarftg.

BY
J. H. BUCK.
UJITB eiGBTY-TOJO ILLU?TRffiTIOn$.

nGUJ-YORK:
3Dl)f #orljam Manufacturing Company.
1888.

Copyright, 1888.
The Gokham Manufacturing Co.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

1. Ewer and Salver (1793); the property of Mrs. M. A. Rives. Front
ispiece.
2. Chalices, South Kensington Museum, London  64
3. Chalice (1479) ; Nettlecombe  65
4. Paten for same  66
5. Bishop Fox's Chalice (1507); Corpus Christi College, Oxford  67
6. Paten, Trinity College, Oxford  68
7. Sir Thomas Pope's Chalice (1527) ; Trinity College, Oxford  69
8. Communion Cup (1570) ; Cirencester  70
9. Communion Cup(1569); Seroll-and-Keys Society, Yale University. . 71
10. Pewter Communion Vessels, Circa, 1640  72
11. Communion Cup and Cover, Christ Church, Monmouth  73
12. Book Plate, Society for the Propagation of the Gospel  .".... 74
13. Communion Flagon (1694) ; Christ Church, Cambridge  76
14. Sideboard of the XVI. Century  79
15. Maidenhead Spoon, C. 1540  81
16. Set of Thirteen Apostles' Spoons (1626)  82
17. Apostles' Spoons, XVI. Century  86
18. Apostles' Spoons, XVII. and XVIII. Centuries; from the collection
of Mrs. S. P. Avery  86
19. The Pudsey Spoon (1525)  87
20. Spoons of the XVI. XVIL and XVIII. Centuries  88
21. Mazer (Temp. Richard II.)  92
22. Cup with Rodney Arms  93
23. Cylindrical Salt (1613) ; Imperial Treasury, Moscow  95
24. Salt (1607) ; Christ's Hospital, London  96
25. Oct. Salt (1685); Mercers' Hall, London  96
26. Circular Salt (1644) ; Harvard University  97
27. The Eddystone Light-house Salt (1698)  98
28. Trencher Salts  98
29. Salver (C. 1690) ; the property of Mr. F. H. Betts  101
29a. Large Salver (1736) ; Messrs. Howard & Co  101
30. Cup and Cover (1618) ; S. Mary's, Ambleside  107
31. Loving-Cup (C. 1700) ; Harvard University. . :  _,¦¦¦¦¦¦ 108
32. Loving-Cup (C. 1731); Harvard University  y^%f ^/"^9
33. Russian Cup (Moscow, 1745) ; Gorham Manufacturinj^gbj^-rTs^&jbe

vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE
34. Tankard (1574) ; Ashmolean Museum, Oxford  113
35. Irish Tankards (1680) ; Merchant Taylors' Hall, London  114
36. Tankard (C. 1650) ; the property of Mr. R. S. Ely  115
37. Tankards (1729) ; Harvard University  H6
38. Beaker (1604) ; Mercers' Hall, London  119
39. Beaker, XVII. Century, S. Mary's Church, Burlington, N. J  119
40. Cup and Cover (1660) ; South Kensington Museum  120

41. Cup (1667)
42. Cup (1686)
43. Cup (1702)
44. Cup (1775)

Scroll-and-Keys Society, Yale University  121
« "  , 121
"  122
" "  122
45. Cup and Cover (1686) ; Christ Church, Bruton Parish, Va  123
46. Cup (1758); Gorham Manufacturing Co  123
47. Fork (C. 1686); the property of Mr. G. Wilkinson  126
48. Monteith (1702) ; Vintners' Hall, London  128
49. Candlestick (1698}; Messrs. Howard & Co  130
50. Candlestick (1722) ; the property of Mr. R. S. Ely  131
51. Wine-cistern (1734); Winter Palace, St. Petersburg  133
52. Tea-pot (1769) ; Gorham Manufacturing Co  135
53. Coffee-pot (1764) ; Salters' Hall, London  136
54. Kettle and Stand (1732) ; Windsor Castle  137
55. Chocolate-Pot (1777) ; South Kensington Museum  138
56. Communion Service (1709) ; Trinity Church, New-York  142
57. Alms Bason (1747) ; Trinity Church, New- York  143
58. Chalice (1764) ; Trinity Church, New-York  144
59. Chalice (1708) ; S. George's Church, Hempstead, L. 1  146
60. Chalice (1704) ; Grace Church, Jamaica, L. 1  147
61. Communion Service (1773) ; S. Peter's Church, Lewes, Del  153
62. Beaker, S. Anne's Church, Middletown, Del  154
63. Chalice and Paten (1718); Trinity Church, Wilmington, Del  156
64. Flagon and Chalice (1707) ; Hyattsville, Md  157
65. Dummer Crest and Inscription  158
66. Hancock Arms  161
67. Williams Arms  163
68. Byfield Arms  164
69. Frizell Arms and Inscription  165
70. Welsteed Arms and Inscription  167
71. Inscription on Tankard (1724)  167
72. Goodridge Arms  168
73. Foster Arms  169
74. Hutchinson Arms  169
75. Winthrop Arms  171
76. Communion Plate (1694); Christ Church, Cambridge  190
77. Inscription on Foot of Flagon (1694)  191
78. Faneuil Arms  191
79. Standing Dish (1674); S. Paul's Church, Newburyport  200
80. Chalice and Paten (1718) ; S. John's Church, Richmond, Va  212
81. Chalices, Christ Church, Norfolk, Va  214
82. Flagon and Chalice (1720); S. John's, Lunenburg, Va  216

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. PAGE
Gold — Silver — Their Alloys — The English Standard — The As
say—Frosted Silver— Goldsmiths' Weights  1
CHAPTER H.
The Mediaeval Guilds — The Goldsmiths Company of London — Legis
lation and Marks — The Provincial Assay Towns  11
CHAPTER III.
Plate and Plate Buyers  18
CHAPTER IV.
Scotland — Ireland — France — Germany — Holland — Spain — Rus
sia — America  33
CHAPTER V.
Historical Sketch — Frauds and Imitations— Transformations-
Plate Forgers  40
CHAPTER VI.
American Silversmiths: Boston — Albany — New York — Philadel
phia—Providence  52
CHAPTER VII.
Ecclesiastical Plate: Chalices and Patens — Elizabethan Commun
ion Cups — Flagons — Alms Basons — Candlesticks  62
CHAPTER VIII.
Decorative and Domestic Plate: Obsolete Vessels — Spoons —
Mazers — Salts — Stone-ware Jugs — Ewers — Basons and Sal
vers — Standing-Cups and Hanaps — Tankards — Smaller Cups
of Various Kinds — Plates — Forks — Monteiths — Candlesticks,
Sconces, etc. — Toilet Services— Casters and Cruet Stands —
Tea and Coffee Services, Kettles, etc. — Cake Baskets and
Epergnes  78

viii CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IX. page
Ecclesiastical Plate: New York — New Jersey — Pennsylvania-
Delaware — Maryland — Massachusetts — New Hampshire —
Rhode Island— Connecticut — North Carolina — South Caro
lina—Virginia  141
Chronological List of Examples of American Plate  220
Chronological List of Examples of Plate with the London Date-
letters and Makers' Marks  225
Examples of English and Foreign Hall Marks  239
Tables of the London Date-letters  241
Table of Makers' Marks, London, 1675-1697  248
France: Paris Date-letters — List of the Farmers, etc . . . .':K''.\ . . 252
Index of Places  257
Index of Donors of Plate  258
Index of Makers and Marks  260
General Index  266

PREFA CE.

It is only of recent years that any attempt has been made to
supply the public and buyers of Old Plate with the materials
for a knowledge of that part of the silversmiths' craft relat
ing to assay offices and their marks.
In 1853 Mr. Octavius Morgan brought out a table of London
date-letters; he was followed by Mr. W. Chaffers, in 1863,
with " flail Marks on Plate,'1'' now in its sixth edition. In
April, 1876, the " Quarterly Review " took the matter up in an
able article on " Plate and Plate Buyers," which seems to have
suggested to Mr. W. J. Cripps the scope of his indispensable
hand-books, " Old English Plate," the third edition of ivhiclt
has been recently issued, and " Old French Plate " (1880).
This volume is based upon the latter works, by the kind per
mission of Mr. Cripps, with the necessary additions to render
it suitable to this side of the Atlantic.
The notes on American silversmiths, on plate to be found in
our churches, and the Chronological lists, are the result of the
author's investigations carried on by the kind permission
and through the liberality of The Gorham Manufacturing
Company. The writer's thanks are due to the Rectors and Custodians
of the various churches mentioned, to the President of Harvard
University, and to the owners of the numerous pieces of
plate illustrated or described. Thanks are likewise due to
Messrs. Howard & Co. for placing their fine collection of old

x PREFACE.
silver at his disposal, and to Mr. C. de B. Howland for able
assistance in the preparation of the Chronological list of ex
amples with London Hall Marks.
As an aid to amateurs ami collectors, facsimiles of many
marks are given, which, together with the tables of date-letters
and the index of makers' initials and names, should enable
them to give the date of any genuine silver, or to avoid the
manufactured antiques which are imported in large quanti
ties and exposed for sale in so many of the bric-a-brac stores
of our large cities.
Grateful acknowledgements must be made- to Mr. B. S. Ely
/ and Mr. S. P. Avery, of New York ; to Mr. W. H. Kennard,
.Dr. Francis H. Brown, the Bev.\W/H.\ Foote, Mr. Bichard
C. Lichtenstein, and Mr. W. B. Trask of Boston; to the Bev.
E. B. Armstrong of Lewes and Dr. Horace Burr of Wilming
ton, Delaware ; to Miss N. T. Pendleton, Warsaw, mMj$s Vir
ginia Bitchie, Brandon, Miss C. B. T. Coleman, Williams
burg, and Hy. F. W. Southern, Bichmond, all of Virginia; to
other kind friends who have supplied information, sketches,
etc. ; and, lastly, to the De Vinne Press for their efforts in
reproducing the inscriptions and marks.
Impressions of Hall marks on old silver, especially those
engraved with dates of presentation, will be very acceptable, as
will also be any accounts of native silversmiths.
J. H B.
New York, March, 1888.

CHAPTER I

GOLD — SILVER — THEIR ALLOYS — THE ENGLISH STANDARD — THE ASSAY —
FROSTED SILVER — GOLDSMITHS' WEIGHTS.

OLD and silver, metals, — widely distributed over
the old and new worlds, — were known from the
earliest times. Cold being found in a native state
was at once fit for use, but silver, requiring more
preparation from its ore, had probably to wait until man had
devised some method of working it. Once known, its won
derful properties as an art-medium were immediately
appreciated, and it soon superseded gold for almost all pur
poses but that of personal ornament. In the Book of Gen
esis we read that "Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver,
and in gold," and there are over three hundred passages in
Holy Writ in which mention is made of the precious metals.
The Egyptians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Greeks, and
Romans were all well acquainted with both gold and silver,
but as we approach the arts of Greece and Italy we have
far more to rely upon both in examples still existing and in
descriptions given by ancient writers. In Homer's time,
and for long after, all decorative metal- work was made by
the hammer out of thin pieces of plate, the different pieces
being joined together by pins or rivets. The Greeks
valued much of their work for its lightness ; but it would

2 OLD PLATE.
seem that by stamping weight upon any object of gold
and silver the Romans valued it for the opposite reason.
We read in the poems of Homer and in other very early
books that shields and armor and chariots were made of
or decorated with gold ; and a large quantity of gold and
silver vessels and personal ornaments has been discovered
within the last few years upon what is said to be the site of
Troy and the palace of King Priam.
Some centuries later, in the days of Phidias and the great
sculptors of that time, there is reason to believe that the
art reached the highest degree of perfection. Gold and
silver glittered everywhere, and were used to such an extent
that these metals almost passed out of the hands of the sil
versmith and became a material for the builder. All their
works have perished; although some remained perfect until
long after Christianity had been accepted as the religion of
the Roman Empire. The conversion of Constantine the
Great and the removal of the rest of his government to
Constantinople caused a complete revolution in the world
of art.
During the succeeding centuries, as civilization spread
over Europe, the desire to possess rich vessels and orna
ments made of the precious metals naturally increased.
Not only kings and princes encouraged artists everywhere,
but religious houses ordered splendid works for the use of
their churches, and the laity offered innumerable gifts.
These treasures in their turn were pillaged and destroyed
by various hordes of barbarian conquerors ; the ancient
services of gold were melted into money, and have never
since been replaced. The ancient craft, therefore, of the
goldsmith is now represented by the two existing crafts of
the silversmith and the jeweler.
The largest proportion of gold and silver work which now
exists, made in the mediaeval times, was originally for sacred
use and for church decoration. This is so, in spite of the
terrible destruction of all such works of art during the
numerous wars and troubles in Europe. In the United
States, prior to the Revolution, our ancestors depended
largely upon the mother and European countries for articles

GOLD — SILVER. 3
t
of luxury, and quantities of plate were either brought over
or imported. " The early settlers of Massachusetts, New
York, Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas, being to a
large extent of good families, brought with them their, silver,
all of the best period." Before proceeding to consider the
plate* to be found in this country, and the makers' and
other marks from which, as we shall find, it is often pos
sible for the expert to gather much curious information, it
will be well to note what may seem to be of use to the
amateur and collector of old plate as to the precious metals
themselves and their alloys.
Gold is now employed as the standard of value through
out the world. It has a specific gravity of 19.25, while that
of silver is 10.40, or not much more than half the weight of
gold. For convenience of use, the weight of the silver article
is every way preferable to that of the more costly metal.
Silver is not so malleable as gold, but for both it was found
expedient from the earliest times to employ some other
metal as an alloy (a la hi) to give them the required degree
of hardness for working, without materially affecting their
color. It is found that whilst silver and copper are the
metals which can be most usefully employed in forming
such an alloy with gold, copper only can be advantageously
used for the alloy with silver.
The admixture of silver with gold renders the alloy paler
and yellower than pure gold, whilst copper makes it more
red ; and in the case of silver, it is found that the other
white metals render it too brittle and not easily workable.
The maximum' hardness of an alloy of silver is obtained
when the copper amounts to one-fifth of the silver, but the
color is scarcely impaired when the alloy consists of equal
parts of the two metals ; hence a means of committing great
frauds. The proportions found by experience to produce the best
result, are: for gold twenty-two parts (in technical terms
* " The designation plate means, strictly speaking, wrought silver, and is
derived from the Spanish word plata, although it is frequently wrongly
applied to vessels or utensils of gold as well as silver; hence gold plate is
erroneous and silver plate a pleonasm."

4 OLD PLATE.
called carats*) of fine or pure gold, and two parts of alloy;
and for silver eleven ounces two pennyweights of fine silver,
and eighteen pennyweights of copper in the Troy pound of
twelve ounces, or in other words, two hundred and twenty-two
parts of fine silver to eighteen such parts of copper. If the
quality of silver is given in thousandth parts, as is gener
ally the case, standard silver, which contains in every one
thousand parts 925 of fine silver, would be reported as 925.
fine, and' the higher or Britannia Standard, which will be
presently mentioned, as 959. fine.
Standard gold, expressed in the same way, is of millesimal
fineness, 916.66 ; whilst eighteen-carat gold would be repre-
sented-by 750,-^
Some interesting facts about these alloys are to be found
in the Report for 1873 of the chemist to the London Mint.
'He, states that the alloying 'metal now employed for the
English coinage, both gold and silver, is copper only, and
that the gold-copper alloys, of one of which "standard"
gold is formed, are practically homogeneous — that is to say,
every part of the mixture is of the same quality.
The result in the case of standard silver alloy is not so
satisfactory. This appears to be a " solidified mechanical
mixture of two solutions, and the cooling of such an alloy is
accompanied with a remarkable molecular re-arrangement,
in virtue of which certain combinations of the molten alloy
become segregated from the mass and its homogeneous
character is destroyed." Portions taken from different parts
of a trial plate of such metal would not necessarily all be of
exactly the same degree of fineness, though the whole plate
as a mass might be of exactly the correct standard.
The proportions which have been before mentioned — viz.,
for gold, twenty-two parts or carats of fine gold and two
parts of alloy; and for silver, eleven ounces two penny
weights of fine silver, and eighteen pennyweights of copper —
are those which form the " standard " or " sterling" alloys.
* The carat or karat is a bean, the fruit of an Abyssinian tree called
kuara; these beans, from the time of their being gathered, vary very little
in weight, and seem to have been used in Africa for weighing gold. In
India they are used as weights for diamonds, as well as in Europe. It
contains four grains.

THE ENGLISH STANDARD. 5
They are signified whenever the expressions " standard
gold " and " sterling silver " are used.
The following extracts from "A Touch-stone for Gold and
Silver Wares ; or, A Manual for Goldsmiths," by W. B. of
London, Goldsmith, 1677, will here prove interesting :
"Our forefathers confidering that Silver in its fineft degree would be too
foft for ufe and fervice (for the fineft. Silver is almoft as foft as Lead), did
confult to reduce or harden the Silver (by allaying it with bafer Metal) to
fuch a degree, that it might be both ferviceable in the works, and alfo in the
wearing keep its native Whitenefs ; And upon Experiment and due confidera-
tion, did agree that there fhould be put Eighteen penny weight of fine Copper
into Eleven Ounces and two penny weight Troy of the fineft Silver, both
which makes Twelve Ounces or the pound Troy ; And fo according to
that proportion for more or lefs ; (where it is to be obferved, That either Tin,
Pewter, or Lead being put into Gold or Silver for the allaying thereof, or
being mixt therewith, renders it extream brittle, and altogether unfit for
work); which degree of allay is concluded upon by the Law-makers of this
Kingdome, to be the Standard for all Silver Money, and all Silver Works,
and is commonly called the Sterling Allay (from the Efterlings or men that
came from the £#/?-Country, and were the first Contrivers and makers of
that allay;) And this is that which is meant in the Statute of 18 Eliz. Cap.
15. by the Exprefsion, (to wit.) Not lefs in finenefs than that of 11
Ounces two penny weight. And for this purpofe divers Statutes have been
made." . . .
In the Middle Ages, the mode used for testing the fineness
of gold and silver was by the touch-stone, or pierre de touche.
Touch-stone, or Basanite, is an imperfect black jasper, or
black, flinty slate, originally brought from Mount Tmolus, in
Lydia ; it is, however, found in various parts of the world,
and, indeed, any hard, black, siliceous substance, or even a
piece of black pottery, will serve the purpose.
This mode of trying the fineness was called " touching,"
and the word obtained for a long time after the adoption of
the chemical assay. The word " touch " seems to have been
applied indifferently to the trial, to the quality of the metal
tested, and to the mark impressed upon it.
Shakspere, in " King Richard III." says :
K. Rich. — Ah, Buckingham, now do I play the touch,
To try if thou be current gold indeed, Act iv., Scene ii.

6 OLD PLATE.
For the trial of gold, sets of touch-needles or bars were
used, one set alloyed with copper, another with silver, and
in some cases a third set alloyed with silver and copper
mixed, twenty-four in each set, according to the twenty-
four carats' fineness of gold. The streak or touch made
on the touch-stone with the piece under examination was
compared with the streaks made by the needles; these
streaks were also washed with aquafortis, which, dissolving
the alloying metals, left the gold pure, and by the compari
son its fineness was determined.
For testing silver, sets of needles were also used. In
Germany the set consisted of sixteen, after the sixteen loth
according to which the standard of fineness was there com
puted, but doubtless the number varied in different coun
tries according to the computation of the standard.
In skillful hands much information could be derived from
the sensation of greasiness or dryness, roughness or smooth
ness, imparted by the stroke ; but this test has been little
used for many centuries, and it could never have been a
satisfactory mode of ascertaining the purity of silver, into
which so much copper could be introduced without mate
rially affecting its color, though it is probable that the
hardness of the alloy aided in the detection of fraud.
The " touch," however, long continued the mode of trying
gold, and indeed is even used at the present day for rough
examinations. The period at which the chemical assay, or
assay by the cupel, was first introduced is not exactly known,
but it was certainly practiced in the xiii. century, and was
the mode of examination adopted by the authorities in the
xiv. century.
The process of the " scrape and parting assay," in contra
distinction to the " touch, or examination by a stone," is as
follows : for gold, to a portion of metal scraped off the
article to be examined, say about eight grains, after being
accurately weighed, is added three times its weight of silver,
and a proper proportion of lead, the latter by wrapping the
gold and silver in a piece of sheet lead. The whole is placed
in a small, shallow, porous crucible, made of bone ashes,
called a cupel, and exposed to a bright-red heat ; the metals

THE ASSAY. 7
melt, and whilst the silver and gold combine, the lead and
alloying metals become oxidized, and the oxides are ab
sorbed by the cupel, leaving a button of pure gold and silver.
This button is then flattened, rolled out into a strip, which
is then coiled into a sort of screw, called a " cornet " ; this
is placed in hot diluted nitric acid, by which the silver is
dissolved and the gold alone remains ; the cornet is then
treated with stronger nitric acid, washed, and lastly made
red-hot ; when cold it is weighed again, and the difference
between its present weight and the original weight of the
scrapings carefully determined. For silver the process is
much the same; a certain portion, usually about ten or
twenty grains, is scraped off the article, some being taken
from each separate part ; this is wrapped in lead of propor
tionate weight, and the whole heated in the cupel. The
result is the same as in the case of gold, except that the
button remaining is of pure silver only ; the difference be
tween the weight of this button and the original weight of
the portion operated upon, shows the amount of alloy. The
portion of metal taken off for examination is called the
" diet." These processes are described in detail in the " Touch-stone
for Gold and Silver Wares," that of the "Assay office" being
still carried on at Goldsmiths Hall, London, in precisely the
same manner as then.
" If any Perfon hath bought or received (of any worker or feller of Silver
work) any kind of Silver wares fufpected to be deceitful, the fame deceipt
may be known without doing prejudice to the work, by rubbing the Plate
in fome place leaft in fight, with a File of indifferent finenefs ; and if it be
worfe than Starling it will appear Yellowifh, or elfe file it a little, and rub
the Place filed on a cleane Touch-ftone, and clofe by it rub the edge of a
good Half-Crown-piece, or fuch like thick money, and the difference, if
any, will appear.
"The reafon that I direct the filing the Work is this (to wit) that the Arti
ficial boiling of courfe Silver work, will fo eat or diflblve the Allay that is on
the furface or outride thereof, that unlefs it be filed as abovefaid it will Touch
on the Touch-ftone fix pence or eight pence in the ounce better then it is.
" Note further, That to know a good Touch-ftone, you must obferve,
That the beft fort are very black, and of a fine grain, polifhed very fmooth,
and without any fpungy or grain-holes ; And near the hardnefs of a Flint,

8 OLD PLATE.
but yet with fuch a fharp cutting greet that it will cut or wear the Silver or
Gold when rubbed thereon.
"The way to make a true Touch on the Touch-ftone is thus ; When your
Touch-ftone is very clean, which if foul or foily, it may be taken off, by
wetting it, and then rubbing it dry with a clean Woollen Cloth; or if fill'd
with Touches of Gold or Silver; &c. it may be taken off by rubbing the
Touch-ftone with a pumice-ftone in water, and it will make it very clean ;
then (your Silver being filed as abo.ve-faid) rub it fteadily and very hard
on the ftone, not fpreading your Touch above a quarter of an inch long, and
no broader than the thicknefs of a Five-fhilling-piece of Silver ; And fo con
tinue rubbing it until the place of the ftone whereon you rub, be like the
Metal itfelf : And when every fort is rubbed on, that you intend at that
time, wet all the touch't places with your Tongue, and it will fhew itfelf
in its own countenance.
"If it appear by thefe wayes to be worfe than Standerd, you may carry
or fend it to the Goldfmiths Affay- Office ; and upon your defire the Officers
there will make aji affay of the fame, and give you a true report of the value
thereof in writing, and return the Ware (and Silver taken off for the Affay)
to you again, no more defaced than what is done by the fcraping of the Sil
ver for the affay.
" But if you are minded to^keep the matter more concealed, you may artifi
cially cut or fcrape between 18 or 24 grains from fome one part, or from all
the parts of the work (except the foddered places) (for lefs in weight than
between 18 and 24 grains is not fufficient for an affay). Then in a piece of
paper of about 6 inches long, and 4 inches broad, At the one end write down
the Owners name, and the day of the Month and Year ; and at the other end
put the cuttings or fcrapings of Silver in a fold, turning in the corners once,
to prevent the fhedding the Silver, and fo fold up all the paper to the name
fo written, on the top as aforefaid.
" Then carry or fend it to the Goldfmiths Affay-Office as aforefaid (which
is now on the South part of their Hall in Fofter-Lane, London) on any of
the Affay-days before the hour of 9 in the morning, and leave it with the
Affay Mafter or his Servant, and at 4 of the Clock in the Afternoon the
fame day it will be done ; and by calling there for the Affay, by the name in
the paper, it will be delivered, upon the payment of 2d, which is the accuf-
tomed Fee for the making of an Affay."
It is scarcely credible that every separate part of every
separate article made of gold or silver (with few exceptions)
goes through this process of examination either in London
or in one of the provincial assay towns, but such is the fact;
and we are greatly indebted to the companies of goldsmiths,
and especially to the great London guild, for the effectual

GOLDSMITHS' WEIGHTS. 9
protection afforded by their vigilance against the frauds
which prevailed in earlier times.
Reference is made in the " Touch-stone " to the " artificial
boiling of course silver work." If silver mixed with copper —
our own standard silver, for example — be heated to a dull-
red heat in air, it becomes of a black color from the forma
tion of a film of oxide of copper, and if this be removed by
its being dipped in hot diluted sulphuric acid, the silver
becomes of the beautiful white appearance called " frosted "
silver, owing to a film of pure silver being left on its imme
diate surface. In Mint language this is called " blanching."
We find the celebrated London silversmith of the last
century, Paul Lamerie, who died in 1751, directing in his
will that all the plate in hand at the time of his death should
be " forthwith finished and made fit for sale by being boiled
and burnished." LONDON GOLDSMITHS' WEIGHTS.
In former times the Tower pound, or pois d'orfevres, the
old pound sterling of silver, was used by the goldsmiths,
and in the earlier inventories, such as those of the Treasury
of the Exchequer and in the wardrobe accounts, the weight
of articles of plate is recorded in such pounds, and in marks,
shillings, and pence for subdivisions. This ancient pound
was equal to 5400 grains Troy, and was divided into twenty
shillings, and these last into twelve pence or pennyweights ;
the mark was two-thirds of the Tower pound.
These, however, ceased to be legal Mint weights in the
reign of Henry VIII. They had long before that fallen out
of common use, but in 1526-27 (18 Henry VIII.) the Tower
pound was abolished by royal proclamation. The Troy
pound then substituted for the Tower pound is said to have
been introduced into England as early as the great French
wars of the reign of Edward III., or perhaps earlier, and its
name was no doubt derived from the French town of Troyes,
where a celebrated fair was held. It has been used ever
since by the trade of goldsmiths for all gold and silver wares
among the English-speaking race, but as its subdivisions

10

OLD PLATE.

are not so commonly known as the avoirdupois weights of
commercial life, it will be useful to give, in addition to a
table of the Troy weights, a table by which the weight of
plate as ascertained by the ordinary domestic avoirdupois
scale may be easily and quickly converted into the Troy
reckoning by which it would have to be valued or sold.

TROY WEIGHTS.

24 grains = 1 dwt. (pennyweight).
480 grains = 20 dwts. = 1 oz. (ounce).
5760 grains = 240 dwts. = 12 oz. = 1 lb. (pound).

AVOIRDUPOIS WEIGHTS.

437^ grains = 1 oz. 7000 grains = 16 oz. = 1 lb.
The grain is the same in both cases.

COMPARATIVE TABLE OF TROY AND AVOIRDUPOIS WEIGHTS.

Avoirdupois.

Troy.

Avoirdupois.

Troy.

i^ oz. = —

4 dwts. 13Jg grains 8 oz. = 7 oz.

5 dwts. 20 i£ grai

H. oz- = —

9 '

< 2% <

9 oz.= 8 oz.

4 <

' 1% "

1 oz. = —

18 '

' 5?a '

10 oz. = 9 oz.

2 '

i 7

2 oz. = 1 oz.

16 '

' 11

11 oz. = 10 oz.

0 <

' 123^ "

3 oz. = 2 oz.

4 <

' 6j£ '

' 12 oz. = 10 oz.

18 '

' 18 "

4 oz. = 3 oz.

12 '

22 '

13 oz. = 11 oz.

16 '

' 23!£ "

5 oz. =4 oz.

11 '

' 3}£ '

14 oz. = 12 oz.

15 '

< 5 "

6 oz. = 5 oz.

9 '

' 9 <

15 oz. = 13 oz.

13 '

' lOJg "

7 oz. = 6 oz.

7 '

' 14}£ '

16 oz. = 14 oz.

11 <

< 16 "

175 oz. Troy = 192 oz. Avoirdupois.

CHAPTER II

THE MEDIEVAL GUILDS — THE GOLDSMITHS COMPANY OF LONDON — LEGISLA
TION AND MARKS — THE PROVINCIAL ASSAY TOWNS.

'fTsW^l HERE are. no articles in the manufacture of
S®Bs|v which such extensive frauds can be committed
^||]|§ in so small a compass as in those made of the
^wMiS J | precious metals, and there are no frauds more
difficult of detection by ordinary persons. The great profit to
be made by fraudulent practices, the difficulty of detection,
and the consequent probability of escape from it, and from
punishment, have at all times exposed the dishonest work
man to irresistible temptations. In very early times, those
who carried on particular trades or handicrafts were accus
tomed to form themselves into guilds or fraternities for the
purpose of protecting and regulating the trade, or mystery,
as it was called, which they exercised. These were at subse
quent periods incorporated by royal charters, which gave
them power and authority to carry out these objects more
effectually. Amongst such associations, those of. the gold
smiths seem to have been early formed in many countries
of Europe. In 1260 it became necessary for the provost of
Paris to issue a code of statutes for the regulation of the
goldsmiths, who already existed there as a corporate body.
Not only was gold of an inferior quality substituted for good
gold, but articles made of latten were gilt and palmed off for
gold, and pewter was silvered and sold for the genuine
metal. In these statutes gold is ordered to be of " the touch

12 OLD PLATE.
of Paris," and silver as good as " Sterlings " (esterlins),
which was the standard of the English coin.
A second and more extensive code was issued by John II.
of France in the shape of Letters of Confirmation given at
S. Ouen in August, 1355, when it was ordered that every
goldsmith who was approved by the masters of the craft
should have a puncheon with a countermark of his own.
At Montpellier the goldsmiths in the xiv. century consti
tuted a fraternity governed by statutes, and they had a
standard of their own, which, however, does not seem to have
been a high one, since silver might contain one-third part
of alloy, or such silver as would come white out of the fire,
and gold of fourteen carats fine might be worked.
At Nuremberg and Augsburg, cities most famous for their
metal-workers, as well as in many other places, similar guilds
of goldsmiths, regulated by statutes, existed.
In England a fraternity or guild of goldsmiths had existed
from an early period, for in 1180, the twenty-sixth year of
the reign of Henry II., it was amongst other guilds amerced
for being adulterine ; that is, set up without the King's
license. It was not, however, incorporated by charter for
nearly a hundred and fifty years after this time, although it
had special duties assigned to it, one of the duties of the
wardens of the craft being to protect their trade against
fraudulent workers by holding official examinations, and
placing marks upon articles so examined.
Some such marks must have been necessary in order to
certify to the purchaser, and for other purposes, a certain
standard purity of metal in articles so examined ; and the
official stamps by which it was certified seem to have been
the origin of the marks which are found on the gold and
silver plate of most countries.
Every person who is possessed of any article of gold or
silver plate, has probably observed a small group of marks
stamped upon some part of it. Few, perhaps, have regard
ed them in any other light than as a proof that the article
so marked is made of the metal of which it professed to be
made, and that the metal itself is of a certain purity. And
this is, in fact, the ultimate intention of these marks, but

THE LONDON GOLDSMITHS COMPANY. 13
besides this the archaeologist can often deduce from them
-other important and interesting information, — as to the
year in which any article bearing them was made; the place
at which it was made, or at all events assayed ; the maker's
name ; and other particulars.
The privilege of assaying was granted to the London
Goldsmiths Company in 1300 by a statute (28 Edward I.,
stat. 3, cap. 20), which ordained " That no goldsmith should
make any vessel, jewel, or other thing of gold or silver
unless it be of good and true alloy . . . and that no vessel
of silver depart out of the hands of the workers until it be
assayed by the wardens of the craft, and marked with the
leopard's head."
The guild was regularly incorporated in 1327, and further
legislation in 1363 (37 Edward III., cap. 7) ordered that no
goldsmith, as well in London as elsewhere within the realm,
should work any gold or silver but of the alloy of good
sterling ; that every master goldsmith should have a mark
by himself which should be known by them who should be
assigned to survey their work and allay; that the goldsmiths
should not set their mark till their work was assayed ; and
that after the assay made, the surveyor should set the King's
mark upon it, and then the goldsmith his mark, for which
he should answer.
We thus have a standard mark since 1300, and a maker's
mark from 1363.
The latter marks were at first, in many cases, emblems,
or symbols ; probably often selected in allusion to the name
of the maker. In early times, most shops had signs by
which they were known, and some retain the custom even
to the present day, especially on the Continent. This, no
doubt, arose from the fact, that as few persons could read,
the writing of the name would be of little use, whereas the
setting up of some sign, such, for instance, as the golden
ball, which was easily understood, gave a convenient name to
the shop; it is, therefore, not improbable that the goldsmiths,
in some cases, took for their mark the sign of their shop.
Sometimes initial letters were used as the worker's marks,
¦and eventually they became the rule ; indeed, symbols and

14 OLD PLATE.
emblems, unaccompanied by any initial letters, hardly ever
occur later than the commencement of the xvn. century.
It is pretty clear that in the xiv. century, owing to the
frauds committed, a great move was made throughout
Europe with respect to goldsmiths, France and perhaps
Montpellier taking the lead.
In the xv. century, abuses and frauds in the trade had
greatly multiplied. Public clamor was raised against the
principal silversmiths for working below the standard. To
insure the legal standard, the goldsmiths of Montpellier, in
1436, ordained, besides the name of the silversmith, that
the name of the warden of the mystery should be followed
by one of 'the letters of the alphabet, which should be repro
duced beneath the shield of arms (Ecusson) of the town on
each work, in order that it might be known under what war
den it was made. This is the first establishment of an
annual letter.
In England, in 1423 (Henry VI.), it was ordained that the
city of York, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Lincoln, Norwich, Bris
tol, Salisbury, and Coventry shall have divers touches, and
further, that no goldsmith anywhere shall work silver of
worse alloy than the sterling, and shall set his mark upon
it before he set it for sale, upon the same penalties as if in
London. In 1462 Edward IV. not only confirmed the privileges of
the London Goldsmiths Company, but constituted them a
corporate body. Several kings, at various times, have
given them new charters, enlarging and confirming the
older ones.
In an ordinance of the year 1507 (Henry VII.), it was
provided that no goldsmith should put to sale any vessel or
other work of gold or silver until he had set his mark upon
it ; that he should take it to the assay-house of the Hall of
the Goldsmiths to be assayed by the assayer, who should set
his mark upon it, and should deliver it to the warden, who
should set on it the leopard's head crowned. We have now
to add to the leopard's head of 1300 and the maker's mark
of 1363 the assayer's mark. What this mark was is by no
means certain, but it must almost necessarily be the annual
letter.

LEGISLATION AND MARES. 15
The date of the first trace of the English use of the alpha
bet is 1438, evidently adopted from the mark invented by
the authorities at Montpellier in the previous year, but there
is no positive mention of such use till 1597, when the Attor
ney-General filed an information against two silversmiths
for the fraudulent use of " the marks of her Majesty's Lion,
the leopard's head limited by statute, and the alphabetical
mark approved by ordinance." The mark of the Lion pas
sant had been in use since 1545, but this is the first actual
mention of such a mark. Its origin, intention, and even
the precise date of its introduction are all equally obscure.
The four marks remained unchanged until 1696, when it
was enacted (8 and 9 Will. III., cap. 8) that on and after March
25, 1697, no worker of plate should make any article of
silver less in fineness than eleven ounces ten pennyweights
of fine silver in every pound Troy, nor put to sale, exchange
or sell any article made after that day but of that- standard,
nor until it had been marked with the marks now appointed
to distinguish plate of this new standard. These marks
were to be as follows : The worker's mark to be expressed
by the two first letters of his surname, the marks of the mys
tery or craft of the goldsmiths, which instead of the leopard's
head and lion were to be the figure of a lion's head erased
and the figure of a woman commonly called Britanna, and
a distinct and variable mark to denote the year in which
such plate was made. The plate made at this period is often
called of Britannia Standard to distinguish it.
This act by failing to specify the provincial offices estab
lished in 1423 practically deprived them of the privilege of
stamping any plate at all. The result of this was that until
the reestablishment of provincial assay-offices in 1701-2,
no plate was properly stamped anywhere but in London,
and what little plate was made in the provinces was stamped
irregularly. In the last year of the reign of William III. assay-
offices were established at York, Exeter, Bristol, Chester,
Norwich, and in the first year of the reign of Queen Anne, at
Newcastle-upon-Tyne. From June 1, 1720, the "old sterling" standard was
restored with its old marks, and took its place beside the

16 OLD PLATE.
new or Britannia standard, which, with his own special
marks, was left a lawful standard for such as preferred it.
In 1773 Birmingham and Sheffield were added to the list
of provincial assay-offices'.
The addition of the sovereign's head to the four marks
was made in 1784. These five marks continue to this day,
but the leopard's head is without a crown after 1822.
Prior to 1660 the date letters have been annually changed
on the day of the election of the new wardens of the Gold
smiths Company, being that of their patron saint S. Dunstan.
Since 1660, the new punches have been first used on the
morning of May 30, the new wardens having been elected
the previous day.
A duty of sixpence per ounce troy was first imposed upon
plate in 1720 when the old standard of silver was revived.
After several changes the duty now charged is eighteen
pence per ounce (1815), a drawback of the whole duty being
allowed upon all plate exported new.
To recapitulate we shall find on plate made in London the
following marks ; or some of them in accordance with the
various ordinances that have been recounted :
l. The Leopard's head, from 1300.
2. The Maker's mark, " 1363.
3. The Annual letter, " 1438.
4. The Lion passant, " 1 545.
5. The Lion's head erased and figure of Britannia, from 1697.
6. The Sovereign's head, from 1784.
Of the provincial assay-offices established in 1701 and
1702, it seems, almost certain that Bristol never exercised
the power of assaying plate, and Norwich soon abandoned
the privilege. The other places named, and since 1773 Bir
mingham and Sheffield, carried out the provisions of the
Act, by establishing assay-offices, all of which, except that
of York, still continue in active operation.
The distinguishing mark of these offices is the city or town
arms. Birmingham, however, has an anchor, and Sheffield
a crown. The date letters did not follow the style of those
in use in London, and, as in the case of Sheffield for the first

THE IMPORTATION OF PLATE. 17
half century, were often selected at random. The standard
and duty marks, however, were practically the same.
A total absence of marks may seem to have contravened
various statutes, but church plate, if ordered to be made,
had no need to be set for sale, and, being inahenable, was
regarded as incapable of being sold.
As regards the importation of plate into England, although
it is enacted that foreign plate shall not be sold, unless duly
assayed and marked with the usual marks, and in addition
with the letter F in an oval escutcheon, it does not oblige
the importer to send such plate to be marked at the time of its
importation, nor indeed at any time. If the duty of one shil
ling and sixpence per ounce is paid to the customs, the plate
is released without any mark being placed, upon it, if it bears
any resemblance to silver ; but if the owner wishes to dis
pose of it, he would have to pay the duty over again at the
Hall, unless he* can produce the customs certificate of pay
ment (this certificate, however, they may refuse). Moreover,
if sent for assay and not up to the standard, the silver will
be broken and defaced, even though the duties have been
paid to the customs.

CHAPTER III

PLATE AND PLATE BUYERS.

N an article appearing in the " Quarterly Review,"
,[ April," 1876, entitled "Plate and Plate Buyers,"
the reader is taken over the whole range of Lon
don Hall marks. One omission is made by the
reviewer, however, in forgetting that in Her Majesty's
reign, and since 1822, the leopard's head is without a crown.
The following extract will be useful to the novice, and in
connection with the information given previously (Chapter
II.) should enable him to ascertain with accuracy the date
of any piece of genuine London Hall marked plate.
And here let the reader follow our advice; and take in his
hand one of those modern fiddle-headed spoons which we
have supposed him to have lately acquired, and let us implore
him to beware lest when he supposed himself to be buying
silver plate, say at a mock auction in the city, he may not
really have been acquiring something very different. There
is such a mixture as German silver, and we have known it
passed off for real silver, just as we have known silver-gilt
plate passed off as pure gold. But we will not suppose him
to have been thus deceived. We will imagine him to have
dealt with an honest tradesman, and to hold a genuine silver
spoon of the reign of Queen Victoria in his hand. If he is
asked to look at the marks, he will answer that he sees
them, indeed, but that he knows nothing about them. They
are Greek to him, except that he is told they are hall-marks,
and mean that what he holds in his hand is sterling silver.

MAKER'S MARKS. 19
Let him count the marks, then, and he will find, there are
five. That is the first step in his instruction. A piece of
plate made in London in the present reign has five marks ;
but as to what these five marks mean he is still ignorant.
As it is easier to explain one mark than five, we will take
them one at a time, and tell him their signification. He
will, perhaps, be relieved to learn that there was a time when
plate had not five marks, but one. " Take me back to that
time," he will say, if of an idle turn ; "it is so much easier to
understand one mark than five." We take him, then, at his
word ; but he little knows what a race we shall lead him,
and how completely he must put off the form and fashion
of this xix. century. At one bound he must leap back
several centuries ; and here, in London, at least, he must
stand, as it were, alive before the year 1300, to find plate
with one mark, for after that year there were two marks on
plate made in the metropolis.
Having set him down in London before 1300, we desire
him to look again at the spoon in his hand which he has
clutched fast all this time. He will see in one of these
marks certain initials, vcjL^jBbs±z, or something similar.
Having fixed these in his memory, we proceed to tell him
that the initials are those of the Christian and surname of
the maker, as now required by act of Parliament. Further,
as every piece of plate must have had a maker, and as good
workmen were not ashamed to put their mark to their
handiwork, this is the oldest of all the marks, though it was
not always regulated, as it is now, by act of Parliament
(since 1363), but more often consisted of a device or emblem
than of the maker's initials. With respect to provincial
plate, many pieces exist long after 1300, which are stamped
with the maker's marks alone. The good maker was known
by his name and his work alone, as in some of those fine
Irish pieces of the xvn. century, which bear a maker's
mark and the word " sterling " without further stamp.
Every goldsmith had a punch, with which he marked as
his own with his peculiar mark the pieces which came out
of his shop. But this security of a single mark, and that
the maker's, though sufficient in the simplest and earliest

20 OLD PLATE.
times, was not, enough when dishonest workmen arose, who
adulterated the silver and gold in which they worked and
then passed it out in the world as pure. Now arose the
necessity for another mark, which, as was natural, indicated
the period both in England and France when the scattered
workmen were gathered into guilds, and could only work
according to regulations laid down and approved by the
confraternity. With these regulations the independence of
the free craftsman vanished. It was in 1300, in the twenty-
eighth year of Edward I., that in chap. 20 of what was
called the articuli super cartas, it was ordained that no
goldsmith, nor any one else within the King's dominions,
should cause to be made any manner of vessel, jewel, or
any other thing of gold and silver, except it be of the true
alloy, that is, gold of a certain touch and silver of a certain
alloy, or of better, at the pleasure of him to whom the work
belongeth ; and that no manner of vessel of silver depart
out of the hand of the workers until it be assayed by the
wardens of the craft; and, further, that it be marked with the
leopard's head.
Thus, then, in 1300 we come to the second mark on our
spoon, that leopard's head which was set as the mark of the
guild of goldsmiths of London on gold pieces of twenty-four
carats pure ; and in the case of silver in that metal, as pure as
" sterling," which, we are told, is derived from Easterling,
that is to say, in silver of purity approved by the mighty
guild of the Hanse Towns League, in the great cities on the
shores of the Baltic or East Sea. . From that day what is
called English sterling, so far as plate is concerned, with
one exception, has remained at eleven ounces and two
pennyweights of fine silver in the pound Troy. But, though
1300 is the earliest date at which is found written authority
for the leopard's head as the hall-mark of the Goldsmiths
Company, it is probable that it was in use at a still earlier
period, for in Edward III.'s charter to the Goldsmiths
Company, in 1327, the stamp of a punch of a leopard's head,
as of ancient time it hath been ordained, is mentioned,
where it has been well remarked from an anonymous writer
whom we now quote, that if the mark had not been older

THE LEOPARD'S HEAD. 21
than 1300, it could hardly have been called ancient in 1327.
However that may be, the mark was at first a leopard's
head, but in 1336, by the ordinances of the Goldsmiths
Company, it took its present shape. It is there ordered
"that none do work gold unless it be as good as the assay of the mystery —
meaning the guild, — nor in silver, unless as good or better than the Kiii;'s
coins or sterling, and that when done it shall be brought to the Hdll to be
assayed, and that such as will bear the touch should be marked with the
owner's and sayers' marks, and afterward be touched with the leopard's
head crowned."
We decline here to enter into the controversy whence this
leopard's head came. Those who declare that the animals
on the shields of our early kings were not lions but leopards,
will say that this crowned leopard's head could not have
been devised from the coat-armor of the Sovereign. Those,
on the other hand, who assert that these beasts were
leopards, will feel sure that the mark of the Goldsmiths
Company was thence derived. The matter is as indifferent
as any other idle question that can be raised, but we think
it certain that this second mark was designed to give a royal
sanction and authority to the pieces stamped with it.
During this . discussion we have nearly forgotten our
friend, whom we suppose to be still clutching his spoon.
If he will look at it again, he will not fail to discover that
leopard's head crowned, which for more than five centuries
the company have taken care to stamp on every piece of
silver manufactured within the metropolitan district ; so
that he is now in a position to understand the meaning of
two out of the five marks. At the same time, if he has
attended to what we have written, he will not have failed
to observe that the ordinances of the company in 1336*
speak of a third mark, which is called that of the sayers or
assayers. This, Mr. Chaffers is, no doubt, right in believ
ing to be that alphabetical letter which marks the year in
which the piece which bears it was made, and which, for the
purposes of this inquiry, is the most important of all. For
* This date is now proved to be erroneous. (0. E. P., 3d ed., p. 52.)

22 OLD PLATE.
it is just this alphabetical letter, varying with each year,
and repeated year after year in successive cycles of alpha
bets, that enables us to identify a piece of old English plate
with absolute certainty, if we are only sure of the relation
which the cycle in which it occurs bears to those which pre
cede and follow it. In order that the reader may understand
this, we must enter a little more into detail. These cycles
consist invariably of twenty letters of the alphabet, repeated
from A to U or V inclusive, but always omitting I, W, X,
Y, and Z.
Here the explanation of the anonymous writer which we
have already quoted is so clear that we do not scruple
to repeat it. The question arises, he says, as to what
happens when the twenty letters of any given alphabet are
exhausted. The answer is, that the fashion of the alpha
bet is changed, but the letters in each alphabet run on from
year to year in the same order. And now let us trace
down each successive cycle of alphabets, beginning with
the earliest which has been as yet identified. The first is
in the Lombardic character, which contains that famous
spoon of Henry VI., stamped with H, so that the A would
fall in 1438-9, and the V in 1457-8.* But, though this is
the earliest alphabet known, there can be little doubt that
all London-made plate had long been stamped with an
alphabetical letter, varying in each year, as the sayer's mark,
and that it is only because early English plate is so scarce
that we are unable to identify those letters in regular cycles.
Between 1458 and 1477-8 the character of the date-letter is
unknown. In the third cycle, which began in 1478, we have
another Lombardic character, in which several letters have
been identified — the first on the Anathema Cup of Cardinal
Langton, dated 1481. The fourth cycle begins in 1498-9,
with a small black-letter series, in which nine or ten pieces
have been identified. It is rich in the pieces which are the
glory of Corpus. The fifth cycle is occupied with another
Lombardic series, and in this thirteen date-letters have been
identified on as many pieces . of plate. Those were the
palmy days of Henry VIII., when piles of church-plate were
* See chapter on spoons.

THE DATE LETTER 23
melted and a great store of domestic plate manufactured.
In the sixth cycle, beginning with 1538 and closing with
1558, we are in the last days of Henry VIII. and m the two
reigns of Edward VI. and Mary. In this less plate was
probably made, for reasons already named; at any rate,
fewer pieces have been identified. In this alphabet we find
for the first time a cycle of Roman capitals. To this suc
ceeds, with the first year of the glorious reign of Queen
Elizabeth, the seventh cycle, in small black-letter charac
ters. When these are run out, in 1577-8, the eighth cycle
begins with another series of Roman capitals, in which the
letters, instead of being stamped singly on the silver, are
inclosed within a shield ; but though we are ready to admit
that this neatness of stamping very often occurs, we cannot
accept it as an invariable rule. To this large Roman alpha
bet succeeds, in 1598-9, the ninth cycle, in Lombardic
letters-; and, lest the frequency with which those characters
recur in these earlier cycles should confuse either the reader
or the buyer, we may inform them that, with other differ
ences which preclude all possibility of mistake, this Lom
bardic cycle has cusps on the outside of the letters, while
that beginning in 1518-9 is cusped on the inside ; that in
1478-9 is cusped both on the inside and out, and that of
1438-9, the earliest of all, has no cusps either inside or out.
Continuing our cycles — in the last years of James I. the
tenth began in small italics, which was followed in 1438-9
by one of those alphabets which are the crux of collectors.
This was a cycle of what is called court-hand, but which
was in reality the old hand employed by law-writers in the
xvi. and xvn. centuries. We quite agree with the writer
who said of this cycle that a more crabbed character, and
one less like a respectable alphabet, it is impossible to con
ceive. If it had only been used once it would not have
mattered much, for we are now in the evil days of the
Great Rebellion and the Commonwealth, when much more
plate went to the melting-pot in the cause of the King or of
his adversaries than was made to replace the loss. It unfor
tunately, however, happens that after two more cycles —
one of black-letter capitals beginning in 1658, and another

24 OLD PLATE.
of small black-letters beginning in 1678, and ending abruptly
with t in 1696 — we find this crabbed court-hand repeated
in another cycle from 1697 to 1715-6, and with it many of
the finest pieces — made when the manufacture of plate in
England revived in the reign of Anne — were stamped. To
the true collector, however, no cycle of letters need be
formidable ; and a little insight into plate-marks will make
the difference between these two cycles of court-hand as
plain, to use the words of a plain-spoken dealer, as the
nose on your face. The first two years of George I. saw the
last of these hieroglyphics, as they are sometimes called ;
and to them succeeds a welcome cycle of Roman capitals, ,
beginning in 1716, and followed in 1736-7 by a small Roman
cycle. In 1756 came a cycle of black-letter capitals. Take
courage, reader, for we are near the end. Then, in 1776-7,
began another cycle of small Roman letters ; then, in 1796-7,
Roman capitals again; then, in 1816, small Roman. In
1836-7 a cycle of black-letter capitals marks the beginning
of the reign of Queen Victoria, under whom the cycle has
not only been run out, but we, in this year of grace, 1875-6,
have just got to the tt in a cycle of small black-letters. The
30th of next May will see the beginning of a new cycle.
We have thus galloped our reader through these succes
sive cycles, twenty-two in all ; but let him not forget that
up to this time he has only three of the five marks on his
spoon accounted for : 1, the maker's mark ; 2, the mark of
the Goldsmiths Company, the leopard's head crowned; 3,
the sayer's mark, or the date-letter, which marks the year
and identifies the precise period at which the piece was
made. We ran him at such a rate through these alphabets
that we had no time to point out that about the last year of
Henry VIII. the fourth mark on his spoon is first found.
This is that lion passant which is, perhaps, the plainest
mark of all on any piece. The origin of this mark is rather
mysterious. We first hear of it in the year 1597, when the
minutes of the Goldsmiths Company speak of it as "Her
Majesty's Lion," by which they can only mean it was in some
way connected with the action of the Crown. But, before
becoming Queen Elizabeth's lion, it had been that of her sis-

THE LION PASSANT. 25
ter Mary, of her brother Edward, and also of her stern father.
According to Mr. Chaffers, the first piece on which this lion
passant occurs is dated in 1545. It is a spoon with a lion
sejant at the end of the stem, and, as is invariable in early
spoons, it has the leopard's head crowned stamped in the
bowl ; no doubt because, in early days, the bowl and shank
were made separately, and to avoid fraud it was necessary
that both parts should bear the marks of the Goldsmiths
Company. But though this is the earliest piece known with
the lion passant, it by no means follows that still earlier
examples may not be discovered, and we very much wish
that some of those laborious gentlemen who are engaged in
calendaring the State Papers may fall in the course of their
researches on some Order in Council, or Gracious Proclama
tion, enjoining the addition of this royal lion — for it at
least came out of the coat-armor of the sovereigns to the
three marks already rendered imperative by statute. And
here let us observe how useful this additional mark is to the
collector. It has been, unfortunately, our lot to see many
forged pieces of plate ; if, therefore, a choice piece is pre
sented to an unwary purchaser, bearing four marks before
the year named, let him scan it not twice, but twenty times,
for it will almost to a certainty prove to be a forgery. The
reader has now four of his five marks explained. He will
find that these four marks will carry him down for more than
two centuries. It was not till the twenty-fourth year of the
reign of George III., in 1784, that the fifth mark was added
in order to mark the imposition of a duty of sixpence in the
ounce on all silver plate, a duty which in 1815 was raised to
eighteen-pence, at which it now stands. If the reader will
now look backwards on the information as to hall-marks
which we have afforded him, he will find that all plate bear
ing the London mark with five marks must be modern ; that
is, less than one hundred years old. There are undoubtedly
some fine pieces of modern make ; for instance, the magnifi
cent silver cisterns presented by the British Government
to the arbitrators who settled the American difficulty
at Geneva. These were made by Messrs. Garrard, the
royal goldsmiths, and will stand comparison with those

26 OLD PLATE.
splendid cisterns of the reign of Queen Anne, of which the
late Lord Chesterfield, the Earl of Jersey, the late Lord
Hastings, and the Marquis of Exeter are, or were, the fortu
nate possessors. That belonging to Lord Jersey is especially
interesting, though it by no means is the largest, as being
the manufacture of Child, the goldsmith of Charles II.'s
reign, and founder of the bank which still flourishes under
his name. But, as a general rule, plate made since 1784 is
poor in design and unworthy of the notice of a true col
lector. Carrying on our retrospect from 1784 up to the days of
Queen Anne, we come to what may be called the paradise
of plate-buyers. As we approach the year 1700, plate, and
especially plain, solid, old English plate, is more and more
abundant. Every one who has the fancy may have a chance
of acquiring a two-handled cup, a pair of candlesticks, or,
at least, a dozen of rat-tailed spoons, as they are called,
because of the stripe which runs down the back of the bowl,
another relic of the time when the bowl and shank of the
spoon were made in separate pieces. There are, we should
say, tons of this plate in the country, and it ought to be
much more moderate in price than it is, if abundance of an
object affords any measure of its value. Where, however,
there are anxious buyers there will always be exorbitant
sellers, and here, as elsewhere, the price of a thing is what
it will fetch. The days are long past when, as at the Stowe
sale, in what may be called the dark age of plate-buying,
rat-tailed spoons could be bought at the melting-price, or a
little above it, and when magnificent plateaux were actually
melted for want of a buyer. Two, three, and four guineas
an ounce are now readily given for fine spoons of that pe
riod; and as for more important pieces, we cannot mark
the recent rise in their value better than by stating that a
belted cup, bought a very few years back for £30 at the
Hasting's sale, realized no less a sum than £167, when a
celebrated collection was dispersed last summer at Christie's.
The explanation of this rise is to be found in two facts :
one, that Queen Anne plate is now the rage ; the other, that
the forgers, who have been at work at the earlier cycles,

THE BRITANNIA STANDARD. 27
have as yet hardly tried their cunning on plate of Queen
Anne's time. We say hardly, because we have recently
seen some very suspicious pieces of that date. But up to
the present time buyers have spent their money freely, in
the belief that all plate which professed to be of the reign of
that Queen was genuine, and so their comfort would have
been complete were there not occasionally something awk
ward and unforeseen in the marks which interfered with
their content. What this something is we will now explain,
and we only wish that all the dark passages connected with
plate-marks were capable of as satisfactory a solution. It
will be remembered that we have laid it down as a rule that
all pieces of plate made after the year 1545 should have the
lion passant on them. A rule, however, that is without an
exception is scarcely a rule. It is like a sum without a proof.
We will suppose a collector of Queen Anne plate, bearing
this rule in his head, to fall on a piece of plate in which the
date-letter is in the second cycle of that court-hand which
we have mentioned, and which has a maker's mark, but on
which the two remaining marks are quite different. One of
these, if the stamps are pretty plain, and not rubbed off by
generations of laborious butlers, he may discover to be the
figure of Britannia with her shield and trident ; the other, if
he be ever so little of a herald, he will describe as a lion's head
erased, that is, not as Mr. Chaffers calls it, separate, or
without the body, but torn roughly off with a jagged edge,
in contradistinction to coupee. The questions which will
arise in his mind will be, What do these marks mean ?
and is the piece genuine ? We proceed to ease his mind
by informing him that the piece is not only genuine, but of
better silver than in the ordinary standard ; and as for the
meaning of the marks, they denote an alteration in the
standard made in the reign of William and Mary. The fol
lowing is the account of the way in which these marks arose,
as given by the anonymous writer whom we have already
quoted: In early times in England there has been a great
tendency in the wealthier classes to invest or hoard their
savings in the form of plate. It was something like that
feeling which induces, the small Indian capitahst to carry all

28 OLD PLATE.
his worldly goods about with him in gold bangles or anklets.
A plate-collector has only to read the list of plate left behind
them before the Wars of the Roses by Enghshmen of every
position, to be filled with despair that such a vast amount of
costly property should have been melted down. No doubt
almost all these accumulated hoards vanished in the troubles
of the xv. century. But no sooner were peace and security
established under Henry VII. and his successor than we
find the same spirit as lively as ever. The wardrobe
accounts of the Tudor sovereigns, and the wills of their
subjects, sufficiently attest the amount of silver and gold
annually devoted from the mint and the bullion market
to be manufactured into plate. So it went on till the bad
times and the hard times of the great Civil War came.
It is matter of history how much plate was melted on
either side. Here went almost all the College plate at our
two Universities into his Most Sacred Majesty's mint at
Oxford ; and here, on the other hand, the sideboards of the
great city companies, and the cupboards of well-to-do
citizens of London and other great towns, were swept clean
to find the sinews of war for the Parliament and Common
wealth. Here and there a Founder's cups and spoons at
Oxford and Cambridge were spared ; but, as a general rule,
between 1638 and 1648 the bulk of the plate of the country
went to the melting-pot. But at the Restoration, when the
king got his own again, and Charles II. led his merry life
in the Great Gallery at Whitehall, the goldsmiths and silver
smiths had again a good time of it. Plate was manufac
tured in great quantities, and bullion took that shape rather
than the stamp of money. So it went on till the Revolu
tion, and of that troublous time one might parody the well-
known lines and say :
Woe to the land, to panic fears a prey,
Where plate accumulates and coins decay.
So it was when Dutch William came to the throne, there
was great lack of bullion for the mint, and he and his
advisers were at their wits' end what to do. At last they
devised a plan, and we find it embodied in a statute of the

THE BRITANNIA STANDARD. 29
8th and 9th of William and Mary, ch. 8, sec. 1, by which it
was enacted, that any persons who shall bring any sort of
wrought plate between the 1st of January, 1696, and the
4th of March, 1697, into any of his Majesty's mints shall be
paid five shillings and fourpence an ounce for the same;
and then the section proceeds to say that aU London hall
marked plate should be taken as sterling without waiting
for a fresh assay. Of course, as five shillings and fourpence
an ounce was much above the market price of silver bullion,
King William and his advisers reckoned that vast quantities
of plate would be brought into the mint ; and this proved
to be the case. Of all the destroyers of old English plate,
none in his generation was greater than William III. Those
months between January, 1696, and November, 1697, were
fatal to many a noble piece of Caroline plate. But how did
all this affect the standard of Enghsh plate ? For a very plain
and sufficient reason. Having got the plate of the country
converted into coin, King William's object was to keep it
in that shape. He did not wish his coins to be melted into
plate, as had been the tendency of all times before his own.
But how was this to be prevented ? By a very simple expe
dient. Sec. 9 of the same ch. 8 declares, "And whereas it
might reasonably be suspected that part of the silver coins
of the realm had been, by persons regarding their private
gain more than the public good, molten and converted into
vessels of silver or other manufactured plate, which crime
had been the more easily perpetrated by them, in regard
the goldsmiths and other makers of plate by the former
laws and statutes of the realm were not obliged to make
their plate finer than the sterling or standard ordained for
the moneys of the realm" — and then enacts that from and
after the 25th of March, 1697, no silver plate should be
made of less fineness than that of eleven ounces, ten penny
weights of fine silver in every pound Troy, the old standard
having been eleven ounces, two pennyweights, and no piece
of plate was to be put to sale until such time as it had been
duly stamped with the marks of the new standard, those
marks being, for the maker's mark, the two first letters of
his surname, and for the marks of the mystery or craft of

30 OLD PLATE.
goldsmiths, instead of the leopard's head and the lion, the
figure of a woman, commonly called Britannia, and the
figure of a lion's head erased. Of course, as the standard
for silver plate was so much higher than that for coin, it
was not possible to melt coin at once into plate, and so the
king's object was gained. Thus far the anonymous writer,
to whose explanation we would add the remark, that though
it was not possible to melt coin into plate without an addi
tional alloy of fine silver, and thus the statute might have
had some deterring effect on goldsmiths bold enough to
commit the crime in question, it could not prevent coin
being melted with a view of turning it into plate by such a
mixture as that to which we have alluded. But whether it
had this effect or not, the statute remained in force till
1719, when, by an act of the sixth of George I., the old
standard was restored, though the new standard was not
abolished ; so that since 1739 there have been two standards
for silver plate — the old of eleven ounces, two pennyweights;
and the new, or Britannia standard, of eleven ounces, ten
pennyweights in the pound Troy, though, as might have
been supposed, little plate has been manufactured of the
new standard since the act of William was altered.
The reader is now in possession of all the information
which we are able to afford him as to his five marks, and
especially with regard to the new standard. Let him not
be afraid to purchase a fine bit of Queen Anne plate, if he
hears it is only Britannia, as though it were of base
Birmingham manufacture, for it is in reality eight penny
weights in the ouia*» purer silver than pieces wrought in
the ordinary standard. Nor let us forget to call to his
attention that a great alteration was made by King Will
iam's act in the maker's mark. Before that statute the
maker enjoyed perfect freedom in this respect. He might
put his initials fancifully interlaced, or in monogram ; or he
might choose, as was common in earlier times, some em
blem — a rose, a crown, a star; all that the Goldsmiths
Company required was that every maker should have his
own proper mark, known to the wardens or to the surveyor
of the Company. How graceful many of those marks were

SUMMARY OF MARKS. 31
may be seen by the table of marks stamped on a copper
plate still preserved in Goldsmiths Hall, and which we
imagine to be those which the Government recognized
between the burning of their hall, in 1666, and the year
1697. Before the Great Fire, earlier plates of makers' marks
no doubt existed.
With the act of William what may be called the poetry
of the maker's marks perished. Little could be made out
of the first and second letters of a maker's surname. Besides,
if, as likely, there were many makers'at once rejoicing in the
names of Smith, or Williams, or Jones, or Brown, how could
their marks be distinguished ? Nor is the existing arrange
ment much better. By the 12th of George II., in 1739, the
maker's mark has been declared to be the initials of his Chris
tian and surname; so if two John Smiths or two John
Joneses make plate, their mark will be precisely the same.
We now sum up this part of our inquiry. From the
present day up to 1784, all English plate, whether of the
new or old standard, bears, or has borne, five marks — the
sovereign's head, the lion passant, the date-letter, the leop
ard's head crowned, and the maker's mark ; but in the case
of the new standard, the lion passant and the leopard's head
crowned give place to the figure of Britannia and the lion's
head erased. Before 1784 the marks are four in number,
and since the year 1719 there have been two standards for
silver plate, the old and the new, which new standard was
obligatory for all pieces made between 1696 and 1719. In
1739 the maker's mark was fixed at the initials of his Chris
tian and surname, and in 1696 at the two first letters of his
surname. Before that date the maker was free to choose
his own mark ; and, in passing, we may observe, that in
those days of freedom he never exhibited the gross want of
taste so remarkably displayed in the selection of modern
trade-marks. Between 1696 and 1545 there were still four
marks, the various cycles of alphabets succeeding each
other at intervals of twenty years, except that the cycle
which terminates abruptly in 1696 is shorn of its last letter.
About 1545 the lion passant first appears. Before its
appearance the marks were three, and this probably has

32 OLD PLATE.
been their number ever since the year 1336, when the
sayer's mark, which we take to be the annual letter', was
first introduced. In 1300 we first hear of the leopard's head,
which in 1336 is mentioned as crowned. Before 1300, and
back to an indefinite period, the good and honest maker put
his own mark on his wares.
It is, we imagine, hopeless to identify, except as undoubt
edly English, the many pieces, spoons especially, which are
stamped only with a maker's mark. All over the country, as
we have already pointed out, there were silversmiths who,
not being bound by the acts which affected the metropolis,
honestly made their wares and stamped them with their own
mark. These the dealers often call foreign, though their
English character stares one in the face.

CHAPTER IV

SCOTLAND — IRELAND — PEANCE — GERMANY— HOLLAND — SPAIN — RUSSIA-
AMERICA.

jR^f N Scotland attention was paid at an early period
»lek3 ^° ^ie nneness °f wrought gold and silver, and
aIS?^ steps were taken by the Legislature in the reign
MSsa of James II. (1457) to prevent frauds in the
working of those metals. The goldsmiths of Edinburgh
had their privileges confirmed, and were duly incorporated
by James VII. in 1687, who extended their powers over the
whole kingdom.
It seems clear that at this time but little plate, and hence
forward none at all, was assayed except in Edinburgh, until
the establishment of the office at Glasgow in the present
century. In earlier times several towns used marks in
compliance with the early acts of Parliament, but few
instances of plate bearing them are now to be found. The
earliest marks were the maker's and deacon's punches only,
— the deacon answering to the warden of the London gold
smiths, — to which the mark of the town is added in 1457.
The variable date-letter was adopted in 1681. It has been
changed regularly ever since on the first hall-day in October.
We have now enumerated four of the marks to be found on
plate assayed in Edinburgh, — the maker's, the deacon's, the
town-mark (a castle), and the date-letter. Two others have
to be mentioned, one an alteration and the other an addition.
In 1759, the deacon's mark was abohshed, the standard

34 OLD PLATE.
mark of a thistle being substituted for it, and in 1784, as in
England, the sovereign's head was ordained as a duty-mark.
Of the several towns which used marks in earlier times,
we have a very imperfect knowledge.
Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Perth, St. An
drews, and others of less note, either, used as a town-mark
their arms or a contraction of their name.
The assay-office of Glasgow was established in 1819.
The Goldsmiths Company of Dublin, incorporated by a
charter from Charles I., dated 1638, has the entire regulation
of the trade in Ireland.
The marks used were the harp crowned, a date-letter, and
the maker's initials. To these were added, in 1730, the figure
of Hibernia, and in 1807 the sovereign's head.
No silver of the Britannia or higher standard was ever
made. A company of goldsmiths existed also at Cork, and
regularly elected its master and wardens each year, at all
events from the middle of the xvri. century for some seventy-
five years. The Cork goldsmiths marked their plate' with a
galleon and a castle with a flag-staff on separate stamps, but
they did not use a date-letter. Plate thus marked toward
the end of the xvn. century is found in and near the city
of Cork. It is also found with the maker's initials, and the
stamp steeling sometimes in two lines : §££
In 1783 a colony of foreign Protestants was established in
a village near Waterford. Many Swiss were among them,
especially Genevese, from whom the village was called New
Geneva. They exercised various trades, especially working
in silver and jewelry. An assay-office was established with
particular marks, but after a few years the settlement was
abandoned, and the Genevese quitted the country. It is
therefore probable that few, if any, articles were assayed or
marked there.
, EUEOPB.

* " After the simple and uniform methods of stamping plate adopted in
England by the use of the lion passant from the arms of England, appro
priately denoting the standard, etc., the leopard's head taken from the arms
* " Hall-marks on Plate." W. Chaffers.

FRANCE, 35
of the Goldsmiths Company denoting the assay, with the alphabetical cycles
enabling us to determine the exact date of manufacture, 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."
Here, as we have already stated, a system of stamping
gold and silver wares was adopted as early as the xiii.
century, but, from the destruction of records in troublous
times, the means of ascertaining the date of manufacture is
not so easily determined as in England.
Prior to 1791, the marks that will be found on plate made
in Paris are as f ollows :
1. The punch of the common-hall (poincon de maison com
mune) from 1275-1791.
2. The maker's mark (poincon du maitre) from very early
times. 3. The mark of the farmer of the duties (poincon de charge)
from 1672-1791.
4. A second duty mark (poincon de decharge) from 1681-
1791. 1. The punch of the common-hall was in early times the
fleur-de-lis ; afterward, say from 1461-1783, it was a letter
of the alphabet crowned. This was probably at first added
to the fleur-de-lis rather than substituted for it. It was not,
however, until the year 1672 that the addition of the mark
of the farmer of the duty enables us to identify with cer
tainty the year signified by any particular alphabetical
letter. From 1784 the letter P crowned was substituted for the
alphabetical letter as the Paris mark, the punch at first

36 OLD PLATE.
bearing the last two figures of the date (e. g., 87 for 1787)
between the crown and the letter, the shape of which varied
each year.
2. The maker's mark was no doubt used long before it is
actually mentioned or prescribed by any statute.
In the xiv. century it was a punch with a countersign,
which consisted of some small emblem or device, with a
fleur-de-lis or a crown, or both. To this was afterward
added, it is said in 1493, the two small points or dots which
are commonly observed in the marks of French goldsmiths.
By 1506 the maker had added the initials of his name.
3. The marks of the farmer of the duty were adopted on
the imposition of a plate duty in 1672. It was the mint-
letter of the town, under a fleur-de-lis or crown, and for
Paris was the letter A.
A new design for the letter was adopted by each succes
sive tenant of "the post. Mr. Cripps (Old French Plate)
gives a list of twenty-two Paris farmers general of the
duties and their marks, from 1672.
4. The fourth mark was added in 1681, when the farmers
obtained the right of marking plate both in its rough state
and again when finished, by way of better security for the
coUection of the tax. The mark was a small one, usually a
human head or that of some beast or birfLpIn the provinces,
besides the maker's mark, a shield of the town arms, accom
panied or not by a date-letter, or in some instances, perhaps,
a date-letter only, was the usual town-mark until 1784. In
some places, however, they seem to have used, at least in
early times, the first two letters of the name of the town, or
the first letters of each syllable of it, or sometimes its first
and last letters. Mr. Cripps is inclined to attribute the
mark consisting of the letters M 0 P in Lombardic charac
ters, which occurs on a plate of the xiv. century in the South
Kensington Museum, to Montpellier. A M, in the same
style of lettering, seems at one time to have been used at
Amiens. The lamb and flag of Rouen and the bend of
Strasbourg show the use of the town arms.
Whether the arms or letters were used, a date-letter was
often added in the course of the xv. or later centuries;

FRANCE. 37
indeed it was the great number of different alphabets in
use, and the confusion thereby created, that at length occa
sioned the abolition of all date-letters in 1783 and the sub
stitution of a new and peculiar mark for each place to which
the year should be added. We might almost infer from
this that some of the provincial guilds, following the exam
ple of Paris, had used no mark except an alphabetical letter.
From 1672 the mark of the farmer of the duty should be
found on provincial French, as on Paris, plate in addition to
the town-mark, maker's mark, and date-letter.
There was probably a farmer of the duty to each of the
provinces into which France was divided from the time of
Louis XIV. ; and at the principal or mint town, plate must
have paid duty and received the mark of the charge and dis
charge by way of receipt. The new town-mark of 1783 is
unfortunately no clue to any other one ; for it was in hardly
any case an armorial bearing, but some quite modern and
fanciful device, accompanied by the last two figures of the
year, or else some small secret and variable character;
though, as they were in use only from 1784 to 1789, five
troublous years in which little plate could have been made,
it must be confessed that they are of small interest.
Tables of these marks are given by Mr. Cripps (Old French
Plate). From 1789 a period of blank chaos intervenes until, in
1797, the necessary step was taken of starting the craft
afresh upon a modern basis. Possibly it was found difficult
to get on any longer without taxes. This new departure
was effected by the law of 19 Brumaire, year vi. (9th Nov.,
1797), which is not without some importance, as it is the
groundwork of the legislation of all modern French and
nearly all Continental States.
There are two standards for works of silver, one of .950,
the other .800; these are expressed in thousandths (milliemes),
the old denominations of karats and deniers being discon
tinued. There are three principal punches : 1. That of
the maker — the initial letter of his name, with some
symbol ; 2. That of the standard — a cock, animal, or head,
with Arabic figures 1 or 2, to denote the standard ; 3. That

38 OLD PLATE.
of the assay-office— a classical head, accompanied by the
number or sign of the department. Other marks are pro
vided for ancient, for foreign, and for plated wares, but it is
hardly worth while venturing into the bewildering sea of
modern French hall-marks, since they are of comparatively
little interest to amateur or collector, and of none to the
antiquary. The duty is one franc per hectogramme on silver, not in
cluding the expense of assay. Foreign plate must be sent
to the nearest assay-office, where it shall be marked with
the punch E T (etrangere), in addition to the usual marks,
and at the time of importation.
*"The great centers of goldsmiths' work, Augsburg and Nuremburg,
where probably nearly all the finest pieces of plate were produced in the xvi.
and xvn. 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.
" In Germany and Holland, it was formerly the custom to indicate the
date by means of letters, as a letter is generally found in juxtaposition with the
town-mark and that of the maker, but this seems to have fallen into disuse
toward the end of the last century. On many pieces of German plate are
stamped the figures 1 3 or 12; these numbers refer to the quality of the silver
according to Cologne weight, viz., thirteen parts of fine silver and three
parts of alloy, making up the sixteen loths of which the Cologne mark, or
half a pound, consisted. It is still adopted in the northern parts of Germany,
but Troy weight of twelve ounces in the pound is mostly used."
Many of the cities of Spain had corporations using stamps
for the marking of gold and silver smiths' work, showing
the place of manufacture and the maker's mark.
Russia, in addition to the city arms and maker's marks,
stamps the date and the number of parts 'fine.
It is impossible to trace the stamps and marks of many
pieces of plate, as, notwithstanding the laws passed in so
many separate governments and corporations, great num
bers of pieces of goldsmiths' work, in the museums and in
other collections, are either without systematic stamps, or
the stamps are no longer to be recognized.
In America, during Colonial times, there does not appear
to have been any system of marking. The maker's mark,
* " Hall-marks on Plate." W. Chaffers.

UNITED STATES. 39
initials, or name only is to be found, without any guide as
to date. The first goldsmiths settled at Boston, and some
of their wares are still to be found, made as early as 1650.
In 1767 the silversmiths of Philadelphia must have been as
dissatisfied as their predecessors of the xv. century in
Europe, at the abuses and frauds in the trade, as they
petitioned the governor " for the establishment of an assay-
office to regulate assays and stamp gold and silver."
In the United States no assay-marks are used, and no
State protection is afforded to purchasers of plate ; they can
only trust to the standing and reputation of the maker and
dealer. The standard is the same as the English sterling,
925-1000 fine, the word sterling being stamped on the
article, together with the name or mark of the maker.
Prior to 18§&, the coin standard, 900-1000 fine, was
generally in use ; the word coin is frequently met with on '
silver of that date. The higher, or Britannia, standard was
rarely used. ( /3<*/Z/?^ ** 7? f&/ *s
At the United States assay-office in Wall street, New-\
York, assays are made for the public for a fee of two dollars,
but no assay similar to those of the Goldsmiths Hall, Lon
don, from a few grains scraped here and there on an article
of silver, are undertaken. The piece, such as a spoon or
fork, is melted down before assaying.
The duty on importations is forty-five per cent., but since
the decision in the case of Betts v. Robertson, collections of
old silver are exempt as collections of antiquity, even if the
silver is of the periods of the xvii. and TZSBZ centuries.
Collectors owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. F. H. Betts for
the pains he took to bring this case to a successful issue.

CHAPTER V
HISTORICAL SKETCH — FRAUDS AND IMITATIONS — TRANSFORMATIONS — PLATE
FORGERS.
HE patron of the goldsmiths of France was Saint
Eloi, Bishop of Noyon (d. 659). He was appren
ticed to a goldsmith named Abbo, and founded
several monasteries which contained ateliers for
the manufacture of ecclesiastical ornaments. He was also
chosen as patron of the guild of "Hammermen" of Scotland,
or Smiths, among which goldsmiths were anciently included
until those of Edinburgh obtained a separate charter in
1586, confirmed in 1687. Saint Dunstan, of Glastonbury,
patron of English goldsmiths, and especially of the Gold
smiths Company, of London, employed his time between
religious exercises and the manufacture of sacred vessels
and ornaments of the church. He died 988, and was buried
in Canterbury Cathedral.
The breaking up of the Roman Empire, and the convul
sions through which Europe reached new life, firm govern
ments, and well-ordered society, would have buried the very
memory of the arts but for one protector, the Christian
Church. Gaul, Spain, and Britain, including Western
Europe, were colonies and provinces of the Roman Empire
in the in. century. The military colonists brought with
them the arts of the imperial city.
After the fall of the Empire the monasteries became the
nurseries of art, and especially of the art of the goldsmith.

HISTORICAL SKETCH. 41
In the ix. and x. centuries the goldsmiths of Ireland pro
duced brooches and personal ornaments, chalices, covers for
books of the gospels, reliquaries, croziers, and other objects
of rehgious use, unsurpassed in the rest of Europe ; but it
was not until the xi. century that the old traditions of
Byzantine art succumbed under the influence of mediaeval
design. The xii. century was fruitful in the production of large
and costly pieces of work, few examples of which remain.
The monk now begins to give way to the professional crafts
man, though he does not disappear altogether from the
scene. It was during this century that London goldsmiths
were " amerced for being adulterine." The art of precious
metal work and jewelry of the Middle Ages reached the
highest perfection during the xiii. century, reigned through
the xiv., and this excellence slowly declined during the xv.
The personal splendor of princes and noblemen during these
centuries was great. The goldsmiths of Burgundy and of
the low countries were the most accomplished artists of
their time ; the houses of feudal lords were furnished, many
of them, very richly, with silver, silver-gilt, and occasion
ally pure gold plate.
"Before the close of the xv. century many causes were combining to
bring about a change in the arts of painting, sculpture, and architecture.
The taking of Constantinople by the Turks, the Council of Florence, and
the reunion of the Greeks, brought the Greek language and literature to the
knowledge of the Italians. This was the ' Renaissance' or revival of the
ancient learning. We have in our day but a faint conception of the delight
and excitement which this revival produced in learned Europe, more espe
cially in Italy. It must be enough here to say that the arts, and that of the
goldsmith with others, were engaged wholly in the new range of thought
and of aspirations which possessed the rising generation."
Numberless vessels were broken up, melted, and re-made,
all over Europe, in Italy and France especially. The lovers
of the new fashions had no sort of sympathy, such as we
feel, with the splendor and skill of older generations.
The goldsmith had been the type of the complete artist
during the past ages. He worked in all materials, and pro-

42 OLD PLATE.
duced an infinite variety of designs for all sorts of things,
and on every scale of size and magnificence. Under the
revival, it will be found that many of the greatest painters,
sculptors, and architects had been goldsmiths first, or had
obtained their education in art in the workshops of master
goldsmiths. The work of the xvi. century reached its greatest splendor
and beauty in the hands of Benvenuto Cellini. In England,
increasing wealth and luxury told with especial effect upon
the art and craft of the goldsmiths. Five or six hundred or
a thousand pounds (a large sum in those days) was the
ordinary value, we are told, of the cupboard of plate to be
found in the home of a knight, gentleman, or wealthy mer
chant, by the year 1586 ; the merchant excelling the others
in " neatnesse and curiositie." Even the farmer used silver
instead of pewter, and had " a silver-salt, a bowl for wine
(if not a whole neast), and a dozen of spoons to finish up
the sute."
Notwithstanding this, there was no such celebrated smith
to point to in England as Italy can boast of in Benvenuto
CeUini, France in Etienne Delaulne, Germany in Wenzel
Jamnitzer, or Spain in Arphe. It is difficult to give the
names of the artists who executed even important works,
from the loss of all evidence by which to identify t their
names with their private marks. Suffice it to say, that as
in later times the goldsmith might depend upon a Hogarth
or a Flaxman, so in the reign of Henry VIII. he had the aid
of a Holbein. The engravings of Hollar preserve some of
the designs of Holbein for cups, ewers, and the like, all full
of the charm of the new style.
There were but few changes of fashion in the first part of
the xvh. century. Much of the splendor with which the
art of the revival had filled the castles and palaces of Italy
had become by that time familiar to all the north of Europe.
No art, however, so closely bound up with the habits of men
as that of the goldsmith remains long stationary. The light
and graceful leaf -work, the admirable figure-work, and the
simplicity and dignity of both religious vessels and house
hold plate and ornaments, gave way to heavy and coarse

HISTORICAL SKETCH. 43
designs. More count was made of weight, in working the
precious metals, than of beauty. The large quantities of
silver that came into Spain from Mexico led to excesses in
the use of plate and splendid furniture.
Much plate, and of very fine design, was made in Portu
gal. In Germany the great guilds of Augsburg and other
cities continued for the first thirty or forty years of the
century to produce excellent goldsmiths.
The reign of Louis XIV. was a time of great encourage
ment for silversmiths in France, but the love of size, weight,
and ostentation prevailed over that of elegance and beauty.
Fire-dogs, basins, jugs, tables, seats, mirror-frames, cabinet-
mounts, and toilet-services were made on a massive scale.
Much of this was melted down during the wars at the end
of the century. " They had cost ten millions (of francs), and
produced three." In England, toilets of silver became the
fashion; the king's rooms in Whitehall-place, even those of
the maids of honor3 were furnished with silver services ;
mirror-frames and basins and every article for use were of
that metal. These were, however, melted down by WiUiam
III., who raised the standard (1697), and ordered the gold
smiths to use the first two letters of their surnames for their
mark. The books containing these fresh entries give not
only the names of the craftsmen, but the mark used by
each, with the date ; we are thus enabled for the first time
to positively identify the names of the makers with their
registered mark. It was during this century that the Lon
don smiths frequently combined the business of banking
with their trade, many of the gentry being glad to adopt
the practice of keeping " running cash balances " with their
goldsmiths for safety's sake, instead of keeping gold in their
own houses. This, indeed, is the origin of modern London
banking, and in some cases existing firms actually represent
ancestors who came in for their business in this way, and
gradually dropped their earlier calling for the new one.
It must be borne in mind that the marks on plate are the
names of the actual manufacturers, the names of the gold
smiths to whose order the pieces were made not being
recorded. Very few were workers themselves, although

44 OLD PLATE.
they probably furnished designs. There are necessarily in
every piece of decorative plate three parties to whom the
credit of production must be ascribed, viz., the artist who
designs it, the plate-worker who makes it, and the goldsmith
who sells it and becomes the publisher.
Nearly all the celebrated plate -workers from 1685 to the
first quarter of the following century, who added so much
to the perfection and beauty of the English plate of this
period, were of French origin, and were probably Protest
ants who quitted France after the revocation of the Edict of
Nantes on the 18th of October^ 1685, having become profi
cients in their trade under the celebrated goldsmiths of the
reign of Louis XIV. The result of this despotic act was that
four hundred thousand Protestants, among the most indus
trious and inteUigent of the nation, quitted France and took
refuge in Great Britain, Holland, Prussia, Switzerland, and
Ameeioa. Being composed largely of merchants, manufac
turers, and skilled artisans, they carried with them their
knowledge, taste, and aptitude for business. England in
particular gained immensely in perfecting the arts of gold
smiths' work.
The new standard was soon found to be not so durable
in use as the old. In 1720 the ancient national standard
of sterling silver was again restored, although the newer
standard was not abolished, both being made legal.
French taste pervaded Europe during the first half of the
xviii. century, but the discoveries of Herculaneum and
Pompeii turned the attention of artists toward classical
antiquity and influenced the silversmiths in their designs.
This treatment forms the style called in France Louis Seise,
and in England connects itself with the names of Wedgwood
and Flaxman, and the brothers Adam. Nothing can exceed
the beauty of the best examples of this period, with its
graceful wreaths looped up over medallions, or tied with
ribbon knots ; the delicate hinds' feet, which are such a dis
tinctive feature of the style, will also recur to the mind.
In France, after the death of the king, " came the deluge."
The greater part of the ancient shrines, chalices, reliquaries,
croziers, and other sacred utensils were seized by commis-

FRAUDS AND IMITATIONS. 45
sioners, the stones removed, the weight of metal noted and
sent off to the revolutionary mint. This destruction was,
unfortunately, by no means confined to France. In Italy,
in Spain, in Malta, where the armies of the revolutionary
government were in possession, whatever could not be
removed or hidden was seized and sent to Paris. The taste
of the French Empire under Napoleon was a dry and
affected classicalism. It was without the grace of the days
of Louis XVI. In England the old designs gradually fell
into disuse, and there is not much to be said in favor of
plate made at the close of the last century.
* " In the first busy centuries of the Anglo-Saxon race in America, when
the rude forces of the continent had to be conquered, and the whole of
man's energies was devoted to the development of the natural resources of
the land and to the procuring of the daily necessaries of life, the young
country had no time for the formation of a national style in art or letters.
" The good old styles and methods of the mother-country sufficed for
them, and the people were content to run in the lines that their parents and
grandparents had followed. But with advancing civilization, with the
greater wealth, and the consequent leisure that it brought, came the time for
them to assert their independence otherwise than politically. The day of
imitation had ceased, and American taste began to be no longer the mere
echo of European culture."
However interesting this progress may seem, a consider
ation of contemporary work would be inconsistent with the
design of a hand-book on " Old Plate."
FRAUDS AND IMITATIONS.
tAT the present day the sale of antique plate with forged
hall-marks is carried on to a great extent, especially in
England, where, in consequence of the publication of 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.
* " The Magazine of Art," London, Dec, 1885.
t "Hall-marks on Plate." W. Chaffers.

46 OLD PLATE.
By the electrotype process an ancient vase, cup, or any
piece of plate may be molded 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 spu
rious 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, distin
guish 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 prac
ticed 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 sigbfy are tooled over to prevent detection.
Sometimes English hall-marks are cut from a spoon or
smah 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 ascer
tain if the quality correspond with the English 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.
In examining pieces with supposed counterfeit or forged
hall-marks, several indicia must be speciaUy 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 coun
terfeit of the old die upon good silver, and taking advantage
of the increased value between antique and modern plate.
In the first place we easily arrive at a safe conclusion by an

FRAUDS AND IMITATIONS. 47
assay ; in the second we must, to a grea.t extent, be guided
by the style and fashion of the vessel, and judge whether
they correspond with the date assigned to it by the stanips,
which, if copied accurately from the English hall-marks,
can be easily ascertained. Again, the methods of manufact
uring plate, ancient and modern, are essentiahy different,
as indicated by the presence of hammer-marks, etc. The
style of ornamentation in repousse, engraving and chasing,
differ materially ; the color 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
observation of the position of the hall-marks on the piece
of plate under examination. 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 devia
tion will, to a connoisseur, raise in his mind doubts of the
genuineness of the piece under inspection. 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, or are even turned into forks. In Holland
and in Germany spoons are still made in the style of the
xvi. and xvti. centuries, and recently large quantities have
come into the market.
We may here remark that the old-fashioned French pat
tern spoons, 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

48 OLD PLATE.
not of the date indicated by the hall-mark ; the large old
-fashioned plain tea-kettles, tea-pots, and milk- jugs of the last
one hundred and fifty years are in like manner elaborately
chased or engraved by modern artists. Deception is prac
ticed in many other ways ; for instance, an antique silver
bas-relief with its hall-mark is soldered into the center of a
salver, the border being modern and very heavy ; the new
hall-mark (of the border) is erased, leaving only the old one
visible, and the purchaser is deceived, thinking the whole
salver is antique.
The duty-marks of the sovereign's head denoting pay
ment of the impost was first used in 1784, and in the case
of foreign plate the sovereign's head and letter F in 1867.
These additional stamps at once proclaim the comparatively
recent date of a piece of plate ; to remedy this, the intrusive
stamps are frequently erased, leaving only four marks as
previously used instead of five or six, which, if it does not
convince every coUector, at any rate puzzles him, and in
many instances the deception is successful.
Even the experienced collector may occasionally be de
ceived, 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 scrutinizing investigation with the magnifying-glass
becomes necessary. We shall perhaps discover that the three
or four haU-marks exactly correspond on each spoon and all
are precisely in the same relative 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. 49
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 may appear
in a wrong position on the piece. Old saucepans of Queen
Anne's time, having become unsalable, 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, etc.
Manufacturers are allowed in England 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 man
ner as not to alter the original use for which it was intended.
Thus a piece may have afoot, 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. haU-marks
reveals the alterations and additions made by the manufac
turer. 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
time these rules were altered, and instead of being so con
spicuously situated, the marks were placed on the backs,
and upon cups and bowls were stamped underneath, or
inside the hollow stem of the foot, and inside the lids of
tankards. In early spoons the leopard's head crowned was placed
inside the bowl close to the stem, the maker's mark, date-

50 OLD PLATE.
letter, and lion on the back of the stem, but on rat-tail
spoons of the latter half of the xvii. 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 intrusted to the comptroUers of the bureaus,
and in this operation to insure uniformity a catalogue
was published previous to the prohibition of massive
plate in 1679, and again in 1819 and 1838, giving instruc
tions for placing' the stamps in the exact positions indi
cated on each piece of plate. To return to the " Quarterly
Review." Many things are cunning, said Sophocles, but nothing
is more cunning than man, and this is certainly the case
with our modern plate-forgers, many of whose works are
admirable, only they are not antique. We have heard
a good story on this point from one of our friends, who,
Jiaving acquired at one coup two German xiv. century cups
and covers exquisitely wrought, which were, after much
investigation, proved to be forgeries by a well-known Ger
man maker, set off with them to the Continent, and burst
ing into the work-shop of the forger, who was calmly pur
suing his trade, cried, " Was it you who made these xiv.
century cups ? " The answer was admirable. " Yes, I
did ; and I am not ashamed of them. You see they bear
Fir cone of Augsburg as their mark, but this is not Augs
burg, and so I can make xiv. century plate with that mark."
Against such a forger as this — a great artist in his way —
we scarce know what is to be said, except that, as the
workmanship was fine and the price moderate, our friend
had not very much to complain of. Besides, he ought to
have known that to be able at one moment to acquire two
such works of art of the xiv. century was something quite
beyond the bounds of possibility.
Few people would venture to buy a prof essed diamond or
other precious stone on their own judgment, lest that should

MODERN FRAUDS. 51
happen to them which befell a noted foreign millionaire,
who bought for a large price a reputed sapphire, which was
fortunately found to be only an antique paste before he had
completed the purchase. Fewer stiU would buy on their
own judgment a fine coin — or, to come down to more
domestic matters, a fine horse — unless in each case they
had special knowledge, and were diamond dealers, numis
matists, or, as the case might be, horse breeders. The same
rule holds good with plate in these collecting days. The
time is long past when, in any provincial town, or, for that
matter, in shops in London streets, plate of the time of
Queen Anne, and occasionally choice pieces of earlier
reigns, and more especially spoons, could be bought at a
moderate price.
In the face of such prices when forgeries abound, and
when every one who is in possession of a genuine thing —
be it picture, print, china, precious stone, or plate — is well
aware of its worth, and probably puts an exaggerated value
on it, what more can we do than repeat to the intending
plate-buyer those two words — caution and good advice ?

CHAPTER VI

AMERICAN SILVERSMITHS.

BOSTON — ALBANY — NEW-YORK — PHILADELPHIA — PROVIDENCE.
E havo previously stated that Boston was the
home of the first goldsmiths. * " In October, 1652,
when Massachusetts undertook to supply the
deficiency of specie by a silver coinage, Joseph
Jenks, of Lynn, a native of Hammersmith, near London,
was employed to make the dies. The money was coined
by John Hull, a gold and silver smith, on whose land the
' Mint House ' stood, and Robert Sanderson, of Boston."
John Hull was born at Market Harboro, Leicestershire,
1624; arrived at Boston 1635 ; died 1683. He was not only
a goldsmith, but a successful merchant, and one of the
founders of the First Church; his mark, together with his
partner's, is to be. found on silver in the possession of this
church, the Old South, and the First Church, Dorchester.
He writes in his diary : "After a little keeping at school,
I was taken to help my father plant corn, which I attended
to for several years together ; and then, by God's good hand,
I feU to learning (by the help of my brother) and to practice
the trade of a goldsmith."
In 1652, the General Court ordered a mint to be set up.
"And they made choice of me for that employment ; and
" * History of American Manufactures." Bishop.
52

BOSTON. 53
I chose my friend Robert Sanderson to be my partner, to
which the Court assented."
Robert Sanderson, or Saunderson, was probably Deacon
Robert Sanderson, who died at Boston, 1693. ¦fvu^-^ ex,-
Another entry in the diary reads :
" 1659. 1st of 5th. I received into my house Jeremie
Dummer and Samuel Paddy, to serve me as apprentices
eight years." — (Archceologia Americana.)
" Jeremiah Dummer was a goldsmith ; married in 1672
Hannah Awater." He was the father of Governor Will
iam Dummer. — (Heraldic Journal.)
Timothy Dwight (born 1654, died 1692), another gold
smith, was in business from about 1685, and it is supposed
that he was succeeded by Samuel Burt, his apprentice. He
died about 1754. Afterward his son (?), Benjamin Burt,
carried on the business. We find the name of John Burt
on the Brown loving-cup at Harvard (1731), and on a flagon
at King's Chapel, given to the new North Church, 1745 ; that
of W. Burt on a flagon presented to the South Church, 1748,
while that of Benjamin Burt is on a tankard presented to
the First Church, in Dorchester, 1808. John Foster, an
apprentice of Benjamin Burt, commenced business about
1795. He was a deacon of the Old South, and made the
Communion service in use at the Second Baptist Church in
Baldwin Place. In the annals of King's Chapel, mention
is made of one Cross " makeing two ps plate," 1695, and
William Cowell "for Mr. Wats's plate," 1728. The latter
name is on a tankard, " the legacy of Mrs. Mary Ireland to
the Old South Church, 1763."
Jacob Hurd, goldsmith, of Boston (died 1758), was the
father of the celebrated engraver, Nathaniel Hurd (born
1730, died 1777). The elder Hurd's name is on plate at
Christ Church (1732), the First Church, Dorchester (1736
and 1748), and the First and Second Churches, Boston.
Among the list of subscribers to " Prince's Chronology,"
1728-36, are Mr. Jacob Third, goldsmith (for six), Mr. Andrew
Tyler, goldsmith (for three). None of the goldsmiths of
Colonial times seem to have depended on their trade alone ;
they were also engravers of book-plates, cards, bill-heads,
dies, and seals.

54 OLD PLATE.
We insert the following advertisement from the "Boston
Gazette," 28th April, 1760 :
"Nathaniel Hurd Informs his Customers he has remov* his shop from
Maccarty's Corner on the Exchange, to the back Part of the opposite Brick
Building, where Mr. Ezekiel Price kept his Office, where he continues to
do all Sorts of Goldsmiths' Work, likewise engraves in Gold, Silver,
Copper, Brass, and Steel, in the neatest Manner, at a reasonable Rate."
Hurd probably never married. His brother Benjamin
was a goldsmith, as was also his brother-in-law, Daniel
Henchman (son of Rev. Nathaniel Henchman), whose mark
is on the two chalices presented to the First Church, Boston,
by Mrs. Lydia Hancock, and engraved with a coat-of-arms,
evidently the work of Nathaniel Hurd.
John Dixwell was the son of Col. John Dixwell, one of
the judges of Charles I. The regicide fled to America, and
lived at New Haven, where he married (died 1689). In a
list of Proprietors of New Haven, 1685, we find the name of
John Davids or Dixwell.
The son moved to Boston, wherehe worked at the trade of
a goldsmith. He was one of the founders and officers of the
New North Church, and presented a cup to that church,
1717, no doubt made by him ; the same initials I D are to
be found on numerous pieces of plate in the possession of
King's Chapel, Boston, the First Churches, Dorchester and
Boston, and the Old South, Boston, made between 1700 and
1722. He died 1725. 
In a foot-note in the "New England Magazine," Vol.
III., mention is made of a MS. by SI. Davis, of Plymouth,
giving the name of a journeyman called Vent, a native of
Germany, who excelled in silver-plate engraving. He men
tions also Brigdoi^Webb, Edwards, Pierpont, Burt, Bowyer,
Parker, Belknap, Emery, Holmes, Tyler, Woodward, Froth-
ingham, Codner, and though last, not least, Paul Revere.
* " Paul Revere was born in Boston, January 1, 1735. His
ancestors were French Huguenots, and. wrote the name
Rivoire. His grandfather emigrated from St. Foy, in France,
to the island of Guernsey, in 1685, after the revocation of
the edict of Nantes, by Louis XIV., from whence his father,
* " Magazine of American History."

BOSTON. 55
Apollos, afterward called Paul, came to Boston, at the age
of thirteen, and learned the trade of a goldsmith ; his eldest
son, Paul, received his education at the famous Master Tiles-
ton's school. He had a natural taste for drawing, and it
was his peculiar business, after learning the same trade as
his father, to design and execute all the engravings on the
various kinds of silver plate then manufactured."
At the age of twenty-one he joined the expedition against
the French at Crown Point, holding theposition of second
lieutenant of artillery. During the Revolutionary War,
he was at first major and afterward lieutenant-colonel in
the regiment of artillery raised for the defense of the State
after the British evacuated Boston.
After the close of the war, in 1783, he opened a foundry
at the north end of Boston, on Foster street, where he cast
church bells, brass cannon, and iron ware, which he con
tinued until 1801, when he and his son — Joseph Warren
Revere — established the extensive works on the east branch
of the Neponset River, at Canton. They continued this
business until the death of Paul, in 1818, when the son
founded the Revere Copper Company, which is still in active
operation. Of the portraits of Revere, that by Copley shows him at
the bench, in shirt-sleeves, holding a silver cup in one hand,
with engravers' tools by his side..
Mr. Edward Ingersoll Browne, of Boston, has not only a
teapot made by Revere, but a receipted bill for it, which he
has kindly allowed us to copy.
¦» Boston, April 2, 1789.
Moses Browne, Esq. Bot of Paul Revere & Son.
To Silvr Teapot, i6°z- @ 7 - £ 5 . lz
Making & Engravg, 5 . 8
Silver Stand for do. 6 oz. - - 2.2
Making & EngravS, 1.10
4 Silvr Salt Spoons, - 18

By Silver Salver, 25 °z- @ 7
Reed pay in full,

£">¦

Paul Revere.

56 OLD PLATE.
This mode of making out a gold or silver smith's account
is a relic of an old English custom prevalent even in Shak-
spere's time. In "The Comedy of Errors," Angelo, the
goldsmith, says: " Here's the note
How much your chain weighs to the utmost carat,
The fineness of the gold, and chargeful fashion."
ACT IV., SCENE I.
Nowadays, fortunately, buying plate by the ounce is
restricted to the auction rooms. No art can flourish under
such a system, nor can artists be expected to sell their pro
ductions by the ounce.
Old silver with Revere's mark is plentiful. He made
vessels for King's Chapel, the First Church, and the Old
South. His son Edward was a silversmith of considerable
note. He died 1802-3, and was buried at Copps Hill.
On the stone marking his grave, which is still to be seen,
mention is made that he was a silversmith.
In the Boston Directory for 1789 are the following names.
Two are classed under the head of silversmiths —
* Thomas Revere an<L*BENJAMiN Bhrt. -
The remainder are 'goldsmiths, with the exception of Sam
uel Minot, who is also an "Importer of plated and jewellery
ware."
^Nath'l Austin, *David Griffith,^- JThomas Pons,
jSamu'l Beuoiap, /^William Homes,/! ^Patjl Revere,
/Unos. Bentj<ey, /^Charles Leach, #, ^ Jas. Ridgeway,
^Stephen Emery, ^Nath'l Leach, vJoseph SMrfnpv
^Joseph Poster, y*Bvm'N Pierpont, ^j.T. B. SimpklnSTJ
' JDavid Tyler. * ' ^
At Newburyport, Jacob Perkins (born 1766) assumed the
management of the goldsmith's business of his deceased
master, Davis, at the age of fifteen. He made gold beads
and shoe-buckles in a superior manner, and invented a new
method of plating the latter. At twenty-one he made dies
for the Massachusetts mint. He afterward removed to
Philadelphia, and subsequently to London. Many of his

ALBANY. 57
inventions were rewarded by the medals of the Society of
Arts of that city.
* "Abel Buell, an ingenious gold and silver smith, of Kil-
lingworth, Conn., about 1766, constructed probably the first
lapidary machine used in this country." He was also asso
ciated with Amos Doolittle, of New Haven (died 1832, aged
78), — an engraver, who served a regular apprenticeship with
a -silversmith, — in issuing a series of historical prints and
maps. " Buell was also employed, with others, in coining copper
money for the State, for which he constructed all the
apparatus capable of making one hundred and twenty per
minute." " Joseph Hopkins, another silversmith, of Waterbury,
before the Revolution, made plated knee and shoe buckles,
silver sleeve and vest buttons, and other plated ware, some
of which are still preserved."
Kilian Van Rensselear, a wealthy pearl merchant of
Amsterdam, purchased of the Indians, in 1630, a tract of
land up the Hudson, which, on the occupation of the Prov
ince by the British in 1664, was called Albany. To do
business in this ^r other cities it was necessary to become
a Freeman, *4Lc*., /'\- ¦• >'• ; ¦-* <'-* ^ ' ' & &'<* *
In November, 1713, the authorities issued the following
ordinance :
t" Whereas complaints are made that severall persons in this city do pre
sume to retaile and use manual occupations without being made freemen or
citizens of ye sd City : It is therefore publish**, ordaind, and declard y'
no person or persons shall hereafter sell or expose to sale by retaile any ware
or merchandise by themselves or any other person or persons whatsoever, or
use any trade or mystery or manuall occupation in ye sd city or liberties
thereof, unless he or they shall have his or their freedom and be actuall
dwellers and inhabitants of ye City aforesd."
Among the Freedoms purchased in 1781 appear the
names of two silversmiths, John Folson and Joseph Hall.
In 1784 Balch & Fryer opened a shop near the north gate
for the purpose of carrying on the gold and silver smith's
business. * "History of American Manufactures." Bishop.
f ' ' Annals of Albany. '7 Munsell.

58 OLD PLATE.
Jewelers and silversmiths were numerous in New- York
from an early period. We here give a conrplete list of gold
and silver smiths from the ->¦.. - ¦" •
"REGISTER OF FREEMEN OF THE CITY 6f NEW-YORK, *
"" Commenemg 29th September,-1683."
v*An»erson, William. .July 5, 1746 gjL»Kierste1de, Cornel's May 30,1702 s
jABANCKiiR, Adrian. . . April 6, 1731 GylKiP, BeiIjamin ^ . . .May 30, 1702 s. "'
¦XBesleyI Thadvet. . .Dec. 19, 1727 Gj^Ejngston, John. . March 28, 1775 G
^Bogardus, Everardus July 5, *6©8 st*ttjE Rouxf BartHOl. .May 15, 1739 a^
j^^MMSag^jA-MES  Jan. 31,1769 jjL^Le Roux|| Charles. .Feb. 16, 1725 G
yBouRDET, Stephen. . .Aug. 4, 1730 sJfALE RouxJS'John  .Jan. 8, 1722 a,
v*Brevoort, John . .Nov. 23, 1742 sOtfLoRiN, Peter • ...... . Dee.' 3, 17S1- j - <
v^Broadhurst, Samuel. Aug.4, 1725 ssaLyell, DXvid  Aug. 28, 1699 G
\*Di,mO^J^prASB:-.-. -.-.June 25,-1728- Jj^Lyng, John Burt. . .March 3, 1761 s
y»GARQk,.Ni(|HOiiAS  ,. .Aug..5T 1718 Jv^Martin, Peter:-  Aug. 4, 1756 g
^CoRNELisbNS Cornelius Au. 5, 1712 SylMoRRis, Silvester .Sept. 29, 1759 s
-Dawson, JoJin  Jan,-31v1769 JvAMoulinar, John  Aug. 7, 1744 G
l^» DePeyster; William May 22, 1733 g,aMters,Mv-er.V . .-.April 29, 1746 G -
v^DeRemier, Peter . . . Jan. 31,1769 gv>Oncleba<|, Gerrett . . Sept. 6, 1-^96-S"
jjyjuNN, Cart. ,  Oct. 29, 1765 Gj>0verin, Richard  Feb. 3, 1701 s
^•¦Edwards, Thomas. . .May25,X731 g JLParisien^Otho  Jan? 31, 1769 s
>cEtting, Benjamin. . .Feb. 8, 1769 GvkPELLETRAnj, El|ias. . .Aug. 31, 1750 G
'LAFielding, George. .April 13, 1731 gOquintard, Peter. . May 18, 1731 g
-/>FoRBES,Wiiii|AMG.<Ci2.°'^-*1773 GVfRoBERT, Christ'r  May 4, 1731 s
>Fueter,DaniChrist'n Dec. 4,1759 Gj^Rominie, John  Sept.ll, 1770 s -m
* Fueter, Lewis-. . . .March28, 1775 GjXRoosevelt, NiCHOL'sMar.20, 1738 G
O^Goelet, Phillip  May 25, 1731 GvJ'Rydout, George . . .Feb. 18, 1745 g
IGrigg, William  Oct. 1, 1765 sj? Schaats, Bartholo. .May 22, 1708 s
^(Hastier, John  March. 29, 1726 E^A Skinner, Abraham. .May 18, 1756 g
*^lfeATS, Andrew  Feb. 8, 1769 gV Slydell, Joshua  Oct. 1, 1765 s^-
^Heath, John  March 3, 1761 IL{ TenEyck, CoENRAET.'.May 8, 1716 s
<?*H^urtin, William. ..April 6, 1731 ajt Thomas, Walter. .Mareh.21, 1769 s
>HO'C^NMi^fe^TtrBt»rsMay 25,1731 g^vVanderspiegel, JACO.Feb. 24,1701 s
i^Hutton, John  Nov. 8, 1720 a^ V^rgereau, Peter. July 11, 1721 s
)g* Jackson, John  April 6, 1731 g^Wyncoope, Benjamin. Aug. 9, l-ewg
^j^£eotih€!k?Ahasuer's, Au. 30, l&e-S-s iWynkoop, CORNELIUS.Jan. 10, 1727 s
jpIERSTEADE, Corne's July 26, reUS1 s*
g Goldsmith. s Silversmith. ' J Jeweler.
\\ The last entry in the " Register" is that of June 13, 1775.

NEW- YORK. 59
Two of the names appear in the entries at Goldsmiths'
Hall, London.
" Dan. Christ. Fueter, Chelsea, next door to the Man in ye Moon, 8 Dec,
1753," and "Geo. Ridout, Lombard St., 17 Oct., 1743." It is evidently the
mark of the latter on the Alms bason at Trinity Church, " Rev. Henry Barclay
Presenter, 1747."
In the first Directory, 1786, we find that the
" Gold and Silver Smiths' Society meets on Wednesdays, at the house of
Walter Heyer."
" Myer Myers, Chairman ; Members, — Samuel Johnson, William Gilbert,
Efq., Otto De Perrizang (Ot\jo Parisien ?), William Forbes, John Burger,
Daniel Chene, Cary Dunn, Benjamin Halfted, and Ephraim Braiher."
Among the annals of the city for the same year, compiled
from newspapers of the day, we read that
"John Burger, goldsmith, will continue for the ensuing year at the same
house, No. 207 Queen Street, near Burling Slip. He solicits orders especially
for large plate and gives the highest price for old gold."
" Mr. Montgomery, watch-maker, 33 Wall Street, near the Coffee House,
takes orders for Thomas Reynolds of Phil, from those who want their arms,
crests or cyphers engraved in any kind of stone for seals."
"Cary Dunn, gold and silver smith, has removed from the corner of
Crown Street, to the adjoining corner of Maiden Lane and William Street,
No. 31."
" Peter Bellodiere has brought with him from Paris a variety of articles
in the jewellery line, such as Gold Chains, Bracelets, and Watch Cases, Dia
mond Rings, Buckles, Buttons, and Pins, Wedding Rings of a new inven
tion, Gold Necklaces, Stock Buckles, Snuff Boxes, and Needle Cases, Spoons,
Medaillions, andLSugar Stands, Milk Pots, and Sugar Tongs, Knife-handles,
and Salt Cellars, &c. He is at No. 23, the corner*of Maiden Lane and
William St."
" Peter Maverick, at No. 3 Crown Street, carries on the seal-sinkingf •
engraving, and copper plate printing. Ladies may have their tea- plate engraved
in the most elegant manner, resembling the flat chasing, as neat as in Europe."
Peter R. Maverick (1755-1811), called Peter Mav.eft-ick the
1st, was originally a silversmith ; his son Peter Maverick
(1781-1831) etched and engraved many book-plates.

60 OLD PLATE.
In the early history of Philadelphia mention is made of
several workers ina metal. "Silversmiths received from
half-a-crown to three shillings an ounce for working silver,
and for gold equivalent."
In the accounts of Penn, Caesar Griselm is mentioned as
a goldsmith (it is probably his mark on one of the alms
basons at Christ Church). D. Vaughn, a watch-maker, and
Francis Richardson received £2 for a pair of Buckles for
Loetitia. Money, scales and weights were made by James Allen,
goldsmith, in 1719. Among the tradesmen admitted to the
freedom of the city in 1717 and 1718 were Francis Rich
ardson, William England, and Edward Hunt, goldsmiths.
In 1767 the silversmiths of Philadelphia petitioned for the
establishment of an assay-office to regulate, assay, and stamp
gold and silver.
The act was prepared, and on being twice returned by
the governor to the Assembly, it was agreed by a large
majority not to further press it. It therefore fell through.
No trace is left as to the tenor or wording>of the bill, save
that an inspector was to have been appointed.
The goldsmiths, silversmiths, and jewelers were repre
sented in the Federal procession of 1788. (Pennsylvania
Gazette, July 9, 1788.) " William Ball, Esq., senior member,
with a silver urn. Standard bearers, Messrs. Joseph Gee
and John Germon, carrying a silk flag, with the goldsmiths'
arms on one side — motto : Justitia Virtutum Begina ; and
on the reverse the Genius of America, holding in her hand
a silver urn, with the f olio wing motto : The Purity, Bright
ness, and Solidity of this Metal is emblematical of that Liberty
which we expect from the New Constitution'**; her head
surmounted by fourteen stars, ten of them very bright,
representing the States which have ratified ; two less bright,
descriptive of New- York and North Carolina, whose ratifi
cations are shortly expected ; one with three dark points
and two light ones, an emblem of Rhode Island, and one
with equal luster with the first ten, just emerging from the
horizon, near one-half seen, for the rising State of Ken
tucky. "**

PROVIDENCE. , 61
"After which followed the rest of the masters, with the
journeymen and apprentices, in all thirty -five."
In Lancaster, in 1786,there were five silversmiths ; Pitts
burg, in 1791, contained thirty-seven manufacturers, and
among these in 1808 were five watch and clock makers and
silversmiths. Jt'^-a'- ¦•,~/^. ~
The manufacture of silver-ware^ which had been com
menced in Providence, soon after the Revolution, by
Messrs. Saunders, Pitman, and Cyril Dodge, employed four
establishments in that town in 1795. These belonged to
Nehemiah Dodge, Ezekiel Burr, John C. Jenckes, and
Pitman & Dorrance, who were chiefly engaged in the man
ufacture, on a limited scale, of silver spoons, gold beads,
and finger-rings.
Jabez Gorham, born in Providence in 1792, was descended
from John Gorham, who came from Northamptonshire, Eng
land, in 1643, and settled at Plymouth. At the age of fifteen
he was apprenticed to Nehemiah Dodge, and commenced
business soon after attaining his majority. After various
changes his son, John Gorham, was admitted into the
business, and he was the founder of the Gorham Manufac
turing Company, the largest producers of art silver-work
on the continent. The manufactory is still on the same
ground, a portion of which was once occupied by the shop
of Jabez Gorham.

CHAPTER VII
ECCLESIASTICAL PLATE.
CHALICES AND PATENS — ELIZABETHAN COMMUNION CUPS — FLAGONS —
ALMS BASONS — CANDLESTICKS.

f^l^l ^^ preceding chapters have dealt with the marks
$©lc^v ^J7 which the age and authenticity of ancient
SvffllvM pla^e may ^>e verified, and it is time to turn to
¦,&[Ms j j what remains of the possessions of our ancestors,
and to see what additional information may be gathered
from its fashion or other circumstances,
It will be convenient to divide the subject into two por
tions, devoting the present chapter to ecclesiastical plate,
and reserving decorative and domestic plate for separate
consideration. It is difficult to realize the splendor of the display that
would have met the eye of him who entered one of the
great cathedrals, or wealthy parish churches, on any high
festival day in the three or four centuries that preceded the
Reformation. As we have seen, the church was the nurs
ing-mother of the arts, which lent themselves in their turn
to the advancement of her services ; the monks were the
goldsmiths of the middle ages ; what wonder, then, that the
wealth of gold and silver in its shrines and treasuries was
immense, so immense as to be almost incredible !
The misfortunes that befell the church during the wars
and revolutions of Europe have left very few of these treas-

CHALICES. 63
ures; Gothic chalices and their patens, remains of pre-
Reformation art, are rare. Communion cups and covers of
the reign of Edward 33^ made, no doubt, of the materials
afforded by some more ancient chalices, are as scarce ; but
of those made in the first years of Queen Elizabeth a multi
tude of examples are to be found. From this time flagons,
of shapes varying with their date, alms and baptismal
basons, and candlesticks are more or less common. Art in
these matters appears to have steadily declined from the
middle of the xvi. to the middle of the present century, when
a reaction has directed attention to the examples that Gothic
art has left for our study and guidance.
Modern reproductions of these, in some cases admir
able, in others still leave much to be desired; a slavish
adherence to ancient models that cannot be surpassed
would be better than the bastard results of coupling pure
Gothic form with inappropriate ornamentation, or of adapt
ing beautiful Gothic adornment to articles of tasteless
modern shape. ^i #w£.,-<-
CHALICES. - ^< '¦
In the early days of the Church, chalices were, no doubt,
formed of various materials, some of them simple and quite
the reverse of costly. But in process of time objections
were found to these ; wood was porous and liable to absorb
a portion of the sacred element placed therein ; horn was an
animal substance and so formed by blood ; glass, crystal,
and precious stones were all brittle and liable to fracture ;
and at length the precious metals alone were allowed to be
employed. It was decreed by the Council of Rheims, in
847, that if not of gold, chalices should be wholly of silver ;
tin being allowed only in cases where means to provide any
thing better were wanting. Other materials were forbidden
altogether. The history of the shape and design of the chahce is not
without interest. The earliest examples which have sur
vived, either in actual material or. in drawings, were
evidently devised from classic models and represented a
form of elegantly shaped two-handled cups, such as is

German, about 1450.

German, about 1520.

Italian, xrv. century

English, with. paten; about 1550.

Spanish, 1549. German, xv. century.
NO. 2. — CHALICES, SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM, LONDON.

OS

si

German, xiv. century.

CHALICES.

65

familiar to us in Greek or Roman design. In short, at first
it was an ordinary two-handled drinking-vesseL
But as the idea of the drinking- vessel became less promi
nent, as the Communion became less of a supper and more
of a symbolical rite of tasting the consecrated wine, the
chalice assumed a form of its own, which in its main fea
tures was fixed about the xi. century, though the refine
ment of its design was not matured until later.
The constituents of the chalice at this period were a hemi
spherical bowl, a wide spreading base, and a stalk with a
large knob on it, half- ,
way between the base
and the bowl, for better
convenience and secur
ity in grasping. This
knob — or "knop" as it.
is generally called — is a
distinguishing feature in
the chalice form of cup,
and was often very
beautifully and richly
decorated. The chalice
retained this form until
near the xiv. century —
the continued persist
ence in the conservation
of one type of design be
ing doubtless due to an
idea that the form had
been fixed by ecclesiasti
cal rule and precedent.
In the xrv. century the chalices were made taller, the
bowls assuming a decidedly conical form, being narrow at
the bottom, and having the sides sloping straight outwards.
In the xv. century they were usually broader at the bot
tom, with the sides still forming part of a cone, hke that at
Nettlecombe, County Somerset, England. v
This chalice, together with those now preserved at Trinity
and Corpus Christi Colleges, Oxford, have been selected as

NO. 3. — CHALICE (1479) ; NETTLECOMBE,
CO. SOMERSET.

66

OLD PLATE.

illustrations chiefly because of their beauty and merit, but
also for the reason that they are all three hall-marked, and
their dates, therefore, approximately known.
The Nettlecombe chalice and its paten were brought to
light by Mr. Octavius Morgan some years ago, and are of
the greatest inter
est, not only from
their beauty and
perfect condition,
but from their an
tiquity, for they are
older than any oth
er hall-marked En
glish goldsmith's
work. They are
described by Mr.,
Morgan as follows :
"The Chalice and Pa
ten are of silver gilt.
Their forms are elegant;
both were originally or
namented with enamels,
and although they have
been in use for many
centuries, they have sustained but little injury. The chalice stands very
nearly six inches high. The bowl is in form between a cone and a hemisphere;
that is, the bottom is broad and round, while the sides continue straight and
conical, a form which is rather indicative of its date. The bowl is sup
ported on a hexagonal stem divided into two portions by the knop, which
is a beautiful piece of goldsmith's work, formed by the projection from the
angles of the stem of six short square arms, each terminating in a lion's mask,
and having the intermediate spaces filled up with elegant flowing Gothic tracery
of pierced open work. The lower part of the stem rests on a curved hex
agonal foot, being united to it by Gothic mouldings, and the foot terminates
in an upright basement moulding, which is enriched with a small vertically
reeded band. One of the six compartments of the foot was ornamented, as
is usual in ancient chalices, by a representation of the Crucifixion.
" The metal of this compartment has been cut out, and a silver plate, en
graved with the Crucifixion, has been rudely riveted in. This silver plate
is, I think, the original work, and it was formally enameled — for.it would
probably have been found easier, and more convenient, to prepare the

so. 4. — paten (1479) ; nettlecombe, co. somerset.

PATENS.

67

enamel on a small separate plate, and then fix it in its place, than to have
subjected the whole chalice to the heat of the enameler's furnace, which
must have been the case had the enamel been done on the foot itself. The
silver plate is deeply engraved, or rather the metal is tooled out to receive
transparent enamel in the style of the work of the xiv. or the beginning of
the xv. century, and small traces of the enamel with which it has been filled
may still be discovered. It will be seen at once that the design was made
for the place from the peculiar attitude of the figure, the arms being drawn
up over the head, to adapt it to the form of the compartment.
" The paten is 4 7-8 in diameter, with a narrow moulded edge and a
brim like an ordinary plate, within which is sunk a six-lobed depression.
The centre points from which the workmen formed the lobes are still visible,
and. the spandrels between the lobes are filled with a small radiating orna
ment, as is usual in similar early patens. In the centre is a still further de
pression, in which has been inserted, from the back, a small silver plate having
in transparent enamel, sunk in the metal, a representation of the vernicle,
or face of our Saviour, surrounded by a cruciform nimbus. It fortunately
remains perfect. This
central depression, with
an inserted plate of
enamel, is very unusual,
the surface of patens be
ing usually made as
smooth as possible.
The back of this small
plate is gilt and engrav
ed with the sacred mon
ogram (see illustration)
in black-letter of the xv.
century."

A VAN

\M\L£

ffl

)
J l
Such patens
were usually made
to match the chal
ices with which
they were used,
and the two were
sometimes called
" a pair of chalice,"
or " chalice with his paten," in old inventories of church
goods. The depression of the paten often exactly fitted
into the top of its chalice if placed upon it. The date of this
NO. 5.-
BISHOP EOX'S CHALICE (1507) ; CORPUS CHRISTI
COLLEBE, OXFORD.
68

OLD PLATE.

no. 6. — paten; trinity college, oxford.
chalice is almost certainly 1479, though, from the want of
examples, it was difficult for a long time to positively assign
the date-letter which it plainly bears to that year. This
letter was formerly supposed to stand for the year 1459, but
the many points of resemblance between this' and the gold
chalice given by Bishop Fox to Corpus Christi CoUege,
Oxford, which is undoubtedly of the year 1507, seem to
point conclusively to the year 1479, though, to judge from
the enameling alone, it might have been of a somewhat
earlier date.
It wiU be seen from the illustrations of Bishop Fox's
chalice, and the chalice at Trinity College, Oxford, that they
form a regular series, the cable-like edges to the stem and
the engraving on the foot of the chalice of 1507 giving an
intermediate point between the very beautiful simplicity of
the earlier Nettlecombe chalice and the later one given by
Sir Thomas Pope to Trinity College, the date of which is
1527. Much of Mr. Morgan's description of the Nettlecombe
chalice is applicable to all the examples alike. Sir Thomas
Pope's chalice bears all the ornamentation of the two older

ELIZABETHAN CUPS.

69

ones, and in addition an elaborately engraved inscription
on a belt running round the bowl of the chalice, and the
same on the rim of the paten.
This brings us to Protestant times and the new form of
Communion cup introduced in the reign of Elizabeth, or
rather of Edward VI.
Cups of the earlier reign are seldom to be found, but there
is no lack of examples of those of Elizabethan date. They

NO. 7. — SIR THOS. POPE'S CHALICE (1527); TRINITY COLLEGE, OXFORD.

are found everywhere and of the same form, and bearing
the same style of ornamentation, from one end of England
to the other (see dlustrations). There are sixteen within a
walk of Cirencester (the home of Mr. Cripps), and as many
in one county as another. Mr. Morgan has given the fol
lowing account of them :

70

OLD PLATE.

" The chalice still consisted
of the same parts — bowl, stem,
and foot — though I have
known two instances, in small
parishes, where the chalices
consist of the cup only, with
out stem or foot. The stem,
although altered in form and
character, still swells out in the
middle into a small knop, or
the rudiments of one, and is
occasionally ornamented with
small bands of a lozenge-shaped
ornament, or some other such
simple pattern, and the foot is
invariably round, instead of
indented or angular. The
form of the cup, however, is
altogether changed, and instead
of being a shallow, wide bowl,
it is elongated into the form of
an inverted truncated cone
slightly bell-shaped. The
form of the paten is also much
changed, the sunk part of the
platter is often considerably
deepened, the brim narrowed,
and thereon is fixed a rim or
edge by which it is made, when
inverted, to fit in the cup as a
cover, whilst a foot is added
to it which serves, also, as a handle to the cover, as though it were intended
to place the wine in the chalice and cover it with the paten-cover until the
administration of the sacrament, when the cover would be removed and used
as a paten for holding the bread. On the bottom of the foot of the paten
was a silver plate which almost always bore the date when it was made, and
the name of the parish to which it belongs. The ornamentation on all these
chalices and paten-covers, as they may be called, is invariably the same; it
consists simply of an engraved band round the body of the cup and on the
top of the cover, formed by two narrow fillets which interlace or cross each
other, with a particular curvature in every instance the same, the space
between them being occupied by a scroll of foliage ; and this ornament is
marked by a total absence of letters, monograms, emblems or figures of any

NO. 8.— COMMUNION OUP (1570) ; CIRENCESTER.

COMMUNION CUPS.

71

kind. It is curious how this exact uniformity of shape and ornament was so
universally adopted, unless there had been some regulation or standard
pattern to go by ; but I have not been able to find any such to guide the
maker." No two are exactly alike in size or finish ; there is every
thing, from the tiny cup of some village church, weighing
no more than five or six ounces and destitute of all orna
ment, up to a tall vessel a foot high, holding nearly a quart
of wine, and fully ornamented, some few having a second
belt around the cup. The same pattern found favor to
about the middle of the xvn. century ; but in examples of a
later date than 1600 the engraved belt is sometimes want
ing, and the bowls are perhaps
rather straighter sided.
Between 1610 and 1650 the
cup is often found shaped some
thing like the letter V, and
supported by a baluster stem.
An illustration is given of an
example of this kind and date,
together with other pewter
Communion vessels of the pe
riod, which are much like those
made of more precious metal
at the same time.
Of the Commonwealth pe
riod are found a few Commu
nion cups, which seem to have
been fashioned after the bet
ter pre-Reformation models.
They have the six-sided foot,
but the bowls are deeper and
straighter than those of the
Gothic period.
From about the time of the Restoration a ruder fashion
prevailed; many cups are then found of great size, with
straight sides having somewhat of a lip, and mounted on
a plain circular stem and foot, wholly unrelieved by any
ornament, save that the stem perhaps swells out at its

NO. 9. — COMMUNION CUP (1569)^FR0M
THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE
MR. u. WILLYS BETTS.

72

OLD PLATE.

center into a simple boss or ring as plain as the rest of
it. The paten-cover fitting on is still found, as on those
at Westminster Abbey, dated 1660, and in many Ameri
can churches. Another pattern in vogue then and later
had an even ruder stem and foot all in one, it being
merely a truncated cone, somewhat of the shape of the
bowl of an Elizabethan Communion cup turned upside
down, and attached to the bottom of the cup.
Before we leave the xvi. and xvn. centuries note must
not be omitted of other cups, of quite exceptional forms,

NO. 10. — PEWTER COMMUNION VESSELS, CIRCA, 1640.

which are occasionally found, some of great excellence ;
these have, no doubt, been originally secular drinking-
cups, but since devoted, by the piety and liberality of
their owners, to more sacred purposes.
Perhaps the most beautiful of all such vessels is the
crowned beaker at S. Mary's, Burlington, N. J. Mr.
Cripps writes :

CUPS USED AS CHALICES.

73

" The beaker is not a very early
one, late in the xvn. century, I fancy ;
but it is not English; if not German
or Dutch, it has been copied from a
German or Dutch piece."
Among the notes on ves
sels belonging to churches,
especially Boston churches,
will be found descriptions of'
many beakers and tankards,
also of the Hanap, or stand
ing cup, presented by Gov.
John Winthrop to "ye First
Church." It is interesting to find
examples, and fine examples
too, of secular drinking-cups
amongst the old possessions
of our churches. It may,
perhaps, be thought by some
of the present day inappro
priate to use such vessels for
the sacred purposes to which
their former owners have
dedicated them; but surely
they should be carefully
treasured and preserved in
stead of exchanged, as they
too often are, for articles of
modern design that cannot
be thought of without a
shudder. Less suitable they
may seem to a few, for their
present use, than such models
of mediaeval art as the chal
ices at Nettlecombe or at
Oxford; but they have an
interest and a value of their
own that can never attach

^^L

NO. 11. — COMMUNION CUP AND PATEN-COVER
(1576) ; CHRISTCHURCH, CO. MONMOUTH.

74

OLD PLATE.

to the brand-new vessels, decorated with sham jewels and
xix. century filigree-work, that are too often obtained in
exchange for them. . At the commencement of the xvin.
century cups were made very upright and always perfectly
plain. Queen Anne presented most of the American churches of
that day with silver altar vessels. These are even now in
use at Trinity, New- York; S. Peter's, Albany; "to Her

Indian Chappel of the Onandawgus ;

while those " to Her
Indian Chappel of the
Mohawks " have gone
with the tribe to
Brantford and Deser-
onto, Canada; Christ,
Philadelphia; S.Ma
ry's, Burlington ; S.
Peter's, Westchester ;
Christ, Rye; S. Pe
ter's, Perth Amboy;
S. George's, Hemp
stead; and at S.
Paul's, Wickford, R. I.
King William and
Queen Mary had pre
viously given a ser
vice "for ye use of
their Majties Chappell
in N.England," 1694;
that is, King's Chap
el, Boston. This set
was divided equally
between Christ Church, Cambridge, and S. Paul's Church,
Newburyport, on the arrival of a more valuable service,
in 1772. They had presented a service to Trinity Church,
New- York, the same year (1694). A magnificent service,
with the date-letter for 1695, at S. Anne's, Annapolis, bears
the royal arms and the initials W. R.
The plate at Christ and Trinity Churches, Boston, was
presented by King George II. while the services at Ports-

NO. 12. — BOOK PLATE OF SOCIETY.

FLAGONS. 75
mouth, N. H. ; S. Michael's, Charleston, S. C. ; and plate at
Trinity, New- York, bear the royal arms and initials, G. R.,
of King George II. or King George III.
The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign
Parts gave a chalice and paten to Trinity Church, Newport,
1702, and to Grace Church, Jamaica, in 1704.
During troublous times the destruction of plate was not
confined to European countries. In a history of the Epis
copal Church, Bishop Perry writes:
" In Virginia, where, prior to the Revolutionary struggle, there were up
ward of one hundred and sixty churches and chapels, with nearly a hundred
clergymen ministering at their altars, the close of the contest found ninety-five
parishes extinct, and of the remainder nearly one-half were without minis
trations. Less than thirty clergymen remained at their posts when the war
had ceased. Many of the churches had been closed, or converted to other
uses, or else destroyed. The sacramental vessels even had been, in many
cases, taken by sacrilegious hands and devoted to unholy purpos'es. Here,
as elsewhere, the Church was well-nigh extinct."
Nearly a hundred years after, this state of affairs was
repeated, though in a less degree. Many of the vessels
then taken have since been restored.

The earliest of these are of the reign of Elizabeth, and
succeeding, as they did, the vials and cruets of earlier days,
one of which was for wine and the other for water, they are
usually found in pairs, although a single vessel of the kind
would have been all that was actually necessary, even to
bring to the church the larger quantity of wine that was
now used. Flagons were probably not so invariably made
of silver as were chalices. The church-wardens of Wing,
county Bucks, England, are found in 1576 paying :
"For a tynne wyne bottell for the churche xviij., d.," and in 1605 the
authorities of Leverton "ij. s. vi. ds for a puter communion pott."
The word " pott " will be found in the canons of 1603, by
which (canon 20) the wine was required to be brought to

76

OLD PLATE.

the Communion table in " a clean and sweet standing pot
or stoup of pewter, if not of purer metal."
The " round-bellied " flagons (as they are called in a MS.
inventory of the plate of S. George's Chapel, Windsor) of
this period are succeeded by the familiar tankard pattern
which has ever since been in use.
The flagon from Christ Church, Cambridge (see illustra
tion) would serve as a representation of most of these ves
sels to be found in our churches, so much alike are they in
size, shape, and style, not
only of those that were sent
over from the mother coun
try, but of those, of native
makers. They are also of
the shape and character of
the pewter example al
ready noticed, which is of
1640, or thereabouts.
The jug-shaped flagon
is occasionally found in
the xviii. century; that
at S. Peter's, Lewistown,
Del., is evidently copied
from a "tankard" by a
native maker.
The word " flagon "
seems to have been always
appropriated to a vessel in
tended to hold wine, and
has therefore been continued to those Communion vessels
which would otherwise be more appropriately called "tank
ards," or " pots," as in the language of the canons of 1603.
The very derivation of the word connects it with "flask, "'
and with the traveling bottles or costrels suspended by
a cord or chain, similar to what are now called " pilgrims'
bottles." Basons in great number, whatever they may have been
used for, are mentioned in the church inventories of 1552
and other years. In England alms basons earlier than

NO. 13. —COMMUNION FLAGON (1694) j
CHRIST CHURCH, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

CANDLESTICKS. 77
1635 are unknown. Alms and christening, or baptismal,'
basons are plentiful in this country. The alms basons in
the early part of the xviii. century are universally equal in
diameter to the height of the flagon, where they form part
of a complete set, like those at Trinity Church, New- York,
or S. Anne's, Annapolis.
The Candlesticks in use before the Reformation were
generally in pairs, and made of latten, or of copper-gilt;
often they were of silver. Such a pair is found among
the plate of Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and natural
son of Henry VIII., in 1527, described as follows :
"Pair of candelstikkes chaced wrethen for an aulter,
weing lxxviij. oz. iii. qts. Another pair, lxiij. oz. iij. qts. "
They have all entirely disappeared ; those which were of
intrinsic value in the time of Edward VI. and those made
of commoner materials were destroyed as " monuments of
superstition," in the early years of Elizabeth. Pricket can
dlesticks, or candlesticks with an upright spike upon which
to place a large candle, are found amongst the plate of for
eign cathedrals, but are seldom older than 1660, and still
seldomer of any artistic interest.

CHAPTER VIII

DECORATIVE AND DOMESTIC PLATE.
Obsolete Vessels — Spoons — Mazers — Salts — Stoneware Jugs — Ew
ers, Basins, and Salvers — Standing Cups and Hanaps — Tankards —
Smaller Cups op various kinds — Plates — Forks — Monteiths — Can
dlesticks, Sconces, etc. — Toilet Services<^Casters, and Cruet
Stands — Tea and Coffee Services, Kettles, etc. — Cake Baskets
and Epergnes. ASSING from ecclesiastical to secular plate we
have seen, in previous chapters, the various
changes which took place in Europe, and how
vast treasures were destroyed to supply means
to rulers and governments.
Emerson, in " English Traits," says of the Englishman of
to-day, that "he is very fond of his plate, and though he
may have no gallery of portraits of his ancestors, he has of
their punch-bowls and porringers. Incredible amounts of
plate are found in good houses, and the poorest have some
spoon or saucepan, gifts of a godmother, saved out of better
times." Gold plate is extremely rare, only five examples being
exhibited amongst the art treasures collected at South
Kensington, in the Loan Collection of 1862.
Formerly it was by no means uncommon. Gold plate is
frequently mentioned in the Wardrobe Accounts ; and in the
Introduction to the State Papers of the reign of Henry VIII.
a banquet given by that monarch is mentioned, at which

OBSOLETE VESSELS. 79
two cupboards (by which we must understand a sort of side
board of many stages), reaching from the floor to the roof,
were covered with a large and varied assortment of vases,
all of massive gold, silver-gilt dishes of another sort being
used for the service of the meats.
An illustration of such a sideboard, of Ave , stages, taken
from a volume published at Dillingen, in 1587, descriptive
of the ceremonies at Prague, when the Grand Duke Ferdi
nand of Austria invested the Emperor and the Grand
Dukes Carl and Ernest with the order of the Golden Fleece,

NO. 14. — SIDEBOARD OF THE XVI. CENTURY.
is here reproduced. The series of receding steps not only
served for the due display of the plate, but to indicate the
rank of the person who used it ; persons of royal blood
alone being allowed to use dressers of five "degres" or
stages, whilst those of four were appropriated to nobles
of the highest rank, and so on down to stages of two, or
but a single step, which were proper for knights-banner
ets, and unennobled persons of gentle descent respectively.
At the wedding feast of Queen Mary of England a side-

80 OLD PLATE.
board of nine stages was exhibited, which was filled with
gold cups and silver dishes. Her husband sent to London
so large a quantity of plate that it filled ninety-seven chests,
loaded on twenty carts.
The illustration is also valuable for the examples it pre
sents of many quaint forms of plate then in use, and fitly
introduces a few words about such obsolete articles before
we go on to those that are still found and can be classed
under definite heads. v '-*" ? .—¦'¦-
The tall tankard at the servitor's feet would, in these days,
be called a " can," — a German as much as an English word.
The large double cups made to shut upon the rim of each
other are also noticeable. These, too, are mentioned occa
sionally in English inventories, and. are called "double" or-
"trussing" cups. A conspicuous object is the "nef," or
ship, which was used i-n England as Well as abroad. The "
name is derived from the French word " navette," a vessel
in the shape of a boat in which incense is kept for the altar.
The nef held spices and sweetmeats, and was in place of the
epergne of more modern times. One is kept in the Rathaus
of Emden, in Hanover, with masts and rigging, from the
hull of which wine was drunk ; but this piece is probably
not older than the end of the xvi. or early xvn. century. It
was sometimes put on wheels. In the inventory of jewels
of Edward III. a ship of silver is numbered. It was on four
wheels, and had gilt dragons on both ends.
Like the " nef," the " just," the " goddard," and the " voi
der " have all disappeared ; but they deserve a passing word.
Of the " justa," De Laborde says that it was a vase or flagon
for the table, of an invariable size as to capacity, but that its
form varied.
The "goddard" seems to be derived from the French
godet, a sort of goblet or cup, often with a cover. The
"voyder" was a large dish in which were collected the
broken victuals, which were removed from the table with a
large knife with a broad, flat blade, called the voyder knife,
from vider to empty, clear, or make void.
The " Boke of Nurture," by Hugh Rh^Syfche date ofVhkjfcu
is 1577, one of the curious set of haifd-books of manners -

SPOONS.

81

and etiquette reproduced by the Early English Text So
ciety, speaks of these vessels as follows :
" See ye have Voyders ready for to avoid the morsels that they doe leave
on their Trenchours. Then with your Trenchour Knyfe take of such frag
ments and put them in your Voyder, and sette them downe cleane agayne."
The student of mediaeval wills and inventories will find
many other vessels mentioned here and there which it is
difficult or impossible to identify with any existing forms.
What is the cup called a " costard " in one Bristol will of
1491 ; or the article called a " custerd coffyn " in another of
1580? A " chaff ar" of silver for
" patrich mynced " is included in a
list of plate of the year 1443 (Test.
Ebor.). A "little silver pot with
two ears, called a little conscience,"
is another curious entry. But as
we are not primarily concerned
wtth this kind of inquiry, it is now
time to turn to articles that may be
met with by the amateur and col
lector of the present day.

A

SPOONS.

Our notices of domestic plate
must begin with spoons by right of
seniority, for, says the learned de
Laborde, " Les cuillers son vieilles,
je ne dirai pas comme le monde,
mais certainement autant que la
soupe" ; after this we shall not be
surprised to find that amongst
the most ancient pieces of Eng
lish hall-marked plate in existence are simple spoons.
In early days, when forks were as yet unknown, spoons
played an even more important part at meals than they do
at the present day, and persons of every rank seem to have
striven to possess a spoon, if only a single one, of silver.

NO. 15.-

- MAIDENHEAD SPOON,
CIRCA, 1540.

82

OLD PLATE.

1^

£»¦

p-
jl\ *—*¦'»-. •
'tefl=
APOSTLES' SPOONS. 83
The spoons of the xiii. and two following centuries seem
to have had stems terminating in a plain knob, or some
times an acorn. An entry of 1410 (Test. Ebor.) de uno coc-
liari plexibili, seems to point to a folding-spoon, as also do
"my foulden sylver spoons," in an another will of the
same century, and unum coclear a/rgenti falden, in 1432
(Test. Ebor.). The first mention of spoons, with the image
of the Virgin — cum ymaginibus Beati Ma/rice in fine eorun-
dem — occurs in a will of 1446. These were known later as
"Maidenhead" spoons; they are common enough in the
xvi. century, but not before.
The same may be said of Apostles' spoons, which are
seldom found before 1500, but were very popular for a cen
tury and a half afterwards. Bishop Fox's spoons, at Cor
pus Christi College, Oxford, have owls on the handles.
These are of 1506.
It is a fact that for ages the very first gift which a boy
or a girl received consisted of one or more spoons — these
being the established presents by sponsors at christenings.
The spoons given were called Apostles' spoons, because the
handle of each was carved into the figure of an apostle,
with his appropriate emblem.
The practice was in imitation of the heathen, who intro
duced figures of their gods upon almost every utensil.
The idea, as adopted in the middle ages, was excellent ; a
child no sooner learned to feed himself — to use his own
spoon — than he began to acquire a knowledge of scrip
tural and ecclesiastical biography.
Every spoonful of food he received conveyed, or might
convey, a useful lesson to his mind. This shows the in
fluence of rehgion on the arts in mediaeval times — how
ingeniously ecclesiastical matters were interwoven with al
most everything; how even a spoon was made to infuse
religious truths into the minds of children while it con
veyed pap to their mouths.
In old writings allusions to Apostle spoons are common.
In the play of King Henry VIII. (Act v., Sc. 2), Shaks-
pere makes the King say to Cranmer that he must stand
godfather to the young Princess Elizabeth.

84 OLD PLATE.
The Archbishop expresses his unfitness for so great an
honor, upon which Henry, bantering him, says he is afraid
of the expense of the usual gift to a godchild: "Come,
come, my lord, you'd spare your spoons. "
Mr. Hone, in his " Every Day Book " (Vol. I., p. 176),
writes :
" St. Paul's day being the first festival of an apostle in the year, it is an
opportunity for alluding to the old, ancient, English custom, with sponsors,
or. visitors at christenings, of presenting spoons, called apostle-spoons, because
the figures of the twelve apostles were chased or carved upon the tops of
the handles.
" Persons who could afford it gave the set of twelve ; others a smaller
number, and a poor person offered the gift of one, with the figure of the
saint after whom the child was named, or to whom the child was dedicated,
or who was the patron saint of the good natured donor. "
Ben Jonson, in his " Bartholomew Fair," has a character
saying " And all this for the hope of a couple of Apostle
Spoons, and a cup to eat caudle in. " In the " Chaste Maid
of Cheapside," by Middleton, "Gossip" inquires, "What has
he given her f What is it, Gossip ? " Whereto the answer
of another " Gossip " is : "A faire high standing cup, and
two great Apostle spoons — one of them gilt. " Beaumont
and Fletcher, hke wise, in the " Noble Gentleman," say :
" I'll be a Gossip Bewford,
I have an odd apostle spoon."
Old Apostles' spoons are still to be found, and they are
of considerable value, from their antiquity and compara
tive rarity. Only one complete set (13) is known, that in
the possession of the Goldsmiths Company, London (see
illustration). This set was made in 1626. Its great value
is owing to the presence of the rare "Master" spoon, and
to the fact of the whole having been made by one maker at
the same time. In choosing the apostle, where only one
spoon is given, it is usual to take the one whose anniver
sary comes nearest on the calendar to the christening day.
A reference to the various emblems by which the apostles

APOSTLES' SPOONS. 85
are here distinguished will facilitate the identification of
individual figures found in private or public collections.
i . S. James the Less, with a fuller's bat.
2. S. Bartholomew, with a butcher's knife.
3. S. Peter, with a key, sometimes with a fish.
4. S. Jude, with a cross, a club or a carpenter's square.
5. S. James the Greater, with a pilgrim's staff and a gourd, bottle or
script, and sometimes a hat with escallop shell.
6. S. Philip, with a long staff, sometimes with a cross in the T ; in
other cases a double cross, or a small cross in his hand, or a
basket of fish.
7. The Saviour, or " Master, " with an orb and cross.
8. S. John, with a cup (the cup of sorrow), with a serpent issuing out
of it.
9. S. Thomas, with a spear; sometimes he bears a builder's rule.
10. S. Matthew, with a wallet, sometimes an axe and spear.
U.S. Matthias, with an axe or halberd.
12. S. Simon Zelotes, with a long saw.
13. S. Andrew, with a saltire cross.
The figure of S. Paul, distinguished by a sword, or some
times two swords, is frequently found, S. Jude being omit
ted from the set of twelve to make room for him, and S.
Luke and S. Mark occasionally replace S. Simon and S.
Matthias.
In the Byzantine Manual, James the Less, Jude and
Matthias are all omitted, their places being taken by S.
Paul, S. Luke and S. Mark. As to the emblems attributed
to each, there is not much variation to be noted ; but the
saw is sometimes given to Jude as well as to Simon. This
is the case in the representations of the apostohc college
by Agostino Caracci. As it appeared advisable to give the
whole of these emblems on a single page, that they might
be seen at one view, an illustration is given of a group of
three other apostle-spoons, in order that the general shape
and character of such spoons, their bowls as well as han
dles, may be clearly understood.
The page of spoons given by the hehotype process is
from the magnificent collection of Mrs. S. P. Avery, loaned
to the Metropolitan Museum. They are apostle and chal-

86

OLD PLATE.

NO. 17. — apostles' spoons, xvi. century.

ice spoons of the xvii. and xviii. centuries, of German and
Dutch manufacture.
Before turning to the ordinary domestic spoon, two
special spoons must be mentioned ; and first, the coronation
spoon, preserved among the regalia at the Tower of London.
The date of this is said to be early in the xiii. century ; but,
even if a reproduction of an earher spoon, it was, at all

NO. 18. — APOSTLES' SPOONS. (XVII. AND XVIII. CENTURIES.
FROM THE COLLECTION OF MRS S. P. AVERY.

THE PUDSEY SPOON.

87

events, remade for the coronation of King Charles II., the
goldsmith's account for its fabrication being still in ex
istence. The other is the ancient spoon said to have been given
by King Henry VI., together with his boots
and gloves, to the loyal Sir Ralph Pudsey,
at whose seat, Bolton Hall, that unf ortu-
nate'monarch concealed himself for some
weeks after the battle of Hexham. Of
the antiquity of this spoon there is no
doubt, even if its identity with the spoon
which is the subject of the historical tradi
tion is open to question. The head of its
handle is octagonal (see illustration), some
what resembling the capital of a Gothic
shaft, and on the flat , top is engraved a
single rose, the badge of the King. It is
of the usual form of ancient spoons, and
the marks thereon are as follows : inside
the bowl is stamped the leopard's head —
and all the ancient English spoons pre
vious to the Restoration are so marked;
on the back of the stem is stamped, with a
punch, a small heart for maker's mark;
and above that is the annual letter, also
stamped with a punch. This was long
supposed to be the Lombardic letter for
the year 1445-6, which would certainly
agree both with the history and the
make of the spoon; but there is now
much more known about marks, and
strong reason to assign it to the year
1525-6, and to suppose that the story
has by some chance in the course of
age's, transferred itself from the original
spoon to this one, which is ancient enough to have an
interest of its own, but is not quite old enough to have
belonged to King Henry VI. These accidents will some
times happen.

NO. 19. — THE PUDSEY
SPOON (1525).

88 OLD PLATE.
The form of spoons used in England seems to have con
tinued the same from the middle of the xv. century to the
time of the Restoration, when a new fashion was introduced,
which completely superseded the more ancient pattern.
The more ancient model, with its baluster and seal-head
ed end, is shown by No. 1 (see illustration). Spoons of
this form, very common from 1585 to about 1620, were

1 2
NO. 20. — SPOONS OF THE XVI., XVII., AND XVIII. CENTURIES. \
made as late as 1659, the date of the very latest known,
whilst a specimen of the next form (No. 2) is found of the
year 1667. The shape was then altogether changed. The
stem and handle became flat and broad at the extremity,
which was divided by two clefts into three points, slightly
turned up, whilst the bowl was elongated into a regular
eUipse, and strengthened in its construction by a tongue,
which ran down the back. This form of spoon, the handle
of which is termed by French antiquarians pied de biche, or

SPOONS. 89
the hind's foot, obtained till the reign of George I., when a
third fashion was introduced. It is a curious circum
stance that the first change in form occurred at the Resto
ration, and the second at the accession of the House of
Hanover. Did the spoons brought over with the plate of
the respective courts, at these periods, set the new
fashion ?
In this third form (No. 3) the bowl was more elongated
and eUiptical, and the extremity of the handle was quite
round, turned up at the end, having a high, sharp ridge
down the middle. It continued to be made certainly as
late as 1767, but not to the exclusion of other patterns, for
towards the end of the reign of George II. another new
fashion came into use, which has continued to the present
time — the bowl became more pointed, or egg-shaped; the
end of the handle was turned down, instead of up ; whilst
the tongue, which extended down the back of the bowl,
and is so well known by the name of " the rat's tail, " was
shortened into a drop. This is the well known plain spoon
of common use from 1760 or 1765 till 1800, and is caUed
by the trade the " old English " pattern. The fiddle-head
ed, pattern, in which a sharp angular shoulder was intro
duced on either side of the stem, just above the bowl, and
also near the end of the handle, came into vogue in the
early part of the present century, and still seems popular.
Monkey spoons, " used for liquor, and so caUed from the
figure of a monkey carved on the handle, " were much used
in colonial days. They had a circular and very shaUow
bowl. In an account of the funeral of Philip Livingston,*
1749, we read : " As usual there was the spiced wine, and
each of the eight bearers was given a pair of gloves, a
monkey spoon, and a mourning ring." This custom prob
ably originated in Holland.
Tea-spoons foUow the fashion of larger spoons, but are
not often found before the middle years of the xvni. cent
ury, although small spoons were known in Europe long
before tea, or were used in eating honey, sugar, and fruits
preserved in sugar ; sweetmeats were favorite dainties in
former days. * Harper's Mag., March, 1881.

90 OLD PLATE.
An extended account of this domestic implement, in all
its forms, would require volumes. For further information
we would refer the reader to " The Transactions of the
Society of Literary and Scientific Chiffoniers " for a his
tory of " The Spoon : Primitive, Egyptian, Roman, Medi
aeval and Modern," by * Habbakuk O. Westman.
MAZERS.
If spoons are as old as soup, drinking- vessels have been
in use as long as spoons ; and from spoons it is, therefore,
convenient to pass to the ancient and interesting wine
bowls that are known as mazers.
It is easier to say that these were for centuries the com
monest articles in domestic use than to give a satisfactory
reason for their being usually called " murraB, " in medi
aeval inventories, or to define the material of which they
were made. A reference to the older English poets, or to
early wills and the inventories which are often appended
to them, will go far to convince us that mazers are merely
the best sort of wooden bowls, and that these favorite
drinking- vessels were made of the speckled portions of the
maple- tree, from which they derived their name, commonly
bound with silver bands.
The German Maser is a spot, speck, or the grain of wood ;
Maser hoh is veined wood in the same language ; and
Maserle, maple wood, or the maple-tree. From this source
the word mazer is clearly derived. In old inventories the
word is often turned into an adjective ; mazer eus and
mazerinus are Latin, and meslyn, or messilling, English
forms in which it is found. The latter recalls the lines of
Chaucer : " They fet him first the swete win,
And mede eke in a maselin,
And real spicerie. "
Rhime of Sire Thopas, v. 13, 780.
Such a meslyn or mazer is described more in detail by
Spenser : * Probably the pseudonym of Thomas Ewbank.

MAZERS. 91
/, " A mazlf y wrought of the maple «woe«l ^L.
/ Wherein is enchased many a fair sight *
Of bears and tigers that make fierce war. "
Shepherd's Calendar, August.
It may be noted that in the reign of Edward III. the
manor of Bilsington Inferior was held by the service of
presenting three "maple" cups at the King's coronation.
Hone (Table Book) records that this service was performed
by Thomas Rider at the coronation of George III., when
that King, on receiving the maple cups, turned to the
Mayor of Oxford, who stood on his right hand, and, having
received from him, for his tenure of that city, a gold cup
and cover, gave him these three cups in return.
Whilst the best and most highly prized bowls were al
ways of maple, it is quite possible that the term " mazer, "
originally proper to those of maple wood only, was after
wards extended to all bowls of similar form, regardless of
the materials of which they were made. " Dudgeon " wood,
whatever that may be, occurs in more than one English
wiU; and some have supposed that even if the word
" mazer " sometimes signified maple, it was more properly
applied to walnut wood.
So much for the names and materials of these bowls,
which seem to have been much valued in proportion to the
beauty of the wood of which they were made, the knots and
roots of the maple being especially prized for their veined
and mottled grain. As knots would not be very thick, and
therefore the bowls made of them shallow, their depth was
increased by mounting them with the high metal rim which
is one of their characteristic features. This rim answered
the further purpose of ornamenting and adding to the value
of choice specimens of wood, and it was frequently of silver
or silver-gilt, and bore an inscription running round it.
A will proved at York in 1446 disposes of no less than
thirty-three " murrae usuales, " besides twelve " murrae
magnse et largae, " and two of such importance as to have
had names assigned to them. These must almost neces
sarily, judging by their description and number, have been
household requisites. Others bore inscriptions which of

92

OLD PLATE.

NO. 21. — MAZER (TEMP. RICHARD II

themselves prove, if proof were needed, that they were in
tended for wine cups.
The well known specimen in the possession of E. P.
Shirley, Esq., of Eatington, bears the legend :
3|ti tlje name of tlje SDrinitie
JFille tlje imp ano Drinfee to me.
This cup is of polished maple, and is said to be of the
time of Richard II. It is figured in Parker's "Domestic
Architecture of the Middle Ages," from which this illustra
tion is taken.
In more than one country church a mazer now serves
as an alms-dish ; but perhaps even these were originally ac
quired for festive purposes.
An interesting list of instances, extending from the year
1080 down to about 1600, and taken from romances, royal
accounts, and other sources, is given by de Laborde, under
the title " Madre," in his glossary ; while Mr. Cripps (0. E.
P.) gives a list of over sixty between the years 1253 and
1592. Turning, meanwhile, to extant specimens, that we may
see for ourselves what manner of vessels these ancient
bowls were, it is found that within certain limits they are
all very much alike. They are of two kinds : large bowls,
holding half-a-gallon or more, usuaUy standing on a foot,

SALTS.

93

and smaller bowls, about six or seven inches across, which
are with or without feet, as the case may be.
A notice of mazer-bowls would be incomplete without
some reference to another form of wooden cup which,
though of considerable rarity, is represented in several
English collections. No less than five of these have come
under the notice of the Society of Antiquaries at different
times ; they all appear to be of the xv. century, or earher,
and, from their occurrence in German heraldry, it has been
thought probable that they are chiefly of German and
Swiss origin.
Like mazers they lent their peculiar form to vessels
made of other materials than wood, and whilst some of
them are of maple others are of silver-gilt.
One such cup has been in the possession of the Rodney
family for centuries, and bears their arms. It is 6£ inches
high and 4J inches in diameter at the widest part. It
probably was made for, and belonged to, Sir John Rodney,
who was living in 1512, as the arms of the Rodney family
— three eagles displayed — are engraved on the top of the
handle of the cover in a style very an
cient, and not improbably coeval with the
make of the cup. THE SALT.
We now come to what was the princi
pal article of domestic plate in English
houses of whatever degree. The massive
salt-cellar, which adorned the center of
the table, served to indicate the impor
tance of its owner, and to divide the lord
and his nobler guests from the inferior
guests and menials, who were entitled
to places "below the salt" and at the
lower ends of the tables only.
The salt was contained in a large silver utensil, called
a saler, now corrupted into cellar, a further supply being
usually placed near each person's trencher in a smaller

NO. 22. — SILVER - OILT
CUP, WITH ARMS OF
THE RODNEY FAMILY.

' 94 OLD PLATE.
salt-cellar, called a "trencher" salt, There are many allu
sions in the poets'to the distinction marked by the position
of the salt amongst the guests, and to the social inferiority
of "humble cousins who sit beneath the salt." The great
salt was, therefore, an object of considerable interest, and
it was often of great magnificence and of curious device.
Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March, in 1380 had such a
salt-cellar "in the shape of a dog"; John Earl of Warrene's
was in the form of an "olifaunt" (1347); salt-cellars,
enameled or gilt, nearly aU with covers, were found on
every table. Fifteenth century wills mention salts of
every shape and size and kind. Salts square, round, plain,
wreathed, high, low, with covers and without, are all found,
the words "pro sale" being often added to the description
of the vessel.
Salts formed as dragons occur; also those shaped as hons.
Silver, silver-gilt and "berall" are the materials of which
most are made. Whoever could afford an article of plate,
beside his spoon, had it, in those days, in his salt, even in
preference to a silver cup for his own particular use.
A description of the principal salt of Henry Fitzroy, Duke
of Richmond, the natural son of Henry VIIL, taken from
the inventory made on his death in 1527, gives a good idea
of those which graced the board of royalty. It was
" a sake of golde with a blak dragon and v perles on the bak and upon
the fote iij course saphirs, iij course balaces, xxiij course garnisshi.ng perles,
and upon the cover of the same salt vij saphirs or glasses, and iiij course
balaces, and xxxij garnisshing perles, upon the knoppe a white rose with ru-
byes and a pyn of silver to bere the salt going through the dragon and the
bace made fast to a plate of silver and gilt under the said bace weing xxv.
onz. di."
To this may be added that one of his small salts was
" a little salt of birrall, the cover and fote well garnisshed with golde stones
and perles, sent from my Ld Cardinelle for a New Yere's gift, Anno xixmo,
with a ruby upon the cover, weing vi. onz."
Another of even less weight but of no less value was

STANDING SALTS.

95

" a sake of gold, supposed to be of an unycorn horn, welle wrought and sett
with perles, and the cover with turkasses sent from the King by Mr. Mag
nus, v. onz. di."

The little treatise of 1500, entitled "Ffor to Serve a Lord,"
directs how the chief salt-cellar should be placed:
" Thenne here-uppon the boteler or panter shall bring forthe his prynci-
pall sake ... he shall sette the saler in the myddys of the tabull
accordyng to the place where the principal]
soverain shall sette . . . thenne the
seconde sake att the lower ende
then sake selers shall be sette uppon the
syde-tablys." The " Boke of Kervyng," too,
directs that the salt should be set
on the right side, "where your
soverayne shall sytte." Further
more it was not graceful to take
the salt except with "the clene
knyfe," so says the "Young Child
ren's Book," in 1500, far less to dip
your meat into the salt-cellar.
The " Babees Book" is strong upon
this point, even a generation be
fore (1475):
"The sake also touch not in his salere
With nokyns mete, but lay it honestly
On y oure Trenchoure, for that is curtesy. "
Omitting for the present the
smaller trencher salts, there are
four patterns of old English salt
cellars, of which examples have
come down to our time.
First come the hour-glass salts of the reigns of Henry
VII. and Henry VIII., of which some five or six hall-marked
specimens are known, besides one or two undated. AU
alike are hexagonal, with raised lobes alternately orna-

NO. 23. — CYLINDRICAL SALT (1613)
IMPERIAL TREASURY, MOSCOW.

96

OLD PLATE.

mented and plain, and only differ in the details of the
decoration. By the middle of the xvi. century we come to the second
type. It is the cylindrical standing-salt, with a cover.
These are sometimes square instead of cylindrical. The
earlier salts were always covered to preserve the cleanliness
of the salt, and perhaps to prevent the
introduction of poison.
Among the Russian reproductions at
the Metropolitan Museum is an English
salt, silver gilt, of the year 1613. It has
" a cylindrical pedestal, with expanding base rest
ing on three ball-claw feet. The pool to hold the
salt is covered with a dome-shaped cover support
ed by four flower-scroll supports and surmounted
by a triangular steeple supported on three caryated

NO. 24.— SALT (1607), CHRIST'S
HOSPITAL, LONDON.

NO. 25. — OCT. SALT (1685),
MERCER'S HALL, LONDON.

scrolls and with a finial of similar work. The decoration, of which there is
little, is plain, consisting of egg and tongue moulding or other small ornament
on the collars and borders."
The height is about fifteen inches. The Museum has also
a reproduction of a large square salt of this period. At
the very end of the xvi. century we find a circular bell-
shaped salt, a spice-box in three tiers or compartments,
much in fashion, but only for a few years. They are, no
doubt, the "bell" salts of contemporary inventories. The
specimen from which our illustration is taken belongs to
Christ's Hospital, London, and is fourteen inches high.

SALTS.

97

The two lower compartments form salt-cellars, and the
upper one serves as a pepper-caster.
Next comes a simple and well known form of salt, which
carries us all through the xvii.
century. Some of these are cir
cular, others are square or octag
onal. That at Mercer's Hall, Lon
don, has small projecting arms
for supporting a napkin, with
Which it became usual to cover
the salt-cellar to preserve its
cleanliness. The circular salt at
Harvard University has unfor
tunately only two marks, — the lion passant and leopard's
head crowned. It is inscribed

CIRCULAR SALT (1644) ;
HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

fltr)r. fticJjatb ^ a r trijsf
off ¦focoYxi'V-SLsOcLasZs t&tftf:

From a copy of the Records we find the following entry :
*" 1644 Mr. Richard Harris, a great silver salt, valued in 1654 at £5. I. 3
•at 5s. per ounce ; and a small trencher salt, valued in 1654 at 10s., £5. 11. 3."
Last of all must be described the curious and unique
salt-cellar made by one Rowe of Plymouth, in 1698-99, of
silver of the then new Britannia standard, formerly amongst
the family plate at Tredegar.
It is built in stories not unlike the "bell" salts of an
earlier generation. On the top will be observed a lantern
surmounted by a scroll-work, and terminating in a vane,
and beneath the lantern a dome or cupola above an open
* " A Sketch of the History of Harvard College." Samuel A. Eliot.
7

98

OLD PLATE.

arcade with a gallery, within which is a
depression for salt, the lantern itself being
perforated for pounded sugar. Beneath
this gallery are three stories, the upper one
empty; the next has a lid perforated for
pepper, and the lowest story forms a larger
box, empty, like the uppermost. There is
a winding outside staircase, leading from
the basement story, of masonry to the
upper story and gallery, and a httle lad
der hangs on to the foot of the staircase,
to reach down to the rock on which the
light-house is based, or the sea. It is sev
enteen inches in height, and is an exact
model of the first and original Eddystone
light-house, erected by Winstanley.
"Trencher" salts are at first triangular
or circular, with a depression in their upper
surface. Of the former shape and of simple
fashion was a little salt of 1629, bearing
no. 27. - the eddy- for inscription "John Lane, Vintner, at ye
, STONE LIGHT-HOUSE _, _- . , - m • /^l .. ^ • ^
jga (i698). Mermaide, near Charing Crosse," which
was sold in 1869 in the Hopkinson col
lection for $100, and re-sold for no less a sum than $150 in
the Dasent sale, only six years afterwards. Small circular
salts of 1667 are in use at Cot'ehele, and a set of the year
1683 are in the possession of the Innholder's Company,
London. These and such as these obtained till the reign
of George II., when a small circular salt standing upon
three feet came in, which gave way in its turn to the boat-

1629. 166T.
NO. 28. — TRENCHER SALTS.

shaped pattern, with pointed ends, sometimes terminating
in handles, so common at the end of the last century, when
everything was made oval that could by any possibility at
ah be got into that shape.

JUGS. 99
STONE-WAKE JUGS.
There are few collectors who have not secured for their
cabinets one or more of the mottled stone- ware jars with
silver cover and neck-mounts, and sometimes also silver
foot-band, which were in vogue for the greater part of the
xvi. century.
The jugs themselves were imported from Germany, prob
ably from Cologne, and were mounted by the English sil
versmiths. The earliest notices of them occur about 1530
or 1540, and from that time to the end of the century they
were common enough ; but they seemed then to have gone
out of fashion, for it would be difficult to find a single speci
men with a xvii. century hall-mark.
As regards ornamentation, they are all very much alike ;
the well known Elizabethan interlaced fillets, with running
foliage, are often engraved around the neck-bands of the
earlier ones, whilst the later specimens are more often dec
orated with repousse work.
A description of one of those exhibited at South Kensing
ton in 1862 will give a good idea of all of them :
" A stone-ware jug of mottled brown glaze, mounted in silver-gilt as a tank
ard, engraved neck-band of interlaced straps ; the cover repousse" with lions'
heads and fruit, surmounted by a flat-rayed button and small baluster pur
chase, formed of two acorns ; round the foot is a border of upright straw
berry leaves and a gadrooned edge."
This would describe a specimen of about 1565, and later
ones would differ from it only in the engraving or chasing
of the neck-band and cover.
Jugs, or " covered pots, " of the same shape are some
times found in silver, just as the cocoa-nut or the ostrich
egg suggested shapes to the goldsmith.
EWEES, BASINS, AND SALVERS.
These occur in every old will and inventory of any im
portance, and, being articles in daily use at every table,

100 OLD PLATE.
must have been very common indeed, making up as they
did for the want of any such utensil as the modern fork.
We must remember that sometimes more than one per
son ate off the same dish, and that with the fingers, aided
only with a knife or spoon, as the case required ; and even
if a rule prescribed in the "Boke of Nurture" were never
transgressed :
"Sett never on fysche nor flesche beest nor fowle trewly,
More than ij fyngurs and a thombe for that is curtesie,"
still we shall agree with de Laborde in his remark on
ancient basins: " Que l'absence de fourchette et l'habitude
de manger a deux dans la meme ecuelle et a plusieurs dans
le meme plat, rendaient necessaire la proprete des mains,
pour les autres avant le diner, pour soi-meme apres."
Ewers and basins were accordingly handed before and
after every meal, and after every course, the hands being
held over the basin whilst water, hot, cold or scented, was
poured over them from the ewer by the server. In the
houses of the great they were of costly material, and fine
naperie for use with them is found in abundance amongst
the household goods of the middle ages.
The "Boke of Kervyng" directs the attendant to see
before meat that " thyn ewery be arrayed with basyns and
ewers and water hote and colde, and se ye have napkyns
. . . ;" and the manner in which they should be used at
the end of the meal is laid down in the "Babees Boke":
" Thanne somme of yew for water owe to goo.
Somme holde the clothe, somme poure uppon his hande."
The little manual entitled "Ffor to Serve a Lord" directs
this service before and after meat in 1500; and even in 1577
the "Boke of Nurture" mentions " a basen ewer and towell
to array your cupbord. "
With the appearance of forks the use of the basin was to
a great extent discontinued, and most of the basins them
selves have disappeared, perhaps to be converted into forks.
It may well be that some of the forks now in use were

<*x

NO. 29A. — LARGE SALVER. (1736.
MESSRS. HOWARD & CO.

Diameter, 26*2 inches ; maker's mark, P'L. ; star and crown above,
fleur-de-lis below, shaped escutcheon. This is the mark of the cele
brated silversmith Paul de Lamerie, at the sign of the "Golden
Ball " ; a French emigre, who probably learned his art in Paris.
His name first appears on the book of the Goldsmith Company 1712,
removing to Gerard Street, Soho, 1739, where he died at an ad
vanced age in 1751. He was appointed Royal Goldsmith, and seems
to have worked in the new or Britannia standard down to 1732,
The artist Hogarth engraved plate made by him.

EWERS AND BASINS.

101

made out of the ewers and basins which their invention
rendered superfluous. The few now remaining are used for
sideboard decoration, or for handing rose-water after din
ner, and the most ancient of them are only of the middle of
the xvi. century.
The salvers of the xvii. and the beginning of the xviii.
centuries were plain circular dishes, and repouss6 work
gave way to plain engraving towards the middle of the for
mer century. Those which accompany the helmet-shaped
ewers are usually
quite plain.
In the reign of
Queen Anne chasing
is found, the edges
of the salvers being
both chased and
shaped, the salvers
themselves standing
on three, or some
times four, small feet.
Some are both en
graved and chased.
The talents of Ho
garth were for some
six years employed
in engraving plate
for Ellis Gamble, the
silversmith, to whom he was apprenticed in 1712 ; and sal
vers or waiters decorated by him are still to be seen.
The plainer salvers of this date have often a gadrooned
edge. This style of ornament was succeeded by the beaded
edges of the time of George III., and circular or shaped sal
vers were replaced by the plain oval trays, having handles
at the ends which are then found almost to the exclusion
of any other pattern.
The large salver and ewer shown in the frontispiece are
from the coUection of Mrs. M. A. Rives, and were made in
1793. The body of the ewer is extremely graceful, beaten
out into six spiral lobes of chased acanthus leaves, fruit,

NO. 29. — SALVER (c. 1690); THE property op
MR. E. H. BETTS.

102 OLD PLATE.
etc., contracting to the base and spreading into three acan
thus leaves, divided by shell-work to form the foot. Above,
the lobes contract to a collar at the necking, curving out
wards to a bold lip of shell-work, under which is seated a
nymph holding up a bunch of grapes. The handle rises
high above the lip from a mask, ending in a second nythph
at its junction with the necking. It is enriched with cupids
and grape-vines.
The rim of the salver is divided into eight compartments,
beaten up with large tulip flowers in the character of work
of the xvii. century.
In the center is a medallion with a representation of a
hunting-scene, with Diana and her attendant nymphs.

STANDING-CUPS AND HANAPS.
An article of hardly less importance in mediaeval times
than the great salt-cellar was the standing-cup in which
lord, abbot, or gentleman received his wine from the
butler's hand after it had been duly " essayed."
Whilst simple "treen" cups were used by the lower
classes, those which graced the table of the high-born and
wealthy were always of great magnificence and of costly
material. The splendor of the cup marked the consequence
of him who used it, as the standing-salt did the position of
the lord of the feast ; and if not of gold, silver, or silver-gilt,
it was formed of some then rare material, such as the egg
of the ostrich, the shell of the cocoa-nut, or at least of curi
ously mottled wood mounted on a foot and surrounded with
bands of precious metal.
Such cups were of great value, and some were prized no
less for the historical or other associations which surrounded
them than for their intrinsic worth. They were often known,
not only in the household of the owner, but even in the
district in which he lived, by special names, and the custody
of the cup has signified the ownership of an estate.
The "Constable Cup" of Sir Richard de Scrop in 1400,
and the great silver cup, with a cover, called " Le Chartre of

HANAPS. 103
Morpeth," mentioned in the will of John, Lord of Grey stock,
in 1436, must have been of some such importance as this.
The same Bishop of Durham, whose Indian nut will
be presently mentioned, calls one of his cups " Chante-
plure," in 1259 ; whilst Edmund de Mortimer, Earl of March,
has a cup of gold with an acorn caUed " Benesonne," and
another of silver called " Wassail," at his death in 1380.
A few words must be said, both as to the term "hanap,"
so often applied to cups of this description, and as to the
mode of using them, before going into further detail as to
their varying fashion. The Norman-French word " hanap,"
then, which has at last come to mean a basket or package,
in fact a hamper, is derived from the Saxon hncep, a cup or
goblet, and was applied in mediaeval days to standing-cups
with covers, but only, as it would seem, to cups of some size
and importance. As drinking-vessels grew up, with the
increasing luxury of the times, from wooden bowls into the
tall "standing-cups and covers," which is the proper
description of the cups called hanaps, the use of the latter
term became confined to such cups alone, and the place
where such hanaps were kept was termed the hanaperium.
This was necessarily a place of safe keeping and, therefore,
a sort of treasury. The hanaper, accordingly, was the safe
place in the chancery where the fees due for the sealing of
patents and charters were deposited, and being received by
the Clerk of the Hanaper (or clerk of the Chancery Treasury),
the term hanaper office has continued to the present time.
The hanaperium may originaUy have been a strong chest,
and so the term hanaper, or hamper, may have been
applied, and continued at last exclusively to a chest-hke
basket with a lid, used for various purposes.
Germany and the Low Countries were particularly the
lands of the hanap and the beaker. The twenty thousand
pieces of old silver-work which were exhibited at Amster
dam in 1880 testify to the former richness of this part of
Europe in such work.
A very few notes will show the importance of the hanap.
A statute of 1285, speaking of the security for good conduct
to be given by tavern-keepers, prescribes that an offender

104 OLD PLATE.
should be bound over^by usoen hanap de la taverne ou pw
altre bon gage." This was evidently his drinking-vessel.
Again, Wilham Lord Latimer specially mentions " la grant
hamper d' argent endoere appelleSeint George," in his will dated
1381, and John of Gaunt in 1394 bequeaths a mourn phis grant
hanap d'or." In both these cases the cup is one of price.
Far later on, in 1670, it is found that "he which is mayor
of London, for the time shaU have an hanap d'or or golden
tanker at the coronation of every king."
Sometimes these grand cups were placed upon the table,
and at others were handed to the lord when he chose to
drink. The " Boke of Nurture," by Hugh Rhodes, written
in 1577, directs the server as follows: — "When he (the mas
ter) hsteth to drinke and taketh of the cover, take the cover
in thy hand and set it on agayne"; and the "Boke of Cur-
tasye," circa, 1430, another of these treatises, shall describe
in its own words the mode of serving wine at that still
earlier period :
" The kerver anon withouten thought
Unkovers the cup that he hase brought
Into the coverture wyn he powres out
Or into a spare pece withouten doute
Assayes an gefes tho lorde to drynke
Or settes hit down as hym goode thynk . . ."
It further proceeds to say :
" Both wyne and ale he tase indede
The butler says withouten drede
No mete for mon schalle sayed be
Bot for kynge or prince or duke so fre . . ."
This obliges us to note the constant fear of poison in
which our ancestors lived, and their curious belief in the
power of certain substances to detect its presence. It has
already been remarked that cups and salt-cellars in many
cases had covers to prevent the introduction of poison ; but
besides this, aU meats and drinks were tasted or assayed by
him who served them before they were partaken of by the
lord, the books of etiquette prescribing the extent to which

OSTRICH-EGG CUPS. 105
these precautions should be carried in serving at the tables
of personages of various ranks. The most exalted had both
meat and drink tested, those of lower station only their
beverages. "Cups of Assay" are not unfrequently found in the
inventories of the great; they are usually of small size.
The cover, or a " spare pece," according to our rhyming
authority, was used instead of a special cup by people of
less consequence. A further precaution was sometimes
adopted in making the cup itself of some special substance.
Salts and cups were formed of the horn of the narwhal,
which did duty for that of the fabulous beast known as the
unicorn, and was firmly believed to have the power of
detecting poison. Turquoises were supposed to turn of a
paler blue, and certain crystals to become clouded, in the
presence of poisons, and both were used in this faith for the
decoration of cups.
Turning now to standing-cups as we find them, pre
cedence must be given to those made of ostrich eggs and
cocoa-nuts, mounted in silver and having feet of the same
metal. These were very popular in early times, and they
are classed together because they are of similar size and
shape, and their mounting is of the same character. Some
times the cup itself was formed of silver or silver-gilt,
shaped as an egg or nut, and in these cases it is difficult to
say which of the two it is intended to represent. It has
been suggested that the silver examples only occur when
the earher nut or egg has been broken, and the owner, not
being able to procure another, has refilled the mount with a
silver bowl pr lining of similar shape ; but to set against
this, it may be said that some of the silver linings are found
of the same date and fashion as the feet and other mount
ings with which they are fitted. A notice of some of these
cups will serve to show for how many centuries they held
their ground. As early as 1259 a bishop of Durham
bequeaths his " cyphum de nuce Indye cum pede et appa-
ratu argenti"; and at the opposite end of the social scale,
the inventory of a felon's goods in 1337 comprises amongst
other things " one cup called a note, with foot and cover of

106 OLD PLATE.
silver, value 30s." An indenture of the following year
mentions "a nut on a foote and silver covercle" amongst
jewels sold.
Just as a silver-gilt bowl shaped as a mazer would some
times be called by that name, silver cups were called nuts
or eggs if they were so formed. Cups of all three materials
are extant, but ostrich-egg cups are not so common, per
haps because they were rather more easily broken.
Other drinking-hanaps, no less ancient than the last, are
formed of horns mounted in silver, either because horns
as well as the other substances previously mentioned were
supposed to have the property of revealing the presence of
poison in any liquor poured into them, or, for some better
reason, they have been used as drinking- vessels from early
times. An elephant's tusk carved with figures and mounted with
silver, of xvi. century work, is to be seen at the British
Museum. Lastly, we come to standing-cups made entirely
of the precious metals themselves. These are not confined
to any one century, and there are extant specimens to
illustrate the work of successive generations of goldsmiths
for three hundred years. In speaking of the word hanap
it appeared that such cups as these were in fashion as far
back as records go. The earliest specimen, however, bear
ing a recognized English hall-mark, and therefore of an
ascertained date, is no older than 1481; not but there are
a few still more ancient cups in existence.
Early in the reign of Elizabeth cups are found fashioned
as gourds or melons, with feet formed as their twisted
stems and tendrils. Cups, too, shaped as birds and animals,
their heads taken off to form them into drinking- vessels,
sometimes occur.
A cup and cover (English, 1585), with bowl shaped as a
gourd standing on a gnarled tree-trunk, can be seen among
the reproductions at the Metropolitan Museum; also a large
Nuremberg "Eagle" cup of the xvl century. In Ger
many drinking-cups often took these and other quaint
shapes, such as windmills, at about this time and until the
middle of the f ollowing century. The windmills seem

STANDING-CUPS.

107

always of foreign origin, but
another favorite cup is found
of English make as well as Ger
man. These are the well-known
"wager-cups" in the form of a
woman holding a smaUer cup
over her head with upstretched
arms. A little later another very
distinctive fashion prevailed.
The Ambleside cup is an ad
mirable illustration of it. This
is an exquisitely wrought cup,
with steeple cover, used as a
chalice at S. Mary's, Amble
side.* " The bowl of the characteristic
pointed shape of its period is richly
repousse'd and ornamented from the
stem upwards with three acanthus leaves
flanked with cockle-shells. Floriation
descends from the plain band at rim, to
complete the design. The base itself
is set upon three flying supports bent
in griffin shape; these in turn spring
from th,e higher of two bulbous orna
ments that together form a sort of bal
uster stem, and are themselves set upon
a handsomely repoussed bell-shaped
base. For the base's ornament the acan
thus leaf and cockle shells re-appear.
The cover fits over, not inside, the rim of the bowl, and is ornamented with
the acanthus leaf and cockle-shell in repousse. It is surmounted by a fine
pinnacle or steeple of open lattice work setoff at the base with supports, and
at the top with a foliated finial, giving the general appearance of a four-sided
docketed spire."
This cup and cover are fine specimens of the fashion
that prevailed f rom"i83S-~t'o *$&^*©f which the Winthrop
* " Old Church Plate in the Diocese air Carlisle." R. S. Ferguson.

NO. 30. — CUP AND COVER (1618) ;
s. mary's, ambleside.

108

OLD PLATE.

cup (1610), in the possession of the First Church, Boston,
is a good example.
This, unfortunately, lacks the cover.
'A similar cup, gilt, and weighing forty-six ounces, was
sold at Christie & Manson's Rooms, London, in June, 1875,
for $1000, or about $22 an ounce.
To these succeeded a much less artistic form of cup,
which held its own, however, much longer, being found
from about 1638 to 1694. The bowls of many are covered
with granulated ornament and the stems are plain balus
ters standing on circular feet. This brings us to the xviii.

NO. 31. — L0VTN8-CUP (C. 1700); HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

century and the simple but massive two-handled cups, with
covers, that mark the reigns of Queen Anne and the earlier
part of the Georgian period. These seem to have been the
only cups made for a long time, and they are of every size
and degree of finish.
The two loving-cups, the property of Harvard Univer
sity, are good examples. That with the gadrooned base
and cover has the well-known London maker's mark, I C,
mullet below, lobed shield. It is engraved with a coat of
arms and the inscription :

LOVING-CUPS.
tytm WtlUam &tougt)ton

109

ijoi.

NO. 32. — LOVING-CUP (0. 1731); HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

Among the numerous pieces of plate on which this
maker's mark is to be found are the plain tankards ex dono
Sebright, at Jesus College, Oxford (1685).
The plainer loving-cup has also a coat of arms, and the
inscription :

110

OLD PLATE.
Glides lds,£-*j/oueJzst- ©-*-
Col §>amuel HBroton

NO. 33. — RUSSIAN CUP (MOSCOW,
1745) ; THE PROPERTY OP THE
QORHAM MEG. CO.

IJ3I.

The maker, John Burt, was
a Boston goldsmith ; his, name is
to be found on the large flagon
presented to the New North
Church in 1745, now in the pos
session of King's Chapel.
In the records of the Univer
sity are the following entries :
" 1699 Hon. William Stoughton erect
ed a building called Stoughton Hall. . .
In 1700, probably the same gentleman
gave a large silver bowl, 48^ oz., and a
goblet, 21 oz.
" 1731 Col. Samuel Brown left by his
will £60 to the College for the purchase
of a piece of plate."
Among standing-cups of
quaint shape is the Russian
double-cup, with the Moscow
mark, dated 1745, 18 in. high.
The body of this cup is beaten out
into six semicircular lobes, which
descend in points, chased with
arabesques, alternating with six
others reversed, under a plain
round lip ; these lobes, which

TANKARDS. Ill
contract in the middle, expand into the smaller reversed
series that make the bottom of the cup. The base, or lower
cup, and the cover are the reverse of this, the cover finish
ing in a vase, surmounted by a cluster of flowers of beaten
work. The stem represents a tree-trunk, with lopped
branches and stalks entwined, having between them a
woodman with an axe in the act of chopping at them ; a
slender vine of silver surrounds the whole. These stalk
stems were very common in Germany during the xvi.
century. No special forms or fashions can be identified with any
particular period from the middle of the last century on
wards, if we except the oval-pointed cups, sometimes fluted,
but more often ornamented with hanging festoons, some
times carried over medallions, which are also found on
Wedgwood ware of the time of Flaxman. The potters and
the goldsmiths have often copied each other's designs, or
else have resorted to the same designers.
The Wedgwood ware, for which Flaxman for many years
furnished models, won extraordinary fame.
It is not so generally known that the same great artist
was employed also by Rundell & Bridge, the goldsmiths,
notwithstanding the fine examples executed by them after
his designs that are at Windsor Castle and other places.
TANKARDS.
The use of the word " tankard, " in its now familiar
sense of a large silver drinking-vessel, with a cover and
handle, is of comparatively modern introduction. No ar
ticle of plate is called by this name in any of the volumes
of wills and inventories published in England by the Sur-
tees Society, which reach down to the year 1600. The
word seems to first occur in this sense about 1575, and from
that time is constantly applied to the vessels that have ever
since been known as tankards.
In earlier days it was used for the wooden tubs bound
with iron, and containing some three gallons, in which
water was carried. The men who fetched water from the

112 OLD PLATE.
conduits in London were called " tankard-bearers, " and in
a Coroner's Roll of 1276, for the ward of Castle Baynard,
tankards are mentioned as the vessels they bore. Again,
in 1337, the keepers of the conduits receive a sum of money
for rents for " tynes and tankards " thereat ; and in 1350 a
house is hired for one year at 10s. to put the tankards — les
tanquers — in, and two irons, costing 2s. 6d., were bought
for stamping them.
These same utensils are found in farming accounts of
the same period. In 1294, at Framlingham, County Suf
folk, the binding with iron of thirteen tankards cost 3s.,
and six years later a three-gallon iron-bound tankard is
priced in Cambridge at Is. At Leatherhead a two-gallon
tankard is valued at 2d., in 1338, and two such vessels at
Elham together cost 4d. in 1364.
All this time tankards are mentioned in no other connec- '
tion ; but when we come to the xvi. century, a notice of
" lether " tankards occurs. This is in a church account of
1567, and they were, no doubt, used as fire-buckets. A
church warden's inventory of the same period (1566)
speaks of a " penny tanckerd of wood used as a holy- water
stock. " Even later than this tankards appear in house
hold accounts, classed with other kitchen goods; for an in
ventory of the chattels of one Edward Waring, Esq., of
Lea, taken in 1625, includes " two tankerds and one payle, "
certainly not amongst his plate. Sometime before this,
however, the term was occasionally applied to silver ves
sels. The wiU of Sir George Heron, proved at Durham in
1576, or thereabouts, mentions his " three silver tanck-
ards, " valued at nli. ; and in a Norwich will of 1583 there
is an entry of " one Canne or Tanckerd of sylver. "
In the inventory of the plate of Dr. Perne, Master of
Peterhouse, Cambridge, which is of the year 1589, occur
the following articles :
"Item a tankerd barred lipt and covered v ounces xxiiijs. ijd. Item a
white home tankerd with a cover barres and lipt double gilt vi ounces xxis."
These are some of the earliest instances of a then new
application of the word, which soon not only became com
mon, but entirely superseded the old.

TANKARDS.

113

It was, after all, not very unnatural to transfer a word
originally used for a capacious water-tub to a drinking-
vessel that was also large of its kind, and it is difficult to
understand why etymologists should have taken so much
trouble, as they have, to find fanciful derivations for it.
Duchat and Thomson would both derive " tankard " from
tin-quart, and Dr. Thomas Henshaw from the twang or
sound the lid makes on shutting it down ; but, after aU, if
tank is derived, as it surely is, from the French estang, a
pond or pool, it is not nec
essary to go further for
the derivation of the name
of a vessel which was orig
inally intended to hold
water than to connect it
with tank, and to derive it
from the same source.
Johnson's Dictionary de
scribes it as "a large vessel
for strong drink," and cites
Ben Jonson :
" Hath his tankard touched your
brain?"
Tankards with a handle,
purchase, and hinged lid,
were made of all sizes, and
with many varieties of dec
oration, both in Germany
and other northern beer-drinking countries, as well as in
England. They retain their popularity to this day. They
were often made to inclose gold and silver coins, both on
the flat top and bottom, and bent round and set in the sides.
To S. Dunstan has been attributed the origin of the
placing of pegs in tankards. * "Finding that quarrels very
frequently arose in taverns from disputes about the proper
share of the liquor when they drank out of the same cup,

NO. 34. — TANKARD (1574); ASHMO-
LEAN MUSEUM, OXFORD.

* Chaffers.

114 OLD PLATE.
he advised Edgar to order gold or silver pegs to be fastened
at regulated distances in the pots, that every man should
know his just allowance. The space between each peg
contained half a pint."
These hinged tankards were probably made for the • ex
press purpose of holding beer (made with hops), and were
introduced into England when beer became a national
drink early in the xvi. century.

NO. 35. — IRISH TANKARDS (1680) ; MERCHANT TAYLORS' HALL, LONDON.
The hot spiced wines that were drunk before going to
bed, both in royal and private houses, were probably sent
up in covered-cups. We can refer to no instance of a
tankard of Italian, French, or Spanish make. The man
ufacture seems to have been confined to beer-drinking
nations. In New England wills and inventories, mention
is frequently made of plate, tankards, etc.
* John Cotton, 1652, gives
* New England Gen. and Hist. Reg.

TANKARDS.

115

"to the church of Boston a silver tunn to be vsed amongst the other com-
vnion plate j to my grand-child Betty Day my second silver wine boule."
Comf ord Starr, Boston, 1659 :
" My siluer guilt double salt cellar . . . one siluer bossed wine Cupp."
About the same time Thomas Olliver of Boston bequeaths

NO. 36. — TANKARD (O. 1650); THE PROPERTY OP MR. R. S. ELY.
" the siluer wine Cup and 4 siluer spoones, a siluer bowle, my siluer salt."
Rachel Bigg of Dorchester, 1646, directs
" three pounds to be layed out vpon a siluer Pott marked w</> R. B. and
twenty shillings for three siluer spoones."
Daniel Gookin, Senior, living at Cambridge, August, 1685,
gives and bequeaths

116

OLD PLATE.

" to my dearly beloved wife Hannah . . . forever a piece of plate,
either a cup, or tankard to be ?nade new for her marked ^ j_
This is interesting as showing the custom of putting the
initials of the surname (o) and Christian names (d & h) of
the husband and wife on silver mementos.
In a will of 1653 mention is made of " that great siluer
beare bowl." Increase Mather in 1719 bequeaths to his
eldest son : "Item, my Silver Tankard."
One of the earliest specimens of tankards (1574) is pre
served at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. It is of silver-
gilt, with straight sides, and
tapers a good deal from the
bottom upwards.
Next came the taller upright
and straight-sided tankards, of
ten beautifully ornamented,
that are found in the reigns of
James I. and Charles I. These
are frequently used as flagons.
One, of the year 1619, is at Ken
sington Parish Church, London,
and a pair of the same date are
at Bodmin Church, Cornwall.
Later tankards are plainer,
and are of constant occurrence.
A splendid pair, from one of which our illustration is taken,
came into the possession of the Merchant Taylors Com
pany in London, on the dissolution of a Dublin guild some
years ago, and they show round the lower part of the drum
the acanthus-leaf ornament which is so characteristic of
the time at which they were made. They bear the Dublin
hall-marks for 1680.
The Ely tankard, * now in the possession of Mr. R. S.
Ely, was brought from England about 1660. It has only a
maker's mark — W C, mullet between two pellets above,
peUet below, shaped shield.
* For the purpose of illustration the coat of arms are shown at the side
of both this and the Vassall Tankards.

NO. 37.— TANKARDS (1729);
HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

SMALLER CUPS. 117
The domestic tankards of the second half of this century
are very plain, often of great diameter in proportion to
their depth, and have flat lids and very massive handles,
the lower part of the latter often being notched to form
them into whistles. They came in at the Restoration, and
are found till about 1710 or 1720, when a pot with swelling
drum and dome-shaped lid, with or without a knob, was
introduced, of a fashion so well known at the present day,
both in silver and pewter.
A pair presented to Harvard University by John and
William Vassal, 1729, were made by I. Kneeland of Boston.
The tankards of the last century are perhaps as often
without lids as with them. It has already been remarked
that the so-called flagons used ordinarily in our churches
are, properly speaking, tankards, and the origin of the
application of the word flagon to them has been explained
in the previous chapter. SMALLER CUPS.
INCLUDING TAZZE, BEAKERS, TASTERS, CAUDLE-CUPS, PORRINGERS,
TUMBLERS, ETC.
Side by side with the standing-cups, which were often more
fitted for decorating the "cupboard" than for use, except
on state occasions, and bearing the same relation to them
that the trencher-salt did to the standing salt-cellar, are
found a number of smaller cups and basins adapted for
every-day requirements. A short chronological notice of
their forms will, perhaps, be of more practical use to the
collector than the preceding section ; for whilst standing-
cups are seldom for sale, and, when they are, command
prices that are beyond the reach of any but the very
wealthy, good specimens of smaller drinking-cups are more
easy of acquisition.
Tazze — very elegant cups, usually on baluster stems and
with bowls shaped like the low open champagne glasses of
xix. century use — are found from about 1750 till the out
break of the civil war in the reign of Charles I. Specimens

118 OLD PLATE.
of these are much prized by the cohector, and they are by
no means common. Their bowls are often punched all
over with small bosses in rings or other patterns from the
outside, decreasing in size towards the center, and some
what resembling the designs now produced by engine-turn
ing. This was possibly in imitation of the Venetian glasses,
which were much used for drink at this period. Others have
plain bowls, or have a simple band of ornament around the
rims. Tasters are the small shallow circular bowls, with a flat
handle, that are sometimes caUed bleeding-basins, but in
correctly, the latter being a different class of vessel, some
times found in nests. They are constantly mentioned in
the plate-hsts of Elizabethan days, but rarely earlier than
1570, nor more than a single one in each list. * Richard
Webb of Boston, 1659, bequeaths "five silver spones, one
silver wine taster."
The ordinary tasters weighed about three ounces, and were
valued at about ten or twelve shillings. The extant speci
mens are mostly of the middle or end of the xvii. century.
Bleeding-basins of the first years of the xviii. century,
about four and a half inches in diameter, and having a
single flat pierced handle, are not uncommon. They are
found of pewter as well as of silver.
Beakers. These come next in order, occurring first at the
very beginning of the xvii. century; a few may be found of
earlier but not much earlier date, though their names occur
long before in inventories. In England, at all events, they
are more often seen in the cabinet of the collector than
amongst the ancient treasures of great people or great cor
porations, — a fact which must be left to explain itself as
best it can. Early foreign examples are more common.
They are usually Dutch or from the north of Europe.
Dr. Johnson derived the word from beak, and defined
the beaker as a cup with a spout in form of a bird's beak; an
opinion shared also by Skinner. Other authorities content
themselves with saying that it was a kind of vessel prob
ably derived from Flanders or Germany, without fixing its
* New Eng. Gen. and Hist. Reg.

NO. 39. — BEAKER. (XVII. CENTURY.)
8. MARY'S CHURCH, BURLINGTON, N. J,

BEAKERS.

119

shape ; and Forby would trace it to the Saxon bece, ordinary
drinking-vessels made of beech wood. The learned de
Laborde connects the Enghsh word byker with the French
buket; giving for authority cases
in which the latter is used for a
holy- water bucket, and for a large
cup of silver with cover, enameled
in the bottom. The vessels com
monly called beakers are plain up
right drinking-cups, widening at
the mouth, and without spout or
handle, somewhat- resembling the
tall glass tumblers used in modern
times for soda-water and the like.
Beakers are used as Communion-
cups at the First Church, and Old
South, Boston; the First Church,
Dorchester; S. Ann's, Middletown,
Del.; and the beautiful specimen
at S.Mary's, Burlington, previous
ly referred to as probably of Ger
man or Dutch origin.

NO. 38. — BEAKER (1604)j MERCERS'
HALL, LONDON.

"We* had nothing happened of any great note to us, till the year 171 1 ;
and some time in April in that year, the Church received the gift of a large
silver Beaker, with a cover well engraved, being the present of the Honoura
ble Colonel Robert Quarry for the use of the Communion.
" This Beaker, with a cover, is still in use. The letters T. B. R. are
wrought in a monogram on them both. The beaker is engraved with vines
and fruits, and flowers pendant from! ribbons, between which are the heads
of cherubim. Other devices upon it are, an eagle on a perch; a peacock;
a bird with fruit in its claw ; and another bird with a large serpent in its beak.
Around on the surface of the cover is graven, very spiritedly, a hunter with
a horn at his lips and a spear in his hand, preceded by three hounds in pur
suit of a stag. The whole is surmounted with a large and exquisite crown."
The plain gilt beaker belonging to the Mercers' Company
is ornamented with three maidens' heads on the sides.
V-shaped cups on baluster stems were very common
from about 1610 to 1660. They are very like the ordinary
* History of the Church in Burlington. Rev. G-. M. Hills, D. D.

120

OLD PLATE.

wine-glasses of the present day, but are somewhat larger.
Communion-cups, as well as secular drinking-cups, are often
found of this shape. An example in pewter has been given
in the chapter upon ecclesiastical plate. With these may be
classed the very small hexagonal or octagonal grace-cups
on high stems that are found in the reign of James I.
These are quite peculiar to that period. They seem to
occur in sets of three.
Caudle-cups and porringers. — These two classes of
vessels-, the former of which were often called "posset"
cups or "posnets," include all the two-handled cups with
covers, and sometimes also trays or stands, ' that were so
commonly used in the xvii.
and the earlier part of the
foUowing century.
The former are somewhat
pear-shaped, swelhng into
larger bowls at the base, and
were used for drinking pos
set, which was milk curdled
with wine and other addi
tions, like white-wine whey
or treacle possets of our day.
The curd floated above the
liquor, and, rising into the narrow part of the cup, could be
easily removed, leaving the clear fluid at the bottom. Their
fashion differs with their date.
Porringers, on the other hand, were wider-mouthed bowls,
but with covers and handles like the last. Their less flow
ing shape necessitated a somewhat different style of treat
ment in the way of decoration ; and they are sometimes
found in the middle of the century octagonal, or even twelve-
sided, without any ornament.
A well-known pattern which came in about the time of
the Restoration is shown in the illustration. It is from the
collection at the South Kensington Museum, and is thus
described in the official Catalogue :
" Cup and cover ; silver-gilt plain neck, the lower part of the body beaten
with leaf work; scroll handles and a cover with flat-top engraved with a
coat of arms, English hall-mark, 1660 h. 6^ in. w. 7^ in.

NO. 40. — CUP AND COVER (1660) ;
SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM.

TWO-HANDLED CUPS.

121

" The upper part or neck is plain ; the lower portion of the body bulges
and is beaten up with tulip flowers and leaves. The handles join the rim of
the neck and the bulging surface of the lower part of the body. The handles
are light bold scrolls of solid metal, with terminal heads on the upper curves,
curves at the upper point or junc
tion, and light double volutes at
the lower. The cover bulges and
is hammered up with the same
tulip flower as the body. It is
topped by a flat handle, which,
when reversed, stands as a foot,
and this portion is then used as a
small salver or waiter. On this flat
surface is engraved an heraldic „„„_,
° no. 41. — cup (1667) ; prom the collection
shield. 0F THE LATE MK. c. WYLLYS betts.

We here illustrate four cups of the year 1667, 1686, 1702,
and 1775, from the collection of the late Mr. C. Wyllys Betts,
bequeathed to the Scroll and Keys Society of Yale University.
The cup dated 1667 is very like the South Kensington
specimen of 1660. That of 1686, with the acanthus decora
tion of repousse work round the bowl, is of identically the
same character as the covered cup at Saddlers' Hall, Lon
don, the gift of Peter Rich, 1681. The two later cups (1702
and 1775) show the development of the fluted porringers of
the reign of Queen
Anne. These are often
used as beer-cups.
Toward the end of
the xvii. century, por
ringers are often dec
orated with flat ap
plique leaves round
the bottom of the
bowl and the knob of
the cover. These thin
plates of metal, cut
into various shapes and applied to the surface, have been
called "cut-card" work, for want of a better name, and it
has been somewhat generaUy adopted. The illustration is

y

NO. 42.-f (1686) PROM THE COLLECTION OP THE
** LATE MR. C. WYLLYS BETTS.

122

OLD PLATE.

of a very good specimen belonging to Christ Church, Bru-
ton Parish, Va., and used as a chalice. It is of silver-gilt
(h. 3f in., w. 4i in.), and has the mark of Peeter Haraehe, * an
eminent goldsmith and
plate-worker of Suffolk
street, Charing Cross,
who emigrated from
France after the revo
cation of the Edict of
Nantes. The first time
we meet with his mark
is on the copper-plate
at Goldsmiths Hall, be
tween 1675 and 1697.

NO. 43.-^- (1702) PROM THE COLLECTION OP THE
P- LATE MR. C. WYLLYS BETTS.

The mania for Chi
nese porcelain which prevailed for a few years in the reign
of William III. did not die out before the goldsmiths had
covered their wares with Chinese designs. A vast quantity
of plate was decorated in this way between 1682 and 1690.
Last of all come the fluted porringers of the reign of
Queen Anne, previously mentioned, of which it is necessary
to say that, as they have much attracted the attention of
collectors, imitations
of them have been
manufactured by the
cart-load. These mod
ern copies would very
often be detected by an
assay, for they are ah
marked as made of the
Britannia standard of
silver, and many of
themif tested wouldno .
doubt prove to be of 'AT .Am,
silver of lower quality.

PROM THE COLLECTION OP THE
"LATE MR. 0. WYLLYS BETTS.

TUMBLERS.
These useful articles have been rather pushed out of their
place in the chapter by the necessity of classing together
* Chaffers.

PL A TES.

123

porringers and caudle-cups, for they are decidedly more
ancient than the last-mentioned class of porringers. They
are so called because they will not lie on their sides, but
will only rest on the bot
tom, tumbling or rolling
from side to side like a
tumbler till they steady
themselves in an upright
position. The name has
somewhat improperly been
transferred to our flat-bot
tomed drinking-glasses.
Such round-bottomed cups
are frequently met with
from about 1670 onwards,
and are still used in some of the English colleges for drink
ing beer. They are sometimes called bowls, and, being of
different sizes, the larger ones were called beer-bowls, and
the smaller wine-bowls, in old inventories.

NO. 45. — CUP AND COVER (1686) ; CHRIST
CHURCH, BRUTON PARISH, VA.

PLATES.

Plates of silver or sil- ,
ver-gilt were used, both
at dinner and at what is
now called dessert. The
dessert-plates are the
more common, though
silver trenchers are
sometimes mentioned.
The " conceites after
dinner," such as "appels,

nuts, or

creame," were

no. 46. — cup (1758); gorham mpg. co.

no doubt placed upon
them.
Silver " spice-plates " occur in the inventories of the xrv.
and xv. centuries.
Dinner-plates of silver, with shaped and gadrooned edges,
are found commonly in the last, and sometimes of the pre-

124 OLD PLATE.
ceding century, replacing the simple pewter of an earher
generation. PORKS. i
Compared with spoons these are a modern invention.
Neither the Greeks nor the Romans used forks, and it was
customary with them to have their food cut up into small
pieces before it was served ; besides which it was dressed in
such a manner as to be exceedingly tender, and easily
divided with instruments called " ligulce," closely resembling
our spoons.
It is quite certain that forks were known to our Anglo-
Saxon ancestors, for a knife and fork, apparently imple
ments of daily use, were found in an Anglo-Saxon burial
ground near West Salisbury, England; but Mr. Wright
("History of Domestic Manners ") thinks that they were not
used by them for feeding, but merely for serving ; they were
probably derived from the use of the skewer, or, as it might
be, a one-pronged fork. No mention of them is to be found
in xv. century treatises on etiquette and manners ; whilst in
early wills and inventories forks seldom occur, except now
and then one or two mounted in crystal or other ornamental
'handles, and used for eating pears or green ginger. These
had usually two prongs only.
In a list of articles belonging to Piers Gaveston (d. 1312),
favorite of Edward II., are " Trois furchesces d'argent pour
mcmgier poires."
Their common use was introduced from Italy about the
beginning of the xvii. century, and the f oUowing passage in
the " Travels of Thomas Coryate, of Odcombe, near Yeovil,
1611," is frequently quoted as the first *mention of forks in
-England. " I observed," he says, " a custome in all those Italian cities and townes
through tne which I passed, that is not used in any other country that I
saw in my travels, neither doe I thinke that any other nation of Christendome
doth use it but only Italy. The Italian and also most strangers that are com-
morant in Italy, doe alwaies at their meales use a little forke when they cut
their meate. For while with their knife, which they hold in one hande,

FORKS. 125
they cut the meate out of the dish, they fasten their forke, which they hold
in their other hande, upon the same dish, so that whatsoever he be that, sit
ting in the company of any others at meale, should unadvisedly touch the
dish of meate with his fingers, from which all at the table doe cut, he will
give occasion of offence unto the company as having transgressed the lawes
of good manners ; insomuch that for his error he shall be at the least brow
.beaten, if not reprehended in wordes. This forme of feeding I understand
is generally used in all places in Italy, their forkes being for the most part made
of yron or Steele, and some of silver ; but the^e are used only by gentlemen.
The reason of this their curiosity is, because the Italian cannot by any means
have his dish touched with fingers, seeing all men's fingers are not alike
cleane — hereupon I myself thought good to imitate the Italian fashion, by
this forked cutting of meate, not only while I was in Italy, but also in Ger
many, and oftentimes in England since I came home ; being once quipped
for that frequent using of my forke, by a certain learned gentleman, a famil
iar friend of mine, one Master Laurence Whitaker, who in his merry
humour doubted not to call me furcifer, only for using a forke at feeding."
Their Italian origin is also referred to by Ben. Jonson,
who, speaking of the manners of Venice, puts into the
mouth of Sir Politick Would-be :
" . . . Then you must learn the use
And handling of your silver fork at meals."
Volpone or the Fox, act iv., scene i.
This .was written in 1607, but a few years later (1616) the
same writer speaks of them as known in England :

Sledge. "Forks! What be they?"
Meer. " The laudable use of forks,
Brought into custom here, as they are in Italy,
To the sparing of napkins."
The Devil is an Ass, act v., scene hi.
Massinger, too, about the same time, recognizes the use
of the fork in polite society :
" I have all that's requisite
To the making up of a signior . . .
. . . and my silver fork
To convey an olive neatly to my mouth."
The Great Duke of Florence, act hi.

126

OLD PLATE.

The following extract is from " The Accomplished Lady's
Rich Closet of Rarities," London, 1653 :
" In carving at your own table distribute the best pieces first, and it will
appear very decent and comely to use a forke ; so touch no piece of meat
without it."
It is curious that Shakspere is silent on the use of silver
forks, since they were the subject of such a constant discus
sion, praise, and ridicule at that period.
"Report of fashions in proud Italy,
Whose manners still our tardy apish nation
Limps after, in b&se awkward imitation."
King Richard II., act ii., scene i.
From this time their employment be
came more general, and a fork was added
to the knife and spoon which most per
sons seem to have carried about with them
for their own use wherever they went.
The large dinner-forks, which we now
call " table " forks, are said to have been
first used in France by the Duke de Mon-
tausier, circa, 1645.
Prince Rupert purchased twenty-four
forks with his plates in 1670, and Prince
George of Denmark a dozen in 1686, be
sides his plates and trenchers. These cost,
the spoons ,2s. apiece for the making, and
the forks 2s. and 6d., besides the silver, at
5s. 2d. per ounce.
A set of twelve amongst the domestic
plate at Cotehele, Cornwall (Earl of Mount
Edge'cumbe), was made in 1667, and it is
believed that these are the oldest now in use. They have
plain flat handles like the spoons of the period, of which
No. 2 in the illustration, p. 88, is an example ; but the tops
are not so much cleft, the two side projections being rounded
off like the central one. One of the handles is lengthened
out to form a marrow-spoon.

NO. 47.— FORK (o. 1686)
THE PROPERTY OP MR.
0. WILKINSON.

FORKS. 127
Another such set is mentioned by Viscount Gort,in "Notes
and Queries," as bought by one of his ancestors, in 1698, of
a Dublin silversmith named Bolton, whose account of them
was as f ollows :
"For lz forks, wt 30 oz. 14 dwt., <S> 6-10 per oz. £10.10.0."
A fork similar to those described as in use at Cotehele
was found in 1882, thirty feet under ground, near Covent
Garden, London, and is now in the possession of Mr. G.
Wilkinson, of the Gorham Manufacturing Co., Providence.
It is 7J inches long, engraved with a coat of arms at the
end of the handle (Molesworth), and is stamped with the
maker's mark only, twice repeated. This mark* — L C,
crowned, a crescent with points upwards, between two pel
lets below, shaped shield — is on the copper-plate preserved
at the hah of the Goldsmiths Company, London, with the
impressions of the makers' punches between 1675 and 1697.
Several examples of old silver with the same mark are in
English collections, giving by their date-letters the years
1676, 1683, 1686, 1694. A split-ended, flat-handled fork of
the year 1683, with four prongs, has been dug up in the
grounds of Eden Hall. It bears the Musgrave crest, en
graved in the fashion of that day, and, if genuine, it must
take rank as the most ancient English four-pronged table
fork known. Most probably, however, this fork has been
fashioned out of a spoon.
When the custom arose, most likely in the early part of
the last century, of the host supplying his own table with
the plate requisite for the use of his guests, a much larger
quantity was needed, and more and more as time went on.
It has been suggested that a great deal of old-fashioned,
unused plate — ewers and basins, and the like — was about
a century ago melted down, to supply this new want, and
that the magnificent services of gilt and silver-plate which
were then made for royal and other tables were provided
in this way. An enormous quantity of metal must have
been required to provide silver for the number of plates,
*Mr. Cripps writes: "The maker of the Fork was, as I believe, one
Lawrence Colds."

128

OLD PLATE.

dishes, sauce-boats (never found before the reign of George
II., 1727), spoons and forks, which were fashioned by the
makers of a hundred years ago ; and as, at that period, old
plate was not valued, every one was glad to change anti
quated silver articles for those of a newer and more useful
fashion. The handles of modern forks f ohow the shapes of
spoons. Sometimes the handles were separable from the
bowls of old spoons, to be used as forks.
monteiths.
The Monteith was a punch-bowl which seems to have
come into fashion with the new standard silver of 1697 or

NO. 48.— MONTEITH (1702) ; VINTNERS' HALL, LONDON.
a little earlier. It had a movable rim, ornamented around
the top with escallops or else battlements to form indenta
tions, in which the glasses were placed with the feet out
wards, for the purpose of bringing them into the room
without breaking. The bowl was, of course, brought in
empty, the punch being made in the room, each gentleman
fancying that he had an especial talent for concocting the

CANDLESTICKS. 129
beverage, and a silver ladle and lemon-strainer were brought
in with it. When the glasses were taken out the bowl was
placed on the table, the rim was removed, and the process
of punch-making commenced. The pierced bowl of the
old-fashioned wine-strainers (in general use when gen
tlemen decanted their own port wine in the parlor) served
as a lemon-strainer, there being generally a small flat hook
at the side of it by which it was appended to the side of
the bowl. This particular pattern of punch-bowl was, so
called after a gentleman of fashion, of the name of Mon-
teith, who was remarkable as wearing a scalloped coat.
" New things produce new words, and so Monteith
Has by one vessel saved himself from Death."
Wing's Art of Cookery.
Beside the characteristic rim, their fluted bowls should
be noted, their gadrooned bases or feet, and the large rings
hanging from lions' mouths which are almost invariable.
The illustration is of a Monteith in the possession of the
Vintners' Company, London.

candelabra, candlesticks, and sconces.
These are occasionally, but not very frequently, met with
in wills, accounts, and other documents of every period.
There is, however, little to be said about them. No really
ancient specimens are known to exist in the precious
metals, the earliest now to be found being the candlesticks
shaped as fluted columns which are found in the reign of
Charles II. They have square bases, which are sometimes
cut off at the corners so as to become octagonal, and have
also a projection to match the base, but smaller, and a con
venient distance above it, to serve as a knob, by which to
hold or carry them. In the time of William and Mary and
of Queen Anne the fashionable candlestick was equally
simple, but with a baluster stem, terminating in a square
base, which has the corners cut off or else set back and
rounded. Additional ornament was gradually added to the

130

OLD PLATE.

plain balusters. A candlestick of 1722 illustrates a tran
sition period, after which, at about the middle of the last
century, the baluster stem, already a little modified, became
much ornamented with the oblique gadrooning of Louis
XV. taste. Towards 1765 it finally gave way to the Corin
thian column pat
tern, which was the
first, it may be ob
served in passing,
that is always
found with remov
able socket-pans or
nozzles. These Cor
inthian columns in
turn were replaced
by candlesticks or
namented with fes
toons of flowers, or
drapery hanging
between bosses, or
medallions which
bear masks or other
devices of the fash
ion introduced by
those who designed
for silversmiths
and potters of the
. time of Josiah
Wedgwood. Re
movable nozzles
are sometimes to be
found on candlesticks of the reign of Geo. II., but not often.
The sockets of the candlesticks of the later part of the
century are in many cases shaped as vases ornamented with
hanging wreaths.
Silver sconces are very seldom seen ; they are met with
as early as the year 1380 in the inventory of Charles V.
They usually consist of a back-plate repousse with a coat
of arms, and one, two, or three branches for the candles.

NO. 49. — CANDLESTICK (1698); MESSRS. HOWARD & CO.

TOILET SERVICES.

131

toilet services and boudoir purniture.

The luxury of the later years of the Stuarts is suitably
illustrated by the rich toilet services, which are one of its
creations. They came into fashion at about the Chinese
period of which mention has been made, and more than one
set is found decorated in that style.
They usually consist of a number of pieces of silver or
silver-gilt, a mirror with silver frame, candlesticks, snuffers
and tray, pincushion, tazze, boxes for trinkets and soap,
sometimes a basin and ewer, and a variety of other articles.
The set at Knole park, the property of Lord Sackville, is
perhaps the best known of all. It has been reproduced by
the electrotype process for the South Kensington Museum,
and would be a valuable addi
tion to the collection of replicas
at the Metropolitan Museum
in Central Park.
It is composed of a number
of toilet-boxes and a table-
mirror, the boxes plain, ob
long, and octagonal, with frost
ed panels, and their covers
bearing coronets and pierced
ciphers fastened on with pins
and nuts. The date of this
service is 1673. There is also
preserved at Knole a table
(1680) entirely covered over
with plaques of silver, beaten
and chased with acanthus foli
age, scrolls, etc. Like the toilet
boxes, it has coronets and
pierced monograms attached
in the same way. On each
side of the table stand tall silver tripods (gueridons) for can
dlesticks, and above it hangs a mirror in silver framing to
match the table. The tripods are of 1676, and the mirror
was probably made at the same time as the table, being evi
dently of the same workmanship.

NO. 50. — CANDLESTICK (1722); THE
PROPERTY OP MR. R. S. ELY.

132 OLD PLATE.
There are several boudoir-tables, either made of or
mounted with silver plaques like those at Knole. Amongst
them are two at Windsor Castle. Silver fire-dogs, or andi
rons, also occur of the same period and fashion. Examples
of these are preserved both at Windsor and Knole.
wine-cisterns and fountains.
Not less magnificent than the boudoir furniture that has
just been mentioned are the great wine-cisterns that are
found of the same period. These cisterns range from 1665
to 1735, but the earlier ones are not accompanied by fount
ains. The oldest are of gigantic size; the later ones are
somewhat smaller, and have fountains, or great covered
urns, or vases with taps. It has been conjectured that many
of these were not used for wine, but for washing-up the
forks as required on the sideboard.
The finest and largest of such pieces is a cistern at the
Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, a replica of which is at the
Metropolitan Museum. It weighs nearly 8000 ounces and
holds 60 gallons, and was made in 1734 by one Charles
Kandler, a silversmith in London, from a design by Henry
Jernegan, and measures 5 feet 6 inches long by 3 feet 6
inches wide. Perhaps the most immense and one of the
most elaborate pieces of decorative plate in the world, it is,
no doubt, the very cistern referred to in the journals of
the House of Commons for 1735, in a somewhat curious
connection. In that year a lottery was authorized by Parliament for
raising the funds necessary for building a new bridge over
the Thames at Westminster; and the same Jernegan is
found petitioning the House to take as a lottery prize a very
magnificent cistern, upon which he had expended a vast
sum of money and years of work, and which had been pro
nounced by all to excel anything of the kind that had ever
been attempted. He represented that although he had
offered it to various foreign sovereigns, through their
ambassadors, it remained upon his hands unsold, and in the
end Parliament ordered its disposal in the lottery. How it got

CO

1

NO. 51. — WINE-CISTERN (1734); WINTER PALACE, ST. PETERSBURG.

134 OLD PLATE.
eventually to the Winter Palace, Mr. Cripps, who discovered
it there, has not yet been able to ascertain, though an old
engraving describes it as " the property of the Empress of
Russia." The official description reads :
" This remarkable piece, of unusal size and weight, is in the form of an
oval vase, supported on four leopards or panthers, the handles nude half-fig
ures of a man and woman, respectively, with scroll terminals. The motive
of the entire decoration is Bacchanal, the greater part of the ornament cast-
work. On each side is a panel with groups of boys and young satyrs play
ing, holding bunches of grapes and drinking; between the panels a deep flut
ing ; round the rim and hanging over, both inside and out, are applique"
festoons of vines and bunches of grapes, lizards, flies, frogs, etc., in great
variety of fancy. The terminal figures hold bunches of grapes, and the same
ornament is figured here and there and applied, giving to the piece a festive
character. The leopards have collars, and are chained together with massive
chains. The . piece is lined with an inner skin, engraved with a pattern.
The silver is of Britannia standard."

CASTERS AND CRUET-STANDS.
Of these the former occur at the commencement of the
last century, or a few years earlier, and are occasionally
found of great size. The larger ones must have been
intended as standing-pieces for the decorations of side
boards; but it would be difficult, to produce proof of the
genuineness of some of the specimens that have changed
hands of late years. The natural tendency of a demand to
create a corresponding supply should never be forgotten by
the plate-collector any more than by the economist. One
of the earliest cruet-stands known is of plain, massive sil
ver with five rings and central handle, the rings containing
two glass cruets with plain silver caps to slip over the necks
by way of stoppers, and three shaped casters of silver .with
pierced tops for sugar, pepper, etc., one large, and two to
match of smaller size. They are of much the same fashion
as the sets of three casters so often seen, of dates ranging
from 1720 to 1770, but they are of plainer fashion than
more modern examples. The separate casters seem to have
formerly formed part of the fittings of cruet-stands.

TEA AND COFFEE SERVICES. 135
A reproduction of two beautiful sets vf casters may be
seen at the Metropolitan Museum. They fit into the center
piece or epergne, the work of Paul Lamerie in 1734. . The
originals belong to Count Bobrinsky, of Moscow.

Tea and coffee must have been well known in England
many years before we find silver tea-pots or coffee-pots in
common use. A toy tea-pot with tea -cup and tea-spoon
of the year 1690 is known. This is also about the date of

no. 52.— tea-pot (1769) ; gorham mpg. co.
the first earthenware tea-pots. The earliest tea-pot known
to Mr. Cripps in actual domestic use is one of 1709. It has
a raised conical lid and small flap shutter to the spout. Very
few are found for the next twenty years; but a great num
ber of both tea and coffee pots, tea-caddies, and kettles
were made in the reigns of George I. and George II.; at
first of very plain design, but afterward more freely orna
mented with chasing and repousse work.
The coffee-pot of the reign of George I. was a plain one,
tall and tapering, often octagonal, and with a conical octag
onal hd to match. Tea-pots are found of very similar
fashion as far as regards the lids, but with the round or,

136

OLD PLATE.

no. 53.

-COPPEE-POT (1764); SALTERS' HALL,
LONDON.

octagonal body swell
ing out at the lower part
into a bowl instead of
having straight upward
sides. Chocolate-pots
of the same period are
of plain, tapering, cylin
drical form.
In the time of George
II. and the early days
of George III. gadroons
and flower-wreaths in
the Louis Quinze taste
will be looked for; and,
later, oval tea-pots en
graved with festoons,
knots of ribbon, and
medallions are usually
found. The earliest ket
tles are globular, either
quite plain or with a little engraving ; sometimes they are
"¦fluted to resemble melons or gourds. They are always on
open-work stands, with feet ; and to these, spirit-lamps, often
of a later date, are fitted.
There is no better example of the melon-shaped tea
kettle than one in the royal collection at Windsor Castle.
This stands on a triangular tray, and is of the year 1732.
Later in the century, urns succeeded to kettles ; many of
them are of the pointed oval shape then so popular, and are
chased or engraved with festoons and medallions to match
the tea-pots of the period.
Tea-caddies are not commonly found till the time of
George II. ; but all through that reign sets of two tea-cad
dies and a basin, fitted into shagreen cases, were very fash
ionable. Some of them afford good examples of chased
flowers and foliage, which are very sharply executed in high
relief. Such caddies were usuahy also supphed with a small
spoon, with pierced bowl and long, pointed handle, used for
straining the tea and clearing the spout of the tea-pot before

TEA AND COFFEE SERVICES. 137
the introduction of the fixed strainer at the inner end or
insertion of the spout. They are often, but erroneously,
called strawberry spoons.
Of the minor accessories of the tea-table a few words
may be said. A wire basket, or strainer, was sometimes
hung in the spout of the tea
pot, answering the same pur
pose as the pierced spoon.
Of another kind was
*"The silver strainer, on which,
in more economical times than ours,
the lady of the house placed the tea-
leaves, after the very last drop had
been exhausted, that they might
afterwards be hospitably divided
amongst the company, to be eaten
with sugar and with bread and but
ter."

About tea-spoons, there is
nothing to be said that can
not be gathered from the gen- Na 54— KETTLE AMD STAiro <1732> ;
° ° WINDSOR CASTLE.
eral article on spoons.
Cream-jugs simply follow the fashion of larger vessels,
the earliest being plain and solid like tiny helmet ewers,
later ones of rococo or of Louis XV. designs, and the latest
not unhke the chocolate-pot of 1777 here shown, but with a
small square foot.
The chocolate-pot (No. 55) is in the South Kensington
Museum, and was "perhaps designed by one of the Adams',
whose style it represents admirably."
CAKE-BASKETS AND EPERGNES.
These are classed together because the former often
formed the central or uppermost portion of the latter, and
they are of precisely similar style of workmanship. They
are objects of considerable importance in the plate-collec-
* St. Eonan's Well, chap. x.

138

OLD PLATE.

tions of the last century, and great taste and skill were
expended upon their production. Most of them were made
between 1730 and 1780.
An early basket of a design peculiar to Paul Lamerie
(1731) is of imitation wicker-work, with handles of the
same. A more elaborate example by the same hand is the
property of the Count Bobrinsky, at Moscow, a reproduc
tion of which is in the Metropolitan Museum.
"This fine center-piece for the dinner-table consists of a bowl-shaped
plateau on feet, which supports a dish and holds in sockets, the positions of
which may be varied, trays for sweetmeats, candlesticks, and cruet-frames,
with pepper and sugar-casters, etc. It is the work of Paul Lamerie, and one
of the finest pieces of the kind from his hand in existence."
It bears the London date-letter
T, 1734. The body of the central
dish is chased as wicker-work. To
this (which seems to have been a
favorite pattern) succeeded the
pierced baskets, ornamented also
with chasing and repousse work,
which were very common in the
middle of the century. Many of
them are of excellent design and
finish. The piercing of the later baskets
is sometimes rather rude, the holes
being merely punched out of the
sheet of silver, without much ad
ditional ornament, except some in
tervening rows of small punched
bosses. During the last quarter of
the century baskets were not-
pierced, but are solid, and either
fluted or lobed-like escahops, or ornamented with chased
bands of. foliage.
Where these pierced baskets form the crowning ornament
of epergnes, or center-pieces for table decoration, they are
accompanied by a number of smaller baskets of the same

NO. 55. — CHOCOLATE-POT (1777) ;
SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM.

CONCLUSION. 139
design as the large one, all of which could be detached from
the branched stand which supported them and handed with
the fruits or sweetmeats they were made to contain.
conclusion.
The history of plate-working has now been surveyed in
as much detail as is possible within the compass of a small
hand-book. Many of the subjects only touched upon here
would require a volume if they were dealt with exhaust
ively, but enough has been said about each to give the
reader an idea of the varying fashions of successive art-
periods. Ah will agree that there is a singular interest in
goldsmiths' work, and it is this: that whilst it has preserved
to us in comparatively imperishable materials specimens of
the art-workmanship of every decade, from the Gothic
period to our own, it has given us at the same time the
means of dating these specimens with far greater certainty
and accuracy than is the case with any other series of art-
objects that have come down to our time.
In this way it becomes possible to use old silver-work as a
key for the dating of very many and very different objects
which could only be assigned in a general way to their period
in art-history, but for the indirect aid that a system of hall
marking has thus incidentally supphed. In no other way can
the gradual melting of Gothic into Renaissance style be so
delicately measured, or the sequence of the art-epochs which
we are in the habit of calling by the names of the French
monarchs of the xviii. century. The accuracy with which
both French and English silver- work can be dated enables
us to trace the style known generahy as " Style de Louis
XV." through three separate developments in a way that
would otherwise be almost impossible ; and the same may
be said, in a greater or less degree, of almost every other
well-known period from early days to the end of the xvni.
century. This is the point at which it has seemed convenient to
break off the various notices which make up the foregoing
sketch.

140 OLD PLATE.
The art of the goldsmith in the early days of the present
century made less than no progress. Like other seasons of
rest, this interval has in our time been followed by a revival
which promises much.
* Accustomed as we ah are to the genius of America in
mechanics, witnessing her mighty engineering works, and
knowing the boldness of American thought and invention,
and the ingenuity and skill which her citizens apply to the
carrying out of their conceptions, we have been rather too
apt to overlook the advance they have made in the arts and
in the application of them .to their manufactures. Whilst
crediting them with the greatest skill in the invention and
production of ah labor-saving contrivances, and in the
making of articles of daily use and service by new and im
proved methods, we have been blind to the great strides
they have been taking in recent years in the manufacture
of those articles to which art is applied, and in the produc
tion of which there must be at least some knowledge and
feeling for design, of which, tih lately, the old countries
believed they possessed the exclusive monopoly.
Perhaps the manufacture to which American art is now
applied most characteristically is that of the silversmith
and the worker in the more precious metals.
In the following chapter is described in detail some of the
plate to be found in our churches, — not but that there are fine
examples in private collections, but because it can safely
be said that it has never changed hands, so that the au
thenticity of the dates relied on may be insured beyond ah
possible question.
Chronological lists of examples are also given, with tables
of London and Paris date-letters and a copy of the makers'
marks (1675-1697) from the copper-plate preserved at Gold
smiths Hah, London.
* The " Magazine of Art," December, 1885.

CHAPTER IX
ECCLESIASTICAL PLATE.
NEW YORK — NEW JERSEY — PENNSYLVANIA — DELAWARE — MARYLAND — MASSA
CHUSETTS — NEW HAMPSHIRE — RHODE ISLAND — CONNECTICUT —
NORTH CAROLINA — SOUTH CAROLINA — VIRGINIA.
NEW YORK — TRINITY CHURCH.

f 'nM a^l 1 1 IS church was founded in 1696, but earlier
il^l^S *lUan ^s ^nere was a cnaPe^ m the Fort, to
frNMlFrtn wmcn " *ne Queeu senf plate, hooks, and other
JsJMiS J I furniture."
The vessels yet remaining are :
Alms bason, Dia. 13 in. Two marks : — 1, Lion passant ;
2, small black-letter g, London, 1684.
Engraved with the Royal arms between the initials W\. R.
Paten with foot, Dia. 8i in. Four marks : — *1, Lion pas
sant ; 2, Leopard's head crowned ; 3, small black-letter r,
London, 1694 ; 4, maker's mark F-G, pellet below, shaped
shield. Engraved with the Royal arms between the initials W\. R.
The maker, Francis Garthorne, of S wee things-lane, had the patronage of
King William and Queen Mary, and was much employed by Queen Anne.
He entered his name at the Hall in April, 1697, but his mark for the old
standard, F G, is found on the copper-plate at Goldsmith's Hall struck
* The marks are taken in this order for convenience.
141

142

OLD PLATE.

NEW- YORK.

143

between 1675 and 1696. His Britannia mark, Ga, the a small within the
G, is frequently met with. He made plate for Windsor Castle, 1689;
some of the communion-plate of S. Margaret's, . Westminster, London,
1691 ; also at Kensington Palace Chapel, 1714. In the United States his
mark is on plate belonging to S. Anne's, Annapolis ; Trinity Church and
S. John's Chapel, New York ; S. Peter's, Albany (some of which is now in
Canada), and on a set originally presented to King's Chapel, Boston, now
divided between Christ Church, Cambridge, and S. Paul's, Newburyport.

NO. 57. — ALMS BASON (1747) ; TRINITY CHURCH, NEW-YORK.

Two Flagons, H. 12£ in. Two Chalices, H. 10£ in. Two
Patens, Dia. 6f in. Alms bason, Dia. 13 in. Four marks:
— 1, Lion's head erased; 2, Britannia; 3, Court hand O,
London, 1709 ; 4, maker's mark, Ga, the A small within the G,
pellet below, shaped shield (Francis Garthorne). AU en
graved with the Royal arms between the initials A.R.
Alms bason, Dia. 13 in. One mark : — G R (Probably
Geo. Bidout, of London, ent. as freeman of the City of New
York, Feb. 18th, 1745).
The inscription engraved on the- face of the bason is
shown in the illustration. On the underside is the coat of
arms of Robert Ehiston, Comptroller of the Port from 1720

144

OLD PLATE.

to 1755. Arms : Per pale an Eagle displayed. Crest : an
Eagle's head erased, gorged murahy. Motto : Bono Vince
Malum, and the inscription :

B.MC
amula seu LANX
HUIC ECCLESLE
CONFERTUR.

Alms bason, Dia. 13 in. Paten, Dia. 6 in. Four marks :
— 1, Leopard's head crowned ; 2, Lion passant ; 3, old Eng
lish <&, London, 1760 ; 4, maker's mark w( 3 (Mordecai
Fox). Both engraved with the Royal arms between the
initials \j. Iv.
Chalice, H. 9£ in. Four marks : — 1, Leopard's head
crowned ; 2, Lion passant ; 3, Old English capital 31, London,
1764 ; 4, maker's mark, "TQf-
crowned (Thomas Heming).
Engraved with the Royal arms
between the initials (j. IV.
Alms bason, Dia. 13 in. The
marks, maker and engraving as
on the chalice, but the date-letter
for 1766, Old English capital 1L
Paten, with foot. One mark,
B R. S. JOHN'S CHAPEL.
Flagon, H. 11 in. Chalice,
H. 8 in. Four marks : — 1, Lion
passant; 2, Leopard's head
crowned; 3, small black-letter r,
London, 1694 ; 4, maker's mark
F-G, pehet below, shaped shield
(Francis Garthorne). Both en
graved with the Royal arms between the initials Wl. R.
The paten belonging to Trinity Church with the same marks must have
originally formed part of this set.

no. 58. — chalice (1764); trinity
church, new-york.

NEW- YORK. 145
ALBANY.
S. PETER'S CHURCH.
Two Flagons, H. 13 in. Chalice, H. 9J in. Paten, Dia.
9 in. Paten, Dia. 6 in. Alms bason, Dia. 12 in. Four
marks : — 1, Lion's head erased ; 2, Britannia ; 3, Court-
hand Q, London, 1711 ; 4, maker's mark, Ga, the a small
within the G, pellet below, shaped shield (Francis Gar-
thorne). All engraved with the Royal arms between the
initials A.. R.
Inscription on all the vessels :

A similar set of five pieces, with the same marks and inscription, except
that it reads "to Her Indian Chappel of the Mohawks," was taken from
Fort Hunter when the tribe migrated into Canada. A Flagon, Chalice
and Alms Bason are at Brantford. A Flagon and Paten at Deseronto. Here
the vessels are in the care of a Mohawk woman — a granddaughter of the late
Captain Joseph Brant. The Flagon has a dent in its side, made by a spade
when it was buried in the earth during the Revolution.
The service at Albany has been frequently applied for by the Onondaw-
gus, but as the authorities claim that the Queen presented it to the chapel
(now S. Peter's), and not to the tribe, they decline to give it up.

WESTCHESTER. S. PETER'S CHURCH. /7&V
Chalice, H. 9| in. Paten, Dia. 5i in. Four marks : — 1,
Lion's head erased ; 2, Britannia ; 3, Court-hand N, London,
10

UK,

146

OLD PLATE.

1708 ; 4, maker's mark, E A fleur-de-lis below, shaped
shield (John Eastt). Inscription on each :

%Jl4L4i4zes J\esG/VMsa&'.

RYE.
CHRIST CHURCH.
Chalice, H. 8 in. Paten, Dia. 6 in. Both with the
same marks and inscription as at S. Peter's, "Westchester.

TX

?"8#

. J\ei

HEMPSTEAD, L. I.

Paten, Dia.

S. GEORGE'S CHURCH
/73^ £***fcs~?
Chalice, H. 9£ in
5| in. Both with the same marks
and inscription as at S. Peter's,
Westchester, and Christ Church,
Rye. Paten, Dia. 10£ in. Four marks :
— 1, Lion passant; 2, Leopard's
head crowned ; 3, old English capi
tal JL, London, 1766; 4, maker's
mark, I C monogram, shaped shield.
On the rim are dotted the initials
*B*
A*E
Baptismal bason. Dia. 8i in. One mark, S S.
Inscription :

\

1

f

>

r
J

i

;v

r

^

NO. 59.— CHALICE (1708) ;
S. GEORGE'S, HEMPSTEAD.

%JH^&- ty-ifr-i- <Mr- iA\f^. yO-PtVL- ff[oAxX

NEW- YORK.

147

JAMAICA, L. I.

GRACE CHURCH.

i^^£z-

Chalice, H. 10i in. Paten, Dia. <o\ in. Four marks : — 1,
Lion's head erased ; 2, Britannia ; 3, Court-hand I, London,
1704 ; 4, maker's mark, W I
fleur-de-lis below, shaped shield
(John Wisdome). "Y"
Inscription on chalice :
£l-<ug- iiA^o-nto-v-'eyn^cLo-
tA^osKsL-vt>L'a*\sL.*i^u±, I JO If

In the Journal of the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign
Parts is this entry, dated 17th Novem
ber, 1704: "Agreed that a sum not
exceeding ^15 be allowed to the
Church of Jamaica, in Long Island, for
Vestments and for Vessels for the Com
munion table."

no. 60.— chalice (1704);
grace ohukch, jamaica.

Alms bason, Dia. 9£ in. One mark, T-H twice repeated.
Inscription round rim :

Jr-Hs sJbes yftsO-o^isMsCres o-C p(esuf- {J0-4J0.

[OsU

* * *

148 OLD PLATE.
NEW JERSEY — BURLINGTON.
S. MARY'S CHURCH.
The corner-stone was laid in 1703 by the Rev. John Tal
bot, who shortly after was called to England.
On his return in 1708 he *" acquainted us that he had presented an
humble address to Her Majesty, and the other letters that we sent ; and that
Her Majesty had been graciously pleased to give us . . . a Silver Chalice
and Salver for the Communion Table."
Chalice, H. 7£ in. Paten, Dia. 5 in. Four marks : — 1,
Lion's head erased ; 2, Britannia ; 3, Court-hand K, London,
1705 ; 4, maker's mark, <|£>i3 dotted punch (William Gibson).
Inscription on each :

iM-vu^ae^ j{e^-ttyw

" He also brought us an Embossed Silver Chalice and Patten, the gift of
Madame Catharine Bovey, of Flaxley."
Chalice, H. 10 in. Paten, Dia. 4i in. One mark, on paten
only. Ne, shaped escutcheon (Anthony Nelme, London,
1697-1722). Inscription on under side of foot of each :

The chalice is on a baluster stem, the bowl, stem and foot
richly chased with cherubs' heads, emblems of the Passion,
and foliage.
s " History of the Church in Burlington," Dr. Hills.

NEW JERSEY. 149
Beaker, H. 8 in., with cover and crown ; fully described
in a previous chapter. (P. 119.)

PERTH AMBOY.
s. peter's church (Founded 1698-99).
Chalice, H. 8i in. Paten, Dia. 4i in. Four marks: — 1,
Lion passant; 2, Leopard's head crowned; 3, Lombardic
capital <©, external cusps, London, 1611 ; 4, maker's mark.
A Catherine wheel crowned (?), shaped escutcheon. En-
F TT
graved on the underside of foot of paten -, r.-, o. The lip of
the cup and the under side of paten have the usual Eliza
bethan band, three times interlaced.
There is no evidence as to the manner in which these vessels came into
the possession of the church. An entry in the records refers to the presen
tation of a chalice, ewer and paten, which were probably brought from Eng
land by the Rev. John Talbot. *"At a meeting of the Vestry of thechurch
at Perth Amboy, September, 23rd, 1728, resolutions of thanks were passed
to the widow of Rev. John Talbot for the present of a silver chalice and
ewer, and a silver paten, which are still used in the services of that church."
Chalice, H. 7i in. Paten, Dia. 5 in. The same marks as
on the chalice and paten at S. Mary's, Burlington.
Inscription on each :

tfl^UU^O&' J\esG/UV.

Flagon, H. 11 in. One mark, S S.
This mark is on the Baptismal bason at S. George's Church, Hempstead,
L. I., dated 1735, and on a Tankard and Chalice at Immanuel Church, New
castle.
Paten, Dia. 8| in. One mark, B R twice repeated.
* Whitehead's History of Perth Amboy.

150 OLD PLATE.
A similar mark is on a Paten at Trinity Church, New York.
Paten, Dia. 4f in. Four marks : — 1, Lion's head erased ;
2, Britannia ; 3, Roman capital F, London, 1721 ; 4, maker's
mark, Pa, shaped shield. This is probably the paten pre
sented by the widow of the Rev. John Talbot.
Chalice, H. 4 in. Paten, Dia. 2| in — for administering
to the sick. Four marks : — 1, Lion passant ; 2, Leopard's
head crowned; 3, Roman capital G, London, 1722; 4,
maker's mark, I S mitre (?) above, shaped shield.
On the bowl of chalice is engraved the crucifixion, with
ministering angel. Opposite to this is inscribed :
nossL' )t(o-v-l,, e*t (Ste-t^^t-
K/eA>t>cUOo-'uuyno.
Around foot : SWEDESBOROUGH.
trinity church (Formerly Swedish- Lutheran, but since
the Revolution Episcopal).
Chalice, H. 8 in. Paten, Dia. 4f in. No marks.
Inscription :

NEW JERSEY. 151

J\JL>CsksO^Q-Ks I J3 I

The tradition is that these vessels came from Sweden, but why inscription
in English ? Swedesborough is built on Rackoon Creek.

PENNSYLVANIA — PHILADELPHIA.
christ church (Organized 1695).
Flagon, H. 10£ in. Chalice, H. 9 in. Paten, Dia. 5i in.
Four marks : — 1, Lion's head erased; 2, Britannia ; 3, Court-
hand M, London, 1707 ; 4, maker's mark, E A, fleur-de-hs
below, shaped shield (John Easlt).
These marks, but with the date-letter for the following year, are on plate
at. Westchester, Rye and Hempstead.
Inscription on Flagon and Chalice :
iA-VUKsG&> J\esOsVM^a£s
J. B
IJOS
*"Mr. Evans (Rev. EvanEvans,D. D., Rector, 1700-1719), on his return
from England, brought with him the communion plate presented to the
church the preceding year by the Queen."
* History of the American Episcopal Church. Bishop Perry.

152 OLD PLATE.
Flagon, H. 10£ in. (a duplicate of that presented by
Queen Anne). Baptismal bason, Dia. 15 in. (63 oz. 2 dwt).
One mark, P S, repeated three times on Flagon, four on
Bason. Inscription :
-\bo-l>t J(o-0-CL--t-V ^OCCUUUs
'to- (loVisSst- QLvuist^ks uks if i^Lv^JLe^l^Lf^ucu
tke, acftfc, sLx, IJI2

Two Alms basons, Dia. 9f in. Four marks : — 1, Lion
passant ; 2, Leopard's head crowned ; 3, small black-letter
r, London, 1694 ; 4, maker's mark, R P, pehet above each
letter, one below, shaped shield.
This mark is to be found on the*copper-plate preserved at Goldsmiths
Hall, with the punches, from 1675 to 1697.
Inscription : ¦\bo-CC J\0-V-0^lyC ^UyOL-'uVL,
OO- (ftAyUiJO Q^VUUO,iL> UK, U^iUUl^L^^<Al4<^UCL,
tiUd, ^tfc sit. If 13.
Alms bason, Dia. 9£ in. One mark, C G, between two five-
pointed stars (probably Caesar Griselm).
Beaker (Apostel Rriige), H. 7i in. Two marks : — 1,
The arms or town mark of Cologne ; 2, maker's mark, gZ,
monogram, plain shield.
Richly engraved ; the upper part with medallion figures
of six of the apostles, viz. : s. petrus, s. paulus, s. joannes,
s. jacobus, s. mattheus, s. thomas; the lower part with
fruit and foliage in clusters and the initials ''"

I*K.

PENNSYLVANIA.
Beaker, H. 4£ in. Inscription :

153

L4U&, ^yijt, o-j, MjxA^a^u&Xt J'u&AJ^ ^hsUK,<jbeSu
Co- <oluuiijt <OUMs'u<>k, uk, ^L-uta^LsJ^L-iuucL-
Chalice Spoon. One mark, a Dubois. Engraved on han
dle, x t c. ^ yrc (c^^ee^jij

^

KikltsGll/RCH at LewisTowJ™

J-

2l

NO. 61. — COMMUNION SERVICE (1773) J S. PETER'S OHUROH, LEWES.
. \
gloria dei (Old Swedes' Church).
The present church building was dedicated 1700 ; it stands in that part of
Philadelphia formerly known as Wicacoa.
Tankard, H. 7£ in. One mark, I R.
A similar mark is on plate at S. Michael's, Bristol, R. I., dated 1734.

Inscription :

154

OLD PLATE.

iffue, ¦fyvL't' o4, W[t^ 0 UcuK,cLeAJiAi-o&-a,C&-
Uo- Vfo&- pbw-^-<Lu±,'K, ^VUt4USA^CUK, fbiuU,'UCSK,
oJO 'wussCKso- %-H^UKsa- KJo-vMsuyuu I J J 3

R

On back of handle, A # M Ac^^_Q
M^V^tenjpiegie was ^ke^^a^S^f^Ptieai firs I pas-tor,
Rev. A. Rudman. ^
Chalice Spoon. One mark, W D.

DELAWARE — LEWES.

S. PETER'S CHURCH.

Flagon, H. 10 in. Chalice, H. 9 in. Paten, Dia. 10£ in.
Mark on Flagon, I David ; on Paten, I p. None on Chalice.
Inscription on each piece :

The Gift of the Honble John
Penn Esqre to St Peter's Church
at Lewis Town June 10th 1773.

APPOQUINIMINK (MIDDLETOWN). s. anne's church.
Beaker, H. 6 in. One mark, I N,
the N reversed. "

NO. 62. — BEA
S. ANNE'S, MIDDLETOWN.

NEWCASTLE.
immanuel church.
Tankard, H. 7 in. Chalice, 6£ in. One mark, S S.

DELAWARE. 155
This mark is on the baptismal bason at S. George's, Hempstead, dated
'735-

WILMINGTON (Christina).
TRINITY CHURCH (THE OLD SWEDES). /6$&>
Chalice, H. 9£ in. Paten, Dia. 6 in. Pyx (or bread-box),
oval, 3| in. x 3 in. x li in. deep.
Marks: — On Chalice, C B ; on Pyx, C B, a character sim
ilar to the Court-hand h, and H N, shaped shield.
Inscription on bowl of Chalice :

sJ'guk,L>k, IdseA^QAfsa^zLA, 5Q-csK,esK,<^ks 'Dl-L CH-=<J^SsCosCcL=
JOuuKsUO-^UO- QuUPUCL- t, KjesKAfyUU-<ZSKAseSK,
tsH-o- IJi8. iJUiAusAu^o-t, o-cMs lQssA^yy>ua^iJCcuXsSs
On the six " buttons " of Knop :
A A- $¦ K X- J-
On the under side of foot of Chalice :
X Su^l &CoaaU. 9 JcJLU' 3o-^Lo-*h, -rYid,
QuuK,Gs UPU Kr&-lKsiisU'L

SOU UK, iJ&KAsUsL'V-4XsKsUSSK,.

On rim of Paten :

£«^e--t- (JcJL ajfct^ cLo-££a* cut, wuuk, X^esfCo-^K-eAU.

156

OLD PLATE.

The inscription on
cover of Pyx is modern.
The Rev. Eric Bjork, through
whose exertions the church was
built, and pastor of the con
gregation from 1696 to 1714,
was recalled to Sweden by the
famous Charles XII. in 1713,
and appointed pastor of the
church in Fahlun and provost
of the district, where he lived
till his death in 1740. Fahlun,
a _ town in Dalecarlia, is cele
brated for its copper mines, but
they are not so productive as
formerly. Translated, the in-^
scriptions read : On Chalice,
Take and drink, this is my blood.
Gift of the Mining Company of Fahlun to Holy Trinity Church at
Christina, in Pennsylvania, A. D. 1718.
Assessor and Mine Master, Andrew Swab.
Magister Eric Bjork, Pastor of Fahlun, formerly at Christina, in
Pennsylvania.
On Paten : Take and eat, this is my body.

NO. 63. — CHALICE AND PATEN (1718) ;
TRINITY CHtJBCH, WILMINGTON.

MARYLAND — ANNAPOLIS.
S. ANNE'S CHURCH.
Flagon, H. IIJ in. Chalice, H. 9f in. Paten, Dia. 5f
in. Paten, Dia. 7£ in. Alms bason, Dia. 11 J in. Four
marks: — 1, Lion passant; 2, Leopard's head crowned; 3,
small black-letter J&, London, 1695 ; 4, maker's mark, F G,
pellet below, shaped shield (Francis Garthorne). All en
graved with the Royal arms between the initials W.Iv.
HYATTSVILLE — PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
Flagon, H. 12 in. Two Chalices, H. 9 in. Four marks:
1, Lion's head, erased ; 2, Britannia ; 3, Court-hand m, Lon
don, 1707 ; 4, maker's mark, ^ Q-> monogram (Matt. E.
Lofthouse).

MARYLAND.

157

This service at one time belonged to the old church at Patuxent, or
Upper Marlboro. It was probably presented by Colonel Ninian Beall, who
gave the ground upon which the church stood. He was one of the earliest
Presbyterian elders in the country, his name occurring in the colonial rec
ords as early as January, 1667.
The patens have long since disappeared.

NO. 64.— FLAGON AND CHALICE (1707) ; HYATTSVTLLE, MD.

SALISBURY — S. PETER'S CHURCH.
Chalice, H. 9f in. Paten, Dia. 5 in. Four marks: — 1,
Lion passant ; 2, Leopard's head, crowned; 3, smah Roman
W
q, London, 1751 ; 4, maker's mark W ¦ S (Wm. Shaw and
Wm. Priest). p
The Paten is engraved with the sacred monogram within
rays ; the inscription around bowl of chalice reads :

Jfo-'u tAuss ilbse, o-tC j&Ce^L-Ksesu- J^zl.'ul&Ju uk,
&o-4^estAs&,t- foo-u^'njt-u, I J 5 3

158 OLD PLATE.
MASSACHUSETTS.
BOSTON — THE FIRST CHURCH.
This society was founded 1630, John Winthrop, the first
Governor of Massachusetts, being one of its originators. In
1632 was built the first edifice which was ever reared for
public worship in the town
of Boston. In 1808 the so
ciety moved to the fourth
spot and its fifth house, the
present house of worship
being dedicated December
10th, 18671
Flagon, H. 13 in. One
mark, I E crowned, fleur-
de-lis -V^w, shaped shield.
Engraved with crest in an
ornamental cartouche.
The gift of Lieutenant
Governor Dummer.

Jhe\Jttiaj'lheJ"lon ll/'uliam.JJwm.nic.r„
to lie first (Jiurck injoofton. 1726
NO. 65. — DUMMER CREST AND INSCRIPTION.

Flagon, H. 13 in.
Inscription :

One mark, s. bartlett.

Jfue, ^ilt,

00-
Ufuss CruL-iiAt- QuouuiiJt, oJL (UAuu^jt
UK,
ldo-iJGo--K,
dl*,y, IStL I J*] 5.
Cup, standing, on Hanap, H. 12 in. Four marks : — 1,
Lion passant ; 2, Leopard's head, crowned ; 3, Lombardic N,

MASSACHUSETTS. 159
with external cusps, London, 1610 ; 4, maker's mark, T G
three pellets above, shaped shield. This mark is much
worn. The bowl of cup is tapering, chased with foliage and sea -monsters; the
baluster stem has three s-shaped scrolls at the knop ; the foot is bell-shaped,
chased with acanthus leaves. The cover is wanting, Cups of this date are
in use as chalices in many churches in England. That at S. Mary's, Amble
side, is a fine example (ante, p. 107). The Carpenters Company, London,
have four, of the years 1609, 1611, 1613, and 1628 (O. E. P.).
Inscription around rim :

±Jks&, ^LLt o-l- 'fyo-v^eA^-K,oAs !yK-o- n UK-tfuVofl, to- Use.
it- WK-tOii UK, laO-^jto-sK,.

Chalice, H. 9 in., on tall baluster stem. Four marks : —
1, Lion passant; 2, Leopard's head, crowned; 3, Italic i,
London, 1626 ; 4, maker's mark, T F in monogram, plain
shield. This mark is found on communion plate, Temple Church, London, 1609;
on the cup belonging to the Carpenters Company, 161 1, and on other
valuable plate.
Engraved on bowl, ^ -^
Chalice, H. 7i in. Wine-glass shape. Four marks : — 1,
Lion passant ; 2, Leopard's head, crowned ; 3, Court-hand a,
London, 1638 ; 4, maker's mark, I C between two pellets,
heart-shaped shield. Engraved on bowl w p
Chalige, H. 9£ in. Four marks : — 1, Lion passant ; 2,
Leopard's head, crowned; 3, Court-hand % London, 1639 ;
4, maker's mark, T G pehet below, shaped shield.
Inscription :
jiu&, -^ift O-t GL, K^'ueyUKsd, I * H
T
On bowl, g q

160 OLD PLATE.
Chalice, H. 8 in. One mark, I - D pellet between, fleur-
de-hs below, heart-shaped shield (John Dixwell).
Inscription :
(OXs oLo-vuo- A D S&es UsaiA^vk, I A

Chalices, three, H. 8£ in. Two marks : — 1, IH, seeded
rose below, heart-shaped shield; 2, R S, mullet above, shaped
shield (John Hull and Robert Sanderson).
Inscription :
Pastor of the First Church 1670. d. 1674.
Chalice, H. 8% in. Two marks, as above — the seeded
rose above I H.
Inscription :
JloSs -fyuLt O-t jty- CT"uUSs-K,cL R * H
On foot, l<o<pl .
Chalice, H. 8 in., baluster stem. Two marks, as last.
Inscription :
!7lu&, ^iij-t o^, JL 3-'ue,UK,cLss T * C
On back, j> ri
Chalice, H. 5| in. Two marks, as last. Engraved on
, , * H * « , F
bowl, ^ # H #. on foot, R E
Chalices, three, H. 9 in., baluster stems. One mark, I D
fleur-de-lis, heart-shaped shield.
Inscription :

MASS A CHU SETTS.

161

iJlues -^i-tt o-L (btcLest, J<>-^espJis id-^ocLaJucL-yK,
to- tfuSs LiAsiist l^4UUA.C-4is UK, l2,0-iiX,0-'K,
1108
Chalices, two, H. 8J in. One mark, D-H. Engraved
with coat of arms, and inscription :
yjli^ss ^-pilt, a-/
}f{xA\, J^UsJbtsCL, DisGUKsCsO-CsK,
to- tsHsSs LotAst ^KsbuL-CsK,
o-L ¦^¦(uViAJt UK,
IJ,Osiisto--K,
S^-t LI I J1 3

This beautiful engraving is
evidently the work of Nathaniel
Hurd, the maker being most
probably his brother-in-law,
Daniel Henchman.
Chalice, H. 7 in. One
mark, B S. Inscription :
Uk,&- -fyuLt o-i- 1 o
Tankard. One mark,
I D, fleur-de-lis below,
heart-shaped shield
(John Dixwell).
Inscription :

NO. 66. — HANCOCK ARMS.

sJUsZ, tyfsLt o-t- sSbo^nut J(\o-'ues to- u, CuViJt
Csit,<sUUCsfu UK, /jsO-ilsto-K, 11 II
w
On back of handle, g # g

162 OLD PLATE.
Tankard. One mark, B H, crescents below, shaped shield.
Inscription :

oAsSs

xJluss -^ZZ-t o-t s&cumst Jaj
to, tfuss putAst <^IOVLA,gJ<U
UK, lOsO-ijtosK,
Tankard. One mark, I C, fleur-de-lis below, heart-shaped
shield. Inscription :

JtUSs -^Uyt O-f,

Jio^Lcunu (bUt, ifreJUtwJL,

to- tJ^USs <J*Ut,ijt -fafuUs^^K, O-s

'tbiUUlAjt UK, Ido-isto-sK,

1153

On back of handle, -m- -g

Tankard. One mark, I E, crowned, fleur-de-lis below,
shaped shield.
Inscription :

iflues ^pitt

°T

}r^ a£tucuKK,eJL IjsCifAsto-'K, (biiso^
Uo-
ti<L,es tctsist
sUsVCsK, oft- ^VUul&t

UK, O-VL,

, /So-isti 1113
B

On back of handle, vr t s

MASSACHUSETTS. 163
Cup. One mark, W. P. Inscription :
jioz, 'fyft o-(- io-iuK, ^oAaIcukJL
to- LiUZ, Cutest -(otutsUUC-lu O-t folutKAst
UK, ISsO-fisto-sK, t-OAs viues UJi^Ss o-t
dues UoJLZ^,.
1111
Cups, two. One mark, i hurd. Engraved with coat, of
arms and inscription :
UtuSs tydstst O-t, fcJesCUCsO-SK,
ffo-^aJstocuK, 'n oLLucuvkAs
to- Ouuss tutAt, -\oluoi,t,-cAu O-st
fblut,Ul,t UK, lOsOAjto^K,
ojfc, tuishs Kjeso,Ssaj2s&,
JJLaJUcA, 31 1131
Cup. One mark, revere.

NO. 67. — WILLIAMS ARMS.

Beaker. Two marks, I H and R S, as before on the chal
ices (John Huh and Robert Sanderson). A broad band of
granulated ornament surrounds the beaker, a plain shield
T
being left below the rim, on which is pounced, B * C .
1659
Beaker, as the previous one. One mark, I H, seeded rose
T
above (John Hull), -g # p on shield, no date.
Beakers, three, H. 7 in. One mark, I E, crowned, fleur-
T
de-hs below, shaped shield. Engraved, q p

164

OLD PLATE.

Beaker, H. 7 in. Three marks : — 1, three saltire crosses,
one above the other, crowned, mark of the City of Amster
dam ; 2, I G, seeded rose below ; 3, F in an oval punch,
probably the maker's mark and date letter.

The beaker is richly engraved with
foliage, fruit and birds ; below the top
it is surrounded by an Elizabethan
band of ornament, three times inter
laced in hour-glass curves.
The initials -d e are

NO. 68. — BYEIELD ARMS.

pounced on.
Alms basons, four, Dia. 13
in. One mark, revere.
Inscription :

¦fy-uu-^sK, v-Us SUVIAH THAYER uk, teA\Z>vvK-o-sKsUs o-t
LzAs lu^i^h--esc--t to-t, tL&, FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST uk-
B0ST0N A. D. Ilyip.

Baptismal bason, Dia. 13£ in. One mark, i hurd. En-
. graved with coat of arms.. ,/Byfield,^
Spoons, two, rat-tail. One mark, I E, in lobed escutcheon.
T
Engraved, q ^ .

THE SECOND CHURCH.

This church, established in 1650, was burnt during the
ministry of Increase Mather, in 1676, being rebuilt the fol
lowing year. It was demolished by order of General Howe,
December, 1775. On the evacuation, 1776, the parishioners
joined the New Brick Church, and a formal union was
effected 1779, under the corporate name of The Second
Church. At this time several valuable articles of silver-
plate, being unnecessary, were sold.

MASSACHUSETTS. 165
Flagon, H. 13 in. One mark, I B, crowned, pehet below,
plain shield. On- the side opposite the handle is engraved a
coat of arms and an inscription.

NO. 69. — FRIZELL ARMS AND INSCRIPTION.

166 • OLD PLATE.
John Frizell, a wealthy merchant, and one of the most generous bene
factors of his time, was one of the few men who kept a carriage, and the first
brick stable in Boston was the one he built on Moon street. ("Rambles in
Old Boston," Porter.)
Flagon, H. 13 in. Two marks, SB in circle, and s :
burrill in plain oblong. It is engraved :
UUsUis if'LcUGsO-tU
Lbs dues -fyutt o-t isl(isi£'
hJoAsUs sJ'^suX^sLL to-, tstues
&esCsO-4<scL (J^Us'ucsiu o-t
(UsuUZst UK, lOsOAxstosK,
KJesCsssYKAs 1 133
Mrs. Frizell was the widow of John Frizell.
Flagon, H. 13 in. One mark, P Q, heart-shaped shield.
Inscription :
JJ[tsh. fetl^cdLestfz, HesKJisLesUs
Jo- tsTues pbesCsO-KsdL (U-Ustscfo
o-t (J*yuu±st UK,
IdsO-bsto-sK,
1133
Flagon, H. 13 in. One mark, bridge. Engraved with
coat of arms and inscription. (No. 70.)
William Welsteed was pastor of the New Brick Church from 1728 to
1753. He married a sister of Governor Hutchinson. William Waldron
was the first pastor, 1722-1727.

MASSACHUSETTS.

167

hnu rcA/orckr'd on/Aa Meatk- Sed'tJudflamon
to&e/qMjetv as a/tfif<MisCftlw%n<IerC^tt^

W/ire.a/r' -toward) Hd J753 — -
NO. 70. — WELSTEED ARMS AND INSCRIPTION.
Tankard, H. 6 in. One mark, I B, crowned, pellet below,
plain shield.
Inscription :

NO. 71. — INSCRIPTION ON TANKARD (1724).

168 OLD PLATE.

Tankard. H. 6 in. One mark, I : Potwine.

Inscription :
yjtues -^fstt o-t, Yf\ascisnt, ficuua^tu n sstiis'tesescL
to- IsUses ^IssVU-, 18,'UUCsiCs QoUs'uCsK, IH5

Tankard. One mark, T T.
Cup, two-handled. One mark, I R, crowned, shaped
shield. Inscription :
¦^UJ-esK, V-Us }r(l^tstCcUK,U£st J^OAsUKsGs
to- Isloes )f\esio- la-'uisCsK, (fLu,isCsK,
1133-4

Cup, two-han
dled. One mark,
I R, crowned, pel
let below, plain
shield. Inscription :

¦^.uu-es'K- v-Us W L
to- Lsloes p(esw-
loAstsCsJO (L/UjUCsK,
NO. 72. — GOODRIDGE ARMS. l/iZJ = >f

MASSA CHUSETTS.

169

Cup, two-handled. One mark, I G, crowned, quatre-
foil below, plain shield. Engraved with coat of arms and
inscription : Jt d'^sues^ud, 'is ^ipt to- t~fc.es
Y(pAsOk, la-t-ucsKs QLuAucsfa,
1130

Mr. R. C. Lichtenstein finds the arms to be those of Walter Goodridge,
and this is probably correct. He was baptized at the Second Church, July,
1701. ("History of Second Church," Robbins.)
Cup, two-handled. One mark, I G, as above; the date,
1731, is scratched underneath.
Cups, two-handled, two. Marked G H, crowned, pellet
beneath, plain shield.
Cup, two-handled. One mark, hurd.
Alms bason, Dia. 15 in. One mark, E W, fleur-de-lis
below, shaped shield. A coat of arms is engraved on rim.
Possibly presented by John Foster, an opulent merchant, a parishioner and
warm supporter of Dr. Increase Mather.

NO. 73. — FOSTER ARMS.

NO. 74. — HUTCHINSON ARMS.

Alms basons, two. Marked E W, as above, and each
engraved with the same coat of arms on rim.

170 OLD PLATE.
Inscription on back of one :
Utues -fyuyt o-t
tbctslO-OstscL ZMsUstcstisUK,iisO--K,
Uo- isUses ftDesCsO-sKscL (ksUs^ucsA, uk, la-o-tzsto-K, JJhpsU, If hi
On back of the other :
if lues -^tstt- o-i,
jtoOAMsCL-ils DisUstsCstuUKsiisO-^K,
Uo- Lfues fiesCsO-sKstsL (UsfsuVcsM^ uk, idoAJto-K, JJhpuus II 1 1
The uncle and father of Governor Hutchinson.
Baptismal bason. Marked E W, as above. Engraved with
coat of arms on rim, and on the underside surrounding
rim:
iHsO-Ss i^CL.V-<M^UVUVK, <Qesfa£GsW^sUUO-4Uas<sU UK, lilO-ilstoA<UUQ-
IbcsCsLesissuass OstLusbsUsVK, j&. ;&. /ScupLstui^ni,is
cbe,<Lucs<xJtusyHs esist fas-est, (uLtsLasVPtsUsVHs JUuuK,isluuo-^L,
OsoLsQ-'utusVK, fL\-UI>Ksls isUsis C/'UisUls OsisUts V-Gs&LsttsXsCltsUsbs Gsilst
18 JUop,; 11 0(Q
In the pedigree of the Winthrops occurs this passage (Adam Winthrop
writing of his son Adam, b. 1706) : "Baptized at the North Church, by
Cotton Mather, in a silver bason, then dedicated by me to the Church."
Spoons, two, rat-tail, pierced for strainers. One mark
oh each, P R (Paul Revere ?).

MASSA CHUSETT8.

171

NO. 75. —WINTHROP ARMS.

In a list of " Legacies and Donations to the Second Church " (Robbins'
History), "Dame Dorothy Saltonstall left by her will fifty pounds for a
flagon." This may have been among the plate sold at the time of the union
with the New Brick Church.

The Third Church in Boston was organized by a party of
dissatisfied members of the First Church, who withdrew in
1669, and erected "a meeting-house of cedar, two stories
high, with an imposing steeple." Here Benjamin Frankhn
was baptized, 1706. The present brick building was built
1730. Flagon. One mark, w burt. Engraved with coat of
arms — a shakef ork : Crest, a unicorn's head. Motto :
"Youre, youre."
Inscription :

Utoes -^istt o-t
CL-tic-CUKAsesL ¦fo<sl'T*sMs<^K*W>UasVK, fabsC!^
to- tft^ls '-fo-UstA, <otuOiAsCstu UK,
B,o-<utosK, s&eJist I Stfc,

172 OLD PLATE.
A man of large wealth, who died in London, 1748, and left by his will
sixty ounces of silver to be made " into some proper vessel for the Com
munion Table." (Hist. Cat. of Old South.)

Flagon. One mark, Minott. Engraved with coat of arms
— on a chief, three crescents^f the fii'BjU — Crest, a falcon
volant. Inscription : Utues -^tilst o-t
JJf\, H-O-sHsK, 'vU/K-pshsO-^K, o-t
IdsO-iisto-K, yf\est-CK,Ossut to- ttisC <-fo-Ust4u -\DiUUsisCsiis
uk, bsOsuds Uo-w-K- lu-tuo- J^oesoL oist bsesCL, iusisu, 1 2CUs
1 1^ If. O-sK, tuiiis 'uestus'l^'K, to- tisUis ¦K-OstlsV-'Ss %^,Z\sK-dL.

of arms. . ,^_ £ ,

Flagons, two. One mark, moulton. Engraved with coat
7
Inscription : '
Utue, -^tstt o-t
jtues Xo-nJ-' il)uLLuasVK, J^it-uLLLps-i, &isC
to- tfues <£>o-Ustpis QuUsisCsK, i,K,
IjsO-isto-'K,
jo-^f 15 1 80 if.
Flagon. One mark, moulton.

MASSACHUSETTS. 173
Inscription :

/SesOyUsesOstusescL
Jo- ties QU &o-utl (&uA.Ji,
l$,u, ttuesUu
tjesGsCsO-sK, jtues Xso-KA-te, jfc,^^, £)
S^s^uus. CL. D. 1 8 Of.

cuvj-esiis

Tankard. One mark, I C, crowned ; animal below, shaped
shield. Inscription :

(OXs cLosHsO- V.

o-oAses.

Samuel Moore gave a tankard to "ye first church,1' 1717. " The same
mark is on one of the Old South beakers, and on a cup given by " Elias
Parkman to ye New Nh Church."

Tankard. One mark, I E, crowned, fleur-de-lis below,
shaped shield. Engraved with the Sewall coat of arms —
a chev. between three bees, volant. Crest, in a chaplet of
roses a bee volant.

Inscription :
¦4-fruv-esK, to- tfues ^o-ujtvc (UsUstsCs-k, 1130
The same mark is on some First Church silver.
Tankard. One mark, w cowell.

174 OLD PLATE.
Inscription : Utues X^esGsCucsU,
oJL w(tAs sl{cuuus <j-?uesLouK,d,
tos tiues (J/tcL s&o-UsDk,
(nsUsisCstt, ^espsV' 35
1 163

The maker is referred to in " Annals of King's Chapel " :
"1728, May7th, To Cash pd Wm. Cowellfor Mr. Wats's plate, ^25.05.10.'

Chalice, H. 73 in., chased and gilt. Four marks : — 1,
Lion passant ; 2, Leopard's head, crowned ; 3, Lombardic K,
with external cusps, London, 1607 ; 4, maker's mark, C ¦ B,
pehet between, small rose, or a mullet below, plain shield.

This maker made a vast quantity of notable plate, still in the possession
of various London guilds and other public bodies, between 1606 and 1630.

Chalice, H. 8 in. Four marks: — 1, Lion passant; 2,
Leopard's head, crowned; 3, date-letter, indistinct; 4,
maker's mark, M, mullet below, heart-shaped shield-

This mark is found on London-mad* plate, 1659-1672 {Qz££&.), and
on a Chalice and Paten at Martin's Brandon, Virginia (1659).

Inscription :
Utues -fyspt o-t J*(s U s&esKsUOAs

MASSACHUSETTS. 175
Chalice, H. 7 in. Two marks, I H, seeded rose above,
R S, mullet above (John Huh and Robert Sanderson), as on
First Church plate.
Chalice, H. 7£ in. One mark, I D, fleur-de-lis below, heart-
shaped shield (John Dixwell)^! j >
Inscription : /

JjUsSs -^fsist Ost CU tAsUSsruJL W D
Chalice, H. 8J in. One mark, I D, as before.
Chalice, H. 10 in., beautifully chased, on baluster stem,
Roman shape. Three marks (much worn) : — 1, the letter A
crowned, the mark of the Paris Farmer of duties (probably
Julien Berthe); 2, date-letter L, crowned, Paris, 1751; 3,
maker's mark, RD crowned, two crossed palms between.
(Alexandre de Roussy 1)
Inscription :
Cfiuss ¦fylpt o-t Mju Xvuttuo-WsUs ISAsOsCsKsest to- tstue,
jSO-Ustt(s (kslAAsCsK, UK, IdsO-isto-^K, 1158.
Chalice, H. 10 in., baluster stem. One mark, revere.
. Inscription :
Jles ^ift o-f, tLes \esv-^
JJh\, UUs-oAls J'lsUKsCses to- tstues
S&O-sUstk, (ksUs'uCs'K, UK, ISsO-ilsto-sK,.
xo-iuo- uj-<Xsis oAs<LcuuKsescL J^Osisto-t, o-j- iscuuds
(tuAscL Oct. itL 1118 h'diesX
Oct. 33. Ip8 XS 13

176 OLD PLATE.
Beaker, H. 4i in. Two marks, I H, and R S (John Hull
and Robert Sanderson), as on the First Church chalices,
^ given by John Oxenbridg. *£-* ( /,¦ / £-u
Beaker, H. 4i in. Two marks, S C and I C, crowned, ani
mal below, shaped shield, as on tankard, " Ex dono S.
More." S C may be the initials of the donor.
Beaker, H. 6 in. One mark, I C, crowned, etc., as last.
Inscription :
&%, cLo-rUO- TXT -p to- fDOsUsUK, (UsiOtsCssU
Scratched on bottom, 1115.
Beaker, H. 7£ in., richly chased. Two marks: — 1, a
dagger, with four stars at the sides and a cross at the point,
crowned; mark of the City of Haarlem; 2, T date-letter. On
one side is engraved a coat of arms — three crescents jes-
sant, as many estoiles — Crest, an estoile of sixteen rays;
and the inscription :

JJ^esnues'K-tsO- J^jxsisC'ksCL-
OLift II Bes^ 18.
On the opposite side the inscription :
Utues X^esOsa^csus o-t JJh\s. Ucu^t, Uo-LLyksGsK, .
UO- ttisSs L/tcL £>0-Ustus fOsUUSuC-Us- UK, /3,OAtsto->
1151

Martha Saffin was the daughter of Captain Thomas Willet, and the wife
of JohnSaffin. (Hist. Cat. of Old South.)
Beaker, H. 5J in., richly chased. Two marks, indistinct.

MASSACHUSETTS. 177
Inscription :
Jles tyt o-f ties \eAsjt y^fJu ^ft^Jtl B B
£0- tuses )So-UstHs ^>UsuAsCstc uk, idoAJto-^K- vj-4oo- us-cuis
oAscLa^UKsescL J^cisistoAs o-t bsOstsdL -(olous'ucsl <yeshst
16 1113 cUscA, <j^„^s 31 I16f. XStcut 81
Baptismal bason, Dia. 15£ in. One mark, I C, fleur-de-lis
below, heart-shaped shield. Engraved on rim with a coat of
arms,* bearing the badge of a baronet — those of Clarke,
Warwickshire, 1617 — three swords erect in pale. Crest, a
hand couped at the wrist, holding a sword.
Inscription :
Utues ¦XfaJLt o-t ifl\os<Louni, JJhp^uus fit^Lto-^vbstGUsL.
to- tw*es ^bo-Usttis ¦\otuu,XsCsHs uk, l3soA\stouK,.

Widow of William Clark; married Governor Saltonstall. "In 1723
Madame Mary Saltonstall, wife of Governor Saltonstall, gave ^100 cur
rency " to Harvard College. (" History of Harvard College," S. A. Elliot.)
In Wisner's " History of Old South Church " appears the following entry :
"At a church meeting, April 5th, 1731, Whereas, the Hon. Colonel Fitch
hath obligd this church with a new sett of Flaggons," voted, that three of the
flaggons formerly used be given to the church in Hopkinton as a token of
our brotherly respect and love." -^St-^r /»-<*«• ^ /^^jZe-v. . <P**~tf
">*&; /£**~~^ /&*>-* *»~6~,['
* r KINGS CHAPEL.
The original edifice was constructed in 1689. In 1749 the
corner-stone of the present building was laid by Governor
* This coat of arms appears on a tombstone in the Granary Burying
Ground, Boston, to the memory of the Eev. Joseph EcHey, D. D., pastor
of the Old South, 1779-1811.— Heraldic Journal.
12

178 OLD PLATE.
Shirley. At the evacuation Dr. Caner, the rector, fled with
the British, taking with him the church registers, plate,
and vestments. The plate, which was the gift of three
kings, and amounted to 2800 ounces of silver, was never
recovered. After the Revolution, " the first Episcopal church in New
England became the first Unitarian church in America."
In 1872 some members of the congregation purchased
from Messrs. Bigelow, Kennard & Co. the remainder of the
vessels originally belonging to the New North Church
(founded 1714), which, after joining the Bullfinch street
church, had become extinct. Nine of the pieces had passed
out of their hands, — a handsome silver tankard, given by
Governor Hutchinson, and bearing the arms of the family,
going to a descendant in England.
A description of the other pieces has been kindly fur
nished by Mr. W. H. Kennard :
" Two tankards. — ' New North Church, October 20, 1714.'
" A tankard. — ' The gift of John Frizell unto the New Church of Christ,
at the North End of Boston, 1718.'
" A cup. — ' Given by Mr. Samuel Barrett to the. New North Church,
1723.' " A cup with two handles. — 'The gift of Mr. Samuel Barrett to the New
North Church of Christ in Boston, May 4, 1728.'
" A tankard. — ' The gift of Mr. John Harrod to the New North Church
of Christ in Boston, 1729.'
" A tankard. — ' The gift of Mrs. Abiel Pen Ruddock, widdow, to the New
North Church in Boston.'
" A large flagon. — ' Given by Elder Cheever, July 23, 1750. ' "
There were also four large " Pewter Platters," which are now in the pos
session of the New England Historical and Genealogical Society.
A heliotype of the chancel, showing the table and sacred
vessels, is given in the * " Annals of Kings Chapel." Some
of the vessels, however, are modern.
Ewer or Flagon. One mark, revere.
(Stands in center of hehotype.)
* Rev. H. W. Foote.

MASSACHUSETTS. 179

Plate. One mark, moulton.
Inscription :

ifisCsises-KstescL w-Us Jv(adLa,'m, ISsUsLttuK-csti^

to- iLsUK^gAs I1<?8
This maker's mark is on flagons presented to the Old South, 1 804, 1 809.
Baptismal bason, Dia. 13 in. One mark, revere.
Inscription:
AyUK^Osis UuasLsesL
U-lues -fytstt o-t
tbv-esKsesX-est, D'Luu-^s'ls (bitstu
I1<j8

Plate, Dia. 9 in. One mark, I D, fleur-de-lis below,
heart-shaped shield. (John Dixwell.)
Engraved with coat of arms and inscription on rim :

^luuzs jzJLcutes wscubs GsUit-esK, yK,e, at nuu> b-uutstu
v-Us vk>Us -^uasKyds doJttues^s
^a,tfu£C ¦\Oa,'uUs (bbsO,
iIL-uk-OsSs QuaAisesL llfS
Flagon, H. 13 in. One mark, *°**
Engraved with crest and inscription :

180 OLD PLATE.

"Ul,

Uses *~putt O-t tsl(;
jf esV^esCs&cts rfojtes'uis to- Uks*
/'
¦ ¦(biUUAsCstu
/jsOAvto-syis' O-t V^fuisCsUs tsVUSs
\esvL 'j(t, #eJ^ cuk,cI
Uses ' Z\esV-<L J!\is
aAses ^asistoAsis II If 5

Flagon, H. 13 in. One mark, i bridge.
Inscription :

yjltses -t-putt

\

MRS-^fcA^YTBITNEWEfcL
kJescscL to- tsfues Y[csw-
?\j$Astsiu '(otuus'ucft,
- ^JBOSTON-\ 1151 IV''
Tankard, H. 7 in. One mark, I D, in circle. (John
Dixwell fy
Inscription :
¦*-£uL>-esK, tus >oUuk, IjsasKses'u
to- ttues vtsesuj^ /f -fa
¦ lllf
Tankard, H. 7 in. One mark, I D, as before.
Inscription :

MASSACHUSETTS. 181
UtisUis (t^esOo-^uaAs to- Lfoes
y\jsW- r^O-ttlK, (UsIsUtsCslu
On each of these flagons and tankards is the additional inscription :
¦fyuusesK, to- IlLsUPUQsis (UsaMsesis ISo-isto-^K,
u^Us a, tsesut- Ji\csws^-es\siis o-t Ulues fbo-<M^t^s<i^itsUosK,
fbaA.tes<u 1813
Cup, two-handled, H. 6 in. One mark, I D, in circle.
(John Dixwell.)
Inscription : &%s ctosKsO- '(b ^UsYKsOsK,
to- UsC> )f\esw-, ¥[ ¦&
OctoAs 30 II I If
Cup, two-handled, H. 6 in. One mark, I D, as above.
Inscription :
V\esU>~ f\o- ¦fatuUs'ucsK, -\Di4siu
'VI
Cup, two-handled, H. 6 in. One mark, I D, as above.
Inscription :
jtuistzs v^esLo-^isaA, to- tfues
f\eyu>- f[oAstlu ^tuUs'ucsL,
fjles -^4stt o-t tbtcLes>u *o-Msk, kJuXsw-^sLL
1111
Underneath :

182 OLD PLATE.
&¦*. dsO-sHsO-
J. B.
(John Dixwell. See chapter on American silversmiths.)
ft
Cup, two-handled, H 6 in.
Inscription :

-est,

Utues -^utt o-t JJ(ju flo-bstucoa, -fbtuesesv-e
Uo- Utues )r(esiv- ^oAstfu ¦^otuu,'uc4t' cJ^c- luso-listo-sK,
1131
"A merchant named Cheever, who was a ruling elder at one of the
churches at the North End, who had been suspected of having concern in
the smuggling trade." (Shaw.)
Cup.Inscription :
'fyuu-esK, v-ty IUesasCsO-4u ¦fyueuKt
Uo- use, y^esiv-, yioAstus folouSucfu
Cup.
Inscription :
-fyuu-esK, i-u, frDesOsCsO-^u $o-Ik, lOsoAutsestt
Uo- Uses y\esw- f[oAstiu <olu,'ucsl
llllf
Cup, H. 6 in. One mark, I D, as before.
Inscription :

MASSACHUSETTS. 183
(OXs cLo^UO- )*£ iC,OAsUK.as
to- tvues )r[esio- }rl ¦^OvuUs'ucsHs
1116
Cup, H. 6 in. One mark, I C, crowned, animal below,
shaped shield.
Inscription :
&%, aUxsKso- (btuasiu ^cu'uKsnisCUK, to- Uses Y(es%v- f\l
&tuUst-CsUs
The eight cups have each the additional inscription :
TCsisKsisAs <olos£LsesL (baJisteAu 1813
Baptismal bason, Dia. 13 in. One mark, I D, as before.
Inscription :
Utues -fyuit o-t w[t, j&asvAscL U-aAsK-vuyK,
to- tuses Ir^csUs- rlo-ttA, -\otuK,
U'K, idoAisto-'K, }r[ ©
1133
This bason has the additional inscription, as on the flagons and tankards.
Spoon, ladle-shaped. One mark, evans.
Engraved r[. i\. &., in monogram, and

'Xsl^uos^s -vlasLsest- 1813
In the "Annals of Kings Chapel" (Rev. H. W. Foote) are to be found
many interesting items in the early records of the church :
" Reed of Mr. Robert Ratcliffe, twenty-two shillings in money, which

184 OLD PLATE.
was Given him By Capt John Goory towards buying of communion plate,
and one shilling of Mrs. Wallett for the same use — in all 23J.
" Thaddeus Mackarty.
"June 5th, 1689."
In June, 1695 : £ s. d.
" pd Cross for makeing 2 ps plate - 3.00.00."
"Boston, 1697. — Then Received of Mr. Myles too great silver Flagons,
and one silver basen, and one sallver, and one boul, and one Civer, all of
Sillver, which was given to the Church by the King and Queen, and brought
over by Capt John Foye. " Received by me, Giles Dyer, Church Warden."
"1698, Boston, Aprill. — Received of Giles Dyer and Mr. Savill Simp
son, Late Church Wardens, too great Silver Flagons, and one bason, and too
Sallvers, and too boules, and too Civers, all of silver ; . . . which was
given by ye King and Queen. " Reseved by me, John Indecott."
"This silver plate was used in the church for about seventy years, when
Governor Bernard [Hutchinson?]* bringing over a new communion service,
the gift of King George III. to the church, took away the older plate and
gave it to other churches." Christ Church, Cambridge, and St. Paul's
Church, Newburyport. 1728, May 7.
Octobr \^th 1730. Voted, That the Church Wardens wait on his Excel
lency the Govr and return him Thanks in behalf of the Church for Sollick
ing his Majesty for his Royal Bounty to Kings-Chapel ; and pay the contin
gent Charges, as by the acctt deliver'd to the Satisfaction of his Excellency.
1729. [Part of Mr Thos. Sandford's accotj r s ^
Aprl 24. To Cash paid ye Rev<* Roger Price, passage Over 20 . 00 . 00
Nov. 19. To P. L. for a peice of Plate as pr Letter 9 July
last - 10 . 10 . 00
Janry 13. To charges of Packett, etca about ye Presentation 4 . 09 . 02
1730. Br to y. Belcher as foil0
Mark 28. To Coach to and from the King's Wardrope
Apl 4. To Ditto ye Jewel Office
8. To Ditto ye Treasurey
13. To Ditto, Ditto
15. To Do for ye Warrt for Chapel Necessaries
* See Notes on Plate, Christ Church, Cambridge.

0 .

01 .

06

0

, 02

. OO

0 ,

, 01

. 06

0

. Ol

. 06

0 ,

°3

. OO

185

€

s.

d.

2 .

02

. OO

O ,

, Ol

. 06

0

. Ol

. 06

o ,

. Ol

. 06

l .

, Ol ,

, 00

o .

. io ,

. 06

o ,

.05.

, 00

o .

¦ °3

. 00

0 .

°3 •

. 00

0 ,

. 16 .

. 00

0 .

, 04.

, 00

o ,

, 02 ,

. 00

o

. 02 ,

. 06

2

• '7

.06

4'

. 09

, 00

o .

• 15

.06

MASSACHUSETTS.
Apl 16. To Mr Lowe Clerk of ye Treasry for Pulpit Cloth
17. To Coach for Warrt for ye Plate
20. To Ditto for Do
23. To Do to ye Treasury etc*
To M* Lowe, fees for Takeing up ye Warr.t for ye
Plate
25. To King's Wardrope, Viz'
To ye Deputy
To ye Clerk
To Messengr and Porter
28. To Coach for ye Plate
29. To Do from ye Jewel house wtri Do
30. To a Deal Chest to pack up ye Plate etca
To packing of Ditto
To a Rope for ye Chest
To porteridge of Ditto
To Lord Chamberlain for 2 Warrants
To Mr Brudnell, Master of ye Jewel office
To Carriage of ye Plate etca to Portsmouth ,£16 . 07 . 00
1731.
July 8. To his Excellency Jonathan Belcher Esqr for his
charges in Procuring and bringing plate, &c 57 . 04 . 06
October \%th 1730, Voted that the Revd Mr Roger Price, Minister,
Wm Speakman, ) ,-,, , ,
r ' > Church wardens,
Job Lewis, J
Robt Auchmuty Esqr Dr John Gibbins
Mr Qeorge Cradock Mr John Checkley
be a Committee to write a letter to Col1 Shute for the Plate that is now in
his hands that was given to Kings Chapel by his late Majesty King George
the first.
On the igtA day of Aprill, 1733, an inventory of the Silver Plate
belonging to the church called Kings Chappel in Boston in New
England was taken by George Steuart and Mr George Stone, Church
Wardens, and Mr George Craddock one of the Vestrymen of the said
church. Impr Four Large Flaggons.
It three Chalices and their covers.
It one Bason.
It one Receiver.
It Two Servers.

186 OLD PLATE.
CHRIST CHURCH.
Built in 1723, this is the oldest church edifice now stand
ing in Boston. It was an offshoot from Kings Chapel and
the second place of worship for members of the Church of
England in the town.
May 15, 1727, "Voted that all the gold and silver which shall be put
in the Contribution boxes be for the Future laid by to make plate for the
Church's use." (Church Records in " Rambles in Old Boston.")
Out of this silver were possibly made
Two Flagons, H. 13 in. Two marks, r greene and R G.
Inscription :
id^siso-sK^ZsUPuQ, to- ^fuisuUt fotuoiSucfu
U'K, IdG-bsto-tt,
)r(esUs- &rUas(sa,-Kds
X. B. ii3f
Chalice, H. 8i in. Cover Paten, Dia. 5 in. One mark,
I E, crowned fleur-de-lis below, shaped shield.
Inscription on Chalice only :
UksSs -fyistst O-t
\DasLst. UtuoAvuaA, UusoLoAs
Uo- (K/UL&t (ksUs^Csit,
S'K, OsO-isto-K, Il3lf
Paten with foot, Dia. 8 in. Four marks : — 1, Lion's head
erased ; 2, Britannia ; 3, Court-hand V, London, 1715 ; 4,
maker's mark, &e, crowned; fleur-de-lis below, shaped shield.
(John Read. Ent. 1704, 0. E. P.) Engraved with coat of
arms. A sun in chief and a chalice in base. Crest, a ship
with masts and shrouds.
Inscription surrounding arms :

MASSACHUSETTS. 187
UUses -^sif-t o-t
A^eso-K,aAsd, UclAAsClZL (DisOst,
to- (kst-Uilst (UsUsisCMs
J-K, BsOAxstsOAis I 130
The same arms are to be found on the Vassall Tankards at Harvard.
Baptismal bason, Dia. 13 in. One mark, i hurd, engraved
with coat of arms.
Inscription : Uiues -fyisit o-l,
Uist,ttuuAs cvasv-sasqses tbbsOs
to- (KAuUijt (U^sLAsCsiu UK-
TSsoAtsosK, 1133

In the " Annals of Kings Chapel " is a copy of a Resolution by the Vestry
Nov. 1 8, 1730. "In consideration of late Donation of his present Majesty
our most Gracious Sovereign King George the Second to his Majtys Chap
pel in this Town, at the Desire of his Excellency Jona Belcher Esqr our
Govern1 and under the Promising Views of obtaining the like Benevolence
from our Said Sovereign by the good Interest and Encouragement of our
Governr aforesdT 
" Voted That the Minister, Church Wardens and Vestry do Concur with
his Excelly Jona Belcher Esqr in a due Application for getting plate and
other Vtensills for ye Altar of Christ Church, and for a Bible, prayer-book
etc., for the Use of the Said Church like as his Majesty's Chapel in this
Town as lately been given by the Interest of the said Governr 
"Voted, That the Church Wardens for the time being shall pay out of
the Church Stock all the Expences of getting the Sd Utencills out of the
proper offices jn Great Britain, amounting to about Seventeen Pounds sterling."
The utensils are two Flagons, H. 13 in. Chalice, H. 10i
in. Paten, with foot, Dia. 6 in. Alms bason, Dia. 13 in.

188 OLD PLATE.
Four marks : — 1, Lion passant; 2, Leopard's head, crowned;
3, Roman capital S, London, 1733 ; 4, maker's mark, I A
above M F, linked letters. (Jos. Allen and Mordecai Fox,
St. Swithins-lane.) All engraved with the Royal arms
between the initials G R and this inscription :
Ulues -^utt o-t XsUis P}\asjsesbJtus
dCsuyua, ¦fyeso-'uases II
Uo- U\b£\ ^tuus^Cslu at ldoA\stosKs r(esw-, favugstasKscL
Xt ttues J{esasUsestit o-l Xtis fexsCsesULesrUCsUs
Xj^Tj^eAsKAsAs ISseAsCsMsest, 1133

The articles were obtained and shipped by Henry Newman, July 13,
1733, " on the New Cambridge Galley, Capt John Crocker, commander, in
one chest mark' and. number"* as in the margent and consigned to Mr An
drew Belcher, Mercht at Boston." The charges were ^26 \6s. lod.
(" Rambles in Old Boston.")
So poor did the church become, that in 1789 its communion plate, weigh
ing three hundred and forty-three ounces, was mortgaged for the sum of
^46 10s. TRINITY CHURCH.
The corner-stone was laid April ye 15th, 1734.
" Whereas his Excellency Govn Sherly has been pleased to write for a
sett of Plate and furniture for a Church (His Majestys usual Bounty to his
Governours at their receiving their Commission), Which Grant he has been
pleased to say he designes for the use of Trinity Church; and as there will
be a Duty on the Plate and some Charges at the several offices where this
afaire must pass thro, We, the Subscribers, for that End cheerfuly pay to the
Wardens of sd Trinity Church the following Sums. Boston Oct 8 1741."
The church also covenanted :
"To return ye sd Plate to William Lord Abergavenny when ye same
shall be required." ("Annals of Kings Chapel.")

MASSACHUSETTS. 189
Two Flagons, H. 14 in. Chalice, H. 9 in. Paten, Dia.
6 in. Alms bason, Dia. 13 in. Four marks: — 1, Lion
passant; 2, Leopard's head, crowned; 3, small Roman f,
London, 1741 ; 4, maker's mark, $ X above m^ J".
(Jos. Allen and Mordecai Fox, as at Christ Church.) All
engraved with the Royal arms between the initials (j IV
and this inscription :

iflAXsCsUst, Ost loisis ^OAsff
70. -^esoAsGsSs 3i4scL
<Lus tuids ^OtisCsesUs
4to-vJ- klldsesy, II If 3

CAMBRIDGE.
CHRIST CHURCH.
The original subscription for building the church is dated
at Boston, April 25th, 1759 ; the opening took place 1761.
* A service of plate for the altar was loaned by his Excellency Governor
Bernard which the vestry in 1770 refused to purchase of him, and it was
probably returned. The Royal Governors received from the Crown on
their appointment Communion Plate and ornaments of a church, to be ap
propriated at their discretion. In 1772 his Excellency Governor Thomas
Hutchinson gave a silver flagon and covered cup now in use."
Flagon, H. 12£ in. (See HLus. No. 13, p. 76.) Chalice, H.
8i in. Cover Paten, Dia. 5J in. Four marks : — 1, Lion pas-
* Sermon with Historical Notice, 1857, Eev. N. Hoppin, Eector.

190

OLD PLATE.

NO. 76. — COMMUNION PLATE (1694) CHRIST CHURCH, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
sant ; 2, Leopard's head, crowned ; 3, Small black-letter r,
London, 1694; 4, maker's mark, F G, pellet below, shaped
shield. (Francis Garthorne.) All engraved with the Royal
arms between the initials W\. R, and, with the exception
of Paten, the inscription :

Utues <2sl>lt o-t
JO rfuLisuasyK, CUK,<L *J, Yt\CUUUs
to- Uses J{esv- pbasvKsC,

¦tuesiis

toAs ttues Usbses o-t tfuesuu JUhpAs
UK, ¥[. QKs&sisOsllscL ,* I 6^ f

J

This was the Kings Chapel in Boston. Governor Hutchinson had received
from King George III., in 1772, a service of plate and pulpit furniture,
which he presented to the Chapel, taking in exchange the old communion
service, part of which he gave, through the Rev. Dr Caner, to the Cam-

MASSACHUSETTS.

191

bridge Church, and
the same to the
church at New-
buryport. In 1787
this plate, then in
IS the hands of the
Rev. Dr Parker of Boston for safe-keep
ing, was claimed by Dr Thomas Bullfinch,
Warden, as the property of the Kings
Chapel. The Rev. Dr Caner had car
ried away at the evacuation of Boston in
1776 all the plate and other valuables
belonging' to the Chapel, and they were
afterwards disposed of in the Provinces
by the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel. Mrs. Grizzel Apthorp, the
mother of Dr Apthorp, gave a hand
some christening bason of silver, the
inscription upon which bears marks
of the son's classic pen.
NO. 77. — INSCRIPTION ON FOOT OP FLAGON
(1694). '
Bason, Dia. 13 in. Four mai'ks: — 1, Lion passant; 2,
Leopard's head, crowned; 3, Old English capital jF, London,
1761; 4, maker's mark, lu $> above J\_ jS, shaped escutch
eon. (Daniel Smith and Robert Sharp.)
Inscription around rim :
Ecclesle Christi Cantabrigle
In Novi Anglia Anathema Consecravit
Dna Apthorp Mdcclxi.

Paten, Dia. 7i in. No marks. Engraved with coat of
arms in the center. (Faneuil.)

The Records state that in 1791 Mrs. Mary
Bethune (Mary Faneuil, wife of Geo. Bethune,
m. 1754) gave a silver server for the Commun
ion offerings. Mrs. Mary Faneuil, probably
the mother of Mrs. Bethune, gave a large
folio Bible "to the Episcopal Church at Cam
bridge, in New England, 1760."

NO. 78. — PANEUIL ARMS.

192 OLD PLATE.
DORCHESTER. FIRST CHURCH.
Beaker, H. 4i in. One mark, D : I, in a circle, pehet above
and below ; engraved band of foliage, etc., round the top.
Inscription :
Ules ¦fyutt ost
JUljisbs. utuatcsMses^s o-t lQsoA\sto-*L,
to- tstises
QuoiAscyk, uk, KjoA\-CstuesUtes/u
1612. W
On the underside are the initials P * T

Mrs. Thacher was the only child of Henry Webb, and judging from the
initials the beaker probably had belonged to some member of her father's
family. She married in 1642 Jacob Sheafe, and subsequently the Rev.
Thomas Thacher, first minister of the Old South Church, Boston.

Two Beakers, H. 4£ in. Two marks, I H, mullet below,
heart-shaped shield, R S, rose above, shaped escutcheon.
(John Huh and Robert Sanderson.) With the exception of
a plain band above and below, the Beakers are covered with
granulated ornament so prevalent in the middle of the xvii.
century. Inscription : Above

Jles 4i[t o^s #T # A#

MASSACHUSETTS. 193
Below
Ufues -tystt, oJL
U tuo-wucuizs asK,a, Uitocses J^askses
to- tfises
QyuAsCsUs uk, K, > o-sucsK,esijtes\s
ItyJ.
* Thomas Lake [d. 1678] in his will directs "that after my decease there
be left of my Estate to ye value of Fifty pounds that then there be five
pounds laid out in plate and given to the Lord's table, for the use and serv
ice thereof with mine and my wife's name engraved thereon and I Leaue it
to Mr Flint with my overseers and Executors to See it done "
In the Church Records we read : " 6 of January 1679, Henery Leadbetter
Executor to ye Estate of Tho. Lake deliuered two Siluer Cups or small
beakers w=h was given by Tho. Lake vnto ye Church "
Beaker, H. 5 J in. One mark, W R, pehet above each let
ter, mullet between, pellet below, shaped shield.
Inscription :
Uiues -^istt o-t
Io-4uk, ¦^esrUOsesK,
to- ttuss
QuuAscfis uk, &o-tsc4iseAjtest,.
1685.
On opposite side

John Gengen or Gingill [Mr. Trask has noticed his name spelled fourteen
different ways] gave five pounds to the Church of Dorchester.
18

194 OLD PLATE.
Beaker, H. 3£. One mark, I-E, lobed escutcheon.
Inscription :
Utues -^istst o-t
U-!isa,asCs Qo-K&siis
to- LsUses
QfsU/ucs'ks uk, KJo-'uc4i,esiistes'u
1611.
On the under side are the initials I . : . I
"Isaac Jones died Feb 18, 1701. In his will of Aug. 23, 1700, he
leaves forty shillings ' to the Deacons of the Church of Dorchester,* for the
use of the Church in a piece of Silver Plate to serve at the Lord's supper
forever.' "
Two Chalices, H. 8 in. One mark, I D, fleur-de-hs below,
heart-shaped shield. (John DixweU.) These chalices have
baluster stems, and chased and fluted bowls and feet. In
scription : Ut^es 'tystt ot
-t^OA)- ZJUuLLisOsyK, ^toA^sO/Ksto-^L,
to- tstues
(hasuuCsK, uk, kJoAsCsUse-izstest,
1101.
Opposite to the inscription are engraved the Stoughton
arms, but without the crest. (See p. 109.)

* This and succeeding extracts from " Early Dorchester Matters."— W.
B. Trask.

MASSACHUSETTS. 195
" Lieutenant Governor William Stoughton, July 6, 1701, bequeaths * two
pieces of Plate for ye Communion of Six pounds value each.' Mr Stoughton
died the next day July 7th"
"April 6, 1709. The Church hath Nine Pieces of Plate for ye Sacram'
(2 Given by sd Mr Stoughton, 2 by Mr Thomas Lake, one by Mrs Thacher,
one by Mr Isaac Jones, one by Mr Patten, one by Mr John Gingen, one by
Anothr hand, all of Silver. In pewter the Chh hath 4 flaggons, 4 pewter
Dishes, one Basin & Tankard & one pewter Cup."
" Agreed that a Strong Chest be bought to lock up ye Churches Plate in."
Beaker, H. 3f in. No marks.
Inscription :
UtuCs %s<stt O-t
(DisCusSst, U'tuKt
to- tusSs (k.UAsCslts UK,
^OAsCstuesites'u 1130
" Esther Flint was the widow of Rev. Josiah Flint, minister in Dorchester.
Her father, Capt. Thomas Willett of Plymouth, was the first mayor of New
York, appointed by Gov. Richard Nicolls June 12, 1665."
Tankard, H. 7 in. One mark, hurd.
Inscription :
Utues ¦^utt o-t
foLisUCL-Us ^OsKto-tstus (OisOs^
to- tuses
CksUs'uCs'K, uk, fcJoAsCstuesbstes'u
Ut,KsK,0- kJo-VK,UKsU
1136.

196 OLD PLATE.
It is engraved with a coat of arms — an eye above a loz
enge. The seals on two wills, both of Dorchester people (James Blake and
Isaac Jones), and dated 1700, have the same bearings, but with a fess.
" Elijah Danforth, son of the Rev. John Danforth, gave to the church, by
will, his ' large Silver Tankard to be changed in the form of it, into con
venient vessels for the only Use & Service of the Lord's Table in the Con
gregational Church in said Dorchester.' "
Beaker, H. 5£in. One mark, hurd.
Inscription :
UtLes 'H<sit of-
%As. Mfutluasnu 4>l^fs
Uo- Utues Uuj^bst fb-ksUs\sC-tis
OF 4>iuuU,t
U-k, KJoAsCstuesiistest, I1ff5
"By his will of Nov. 18, 1735, he gave £20 * in current passing Money
or Bills of Credit ' to the Church in Dorchester, ' to be laid out in a piece of
Plate or what Else shall be ' by the Deacons ' Judged most Necessary or
convenient for the use of ye Lord's Table in the said Church.' "
Tankard, H. 7 in. One mark, hurd.
Inscription :
Uiues -^piit oa,
KJesO-oosK, U4so-psesist(stZ, ¦<ctcuhs to- ttue,
sUs'uCsK, o-t -folotsisbst
u &oA^CstueA\tes<, 1118.

MASSACHUSETTS. 197
Engraved with a coat of arms. A chevron between three
bucks. Crest, a buck's head.
The arms of the Rogers family. Hopestill Clap (as also Wm. Clap) was
a grandson of Capt. Roger. "In his will made Nov. 28, 1748, he gave
sixty pounds in old tenor Bills to be laid out in Plate for the Communion
Table of the Church in Dorchester provided he had not given the plate to
the church in his life-time, as he probably did, the date on the cup being
about eleven years prior to his decease."
Beaker, H. 4| in. One mark, j • trott.
Inscription :
UtLes Qsistt o-t-
J\esin<ses'yKA-esi^ U' isesbst 'o-k,
to- Cstises
(UsUAsCs-k, o-t k)o-t,CsUsesi>stses'u.
Remember Preston gave by his Will proved May 30, 1755, "Unto this
church in Dorchester 30 pounds old Tenor Bills of Credit on this Province,
to be used as ye sd Church shall see fit."
Beaker, H. 5 i in. One mark, B P. (Benj. Pierpont ?)
Inscription :
Utues -fytstt o-t
Xju. (oo-esruesiZsest- W[p-!zsLesU,
to- tsles tis'isbst ^tuus^csK, o-t &luu<A\t
UK,
DORCHESTER. 1113

198 OLD PLATE
Ebenezer Moseley Weaver (d. 1773), "he bequeaths to the church in
Dorchester £5."
Tankard, H. 1\. One mark, P R, shaped shield. (Paul
Revere ?)
Inscription : X ftfyt Os^,
tQaAsCuL, U>'uesiisto-sis
to- t/l'Ues
ClLuAsC'Us uk, &oAsCstueA\,tes'u
1805
Tankard, H. 8 in. One mark, benjamin burt.
Inscription :
Ulues Jsistt o-t
J^ottis n 'uiis-u>^estt
to- ttues tuXsbt
fatuuAsCsK, UK, KJoAsCsiuesbsteAs
1808.
"On the 4th of January, 1882, the Dorchester First Church voted one
cup each to other societies in the town, namely, to the Third Church, Har
rison Square Church and Neponset. The original donors of these cups to
the First Church were in the following order :
"Mrs. Justin Patten by will proved Feb. 3, 1675, gives 'To the Church
of Dorchester, five pounds to be Layd out in a peece of plate for the service
of the Lord's table.' (Third Church)
" Ebenezer Mawdsley Sept. 27, 1740, gives ' to the Church in Dorchester
Twenty pounds.' (Harrison Square)
" 'May 22, 1721, Elder Preston gave account of a New Piece of plate
given to ye Church for ye Lord's Supper by Mr Eben. Withington ' (Ne
ponset)."

MASSACHUSETTS. 199
The custodian of the silver, Deacon Humphreys, of Dorchester, is living
on the same plot deeded to his first ancestor, Jonas Humfrey, in 1637, the
property having been owned and the land occupied by the family to the
present time. Mr. Trask states that the deed (still preserved) is the earliest
unrecorded conveyance that he has seen.

NEWBURYPORT. S. PAUL'S CHURCH.
S. Paul's was erected 1738. Previous to this, however,
Queen Anne's Chapel was built (1711) on what is called the
Plains in Newbury. After the church was built occasional
services only were held in the chapel, and it was finally
1 abandoned, 1766.
^ The Flagon is the same in design and size and has the
same marks\as the one at Christ Church, Cambridge. The
chahce and paten are wanting.
Chalice. Hall mark cut out and a piece of plain silver
soldered in. Inscription :
&%, dsOA<A)- J^-UsOsVUKAsils J\isLLeA\, I6f3
From the "Annals of Kings Chapel " we learn that, "In the yeare 1693.
Mr John Mills, a Barbadoes gentleman, gave a plate & cup."
These were probably sent to Newburyport at the time of Gov. Hutchinson's
gift, or might have been the chalice and paten given. The " plate " is
missing. '
Baptismal bason. Dia. 15 in. One mark, I C, heart-
shaped shield. Engraved on rim, -^ g
Standing Dish used as a paten. Four marks : — 1, Lion
passant ; 2, Leopard's head crowned ; 3, black-letter capital
H, London, 1674 ; 4, maker's mark, T-P, pehet between, plain
shield.

200 OLD PLATE.
Inscription.:
Uvue, i2s<stt o-t
KJUscLLesUs <-M- UusW-Gs (QisOAs
to- S&t if-OsUsL is '&K,UstsCs&,
OctoJ-cv 1800.
This dish (see illustration) has a richly chased border with flowers and
foliage surrounding a running stag, a unicorn, and a dog at bay.
Unfortunately, all these vessels were stolen in ¦Ayii'i'I-dtiwlf'
SALEM.
S. PETER'S CHURCH.
Two Alms basons (modern), inscribed as follows :
Utt-esiises pstastesiis w-e-i-es vK-a,a-es OuoaMs 3 GsVU&a\,
osk-cL- a, i*sYK,a,l,(s psLafce- v-esaAsUK,Qs ttue, to-Liso-Us-UKsGs
UKAstsis-
X £u^ "Tip ties \eAs- *#"" Jt^itcL-uiut
a, JsUpt to- $t J'etest, is Quu,'ucsl uk, fiasLesVK, 1/ , 5f' '
<Jt jrtates Um-ss fststt o-t H-o-iuK, Ua-vo~^sesLt to-
f&t J'estes'u'is -&lusi-csl sQastssm, II 85 "
<Jt -fousfi, " ules /2,esQyUsesUt o-t 'bouLt X<K,aLt,esW-
o-ds<i-uAuus o-t id^v-eststus to- jvt J'estest,' is (ksU,t,Csl
uk, sQaise-rK, X. B. IHl"

NO. 79. — STANDING DISH. (1674.
S. PAUL'S CHUBCH, NKWBUETPOET, MASS.

NEW HAMPSHIRE. 201
PORTSMOUTH.
S. JOHN'S CHURCH.
In 1640 there was a chapel and parsonage at Strawberry
Bank, now Portsmouth. " The Church was furnished with
one great Bible, twelve Service Books, one pewter flaggon,
one communion cup and cover of silver." (Bishop Perry's
Hist.) Two Flagons, H. 13 in. Chalice, H. 10 in. Paten, Dia.
6 in. Alms bason, Dia. 13 in. Four marks : — 1, Lion pas
sant ; 2, Leopard's head crowned ; 3, small roman f, London,
1741 ; 4, maker's mark, i X above %( J£ (Joseph Allen
and Mordecai Fox.) All engraved with the Royal arms
between the initials Q J^
Plate by the same makers and of the same date is at Trinity Church,
Boston. The five pieces are numbered on the under side l, 2, 3, 7 and 8 ;
probably a chalice with its paten cover and a larger paten are wanting.
Baptismal bason, a bowl, Dia. 10£ in. Four marks : — ^
1, Lion passant ; 2, Leopard's head crowned ; 3, old-E&gl-ish
capital ®r London, 1759 ; 4, maker's mark, F W, in irregular
oblong. (Fuller White.) On the rim is a crest ; a demi-lion
rampant erased, gorged with a ducal coronet.
Inscription :
jfjuis 0)aAs<uk, -(o JJ(aAJzs4u is
(U^uUtnuasis o-ttes^-iAuas-
to-
sJUses QutsUucsK,.
X. B. isifi ,
The date 1742 ! is scratched on the under side.

202 OLD PLATE.
RHODE ISLAND — NEWPORT.
trinity church.
* This was the first regularly organized parish in Rhode
Island. Sir Francis Nicholson, then Governor of Maryland,
was its original founder and principal patron, and it was
doubtless through his instrumentality that the Rev. Mr.
Lockyer commenced preaching in 1698. The church was
built in 1702.
Chalice and Paten, gilt. Four marks : — 1, Lion's head
erased; 2, Britannia; 3, Court-hand G, London, 1702;
maker's mark, B O, mitre above, fleur-de-lis below, shaped
escutcheon. (John Bodington, at the sign of the " Mitre.")
Inscription :
fcpeso- e,t jSOscAsUis uk, ibcc-Lesi,uas J^aAsO-csUAsaJLts
cbes p^eAM-it-oAst uk, Jho-J-es UistasPUcL.
&Xs cLo-KsO- ^VO-CsUestsOstiils
cues hs\so-'tuasasCUK.(Lo- <bv-sasvuqsesLfsO-
aAi-Uscb tblCsteAuO-is UK, U^KsGAslAX, istasVAsLltags.
^a,sis 1 5 X. B. 1103.
The first part of inscription only, is on the Paten. There are'two flagons,
dated 1733 and 1734. The vessels are similar in shape and size to those in
use at Trinity Church, New York.
WICKFORD.
S. PAUL'S CHURCH (Built 1707).
Chalice, H. 8 in. Paten, Dia. 5 in. Four marks: — 1,
Lion's head erased; 2, Britannia; 3, Court-hand L, London,
1706 ; 4, maker's mark, dPt> in dotted punch. (Wm. Gibson.)
* Updike's History of the Narragansett Church.

RHODE ISLAND. 203
Inscription: <r* ^^2^cc_
%JH-sUKsO, jiesOAssUOs
A chalice and paten at S. Mary's, Burlington, and at S. Peter's, Perth
Amboy (Anna Regince) are by the same maker, but with the date-letter for
1705.
Flagon, H. 13 in. One mark, j clarke.
Inscription :
Ut f^esOsOsCsUs o-t
tsU-a,'K-uest 10asus_ (bisOs
es Usises o-t tfues VAsesisis^esd-
tDa,c-'uasWses'Kt uk, jSt cra,UsL is
QtfUAsCsUs UK, ^JSs\s^ua,OsOsKsisestt'.
X,<sU)0 fi^uiuestusa,.
&\sesdsesrutulisUsis isotsct^
I13lf.
Kay was the King's Collector of Customs.
BRISTOL.
S. MICHAEL'S CHURCH.
Bristol was formerly a part of the Colony of Massachu
setts. The church was organized 1719.
Flagon, H. 13 in. One mark, B B.

204 OLD PLATE.
Inscription : CA.K, O-bAsOsttsOAis
lA-o-vHs IrhasisHsa, K,uest J0a,Us «? p-uJsAsucsasK-
toA\, ttue, UsisC o-t (ak,c ts-tesisisescL, sDa^cAi^a,*
wCesKst UK, LsUSs (UsVUUCstu O-t (bsUQstasKsds
uk, la>isisitsoAs Il3lf
f^,Us%, pses'upsestusO,
'fo'uescLessutuv-u-is $o-ua,.
Flagon, H. 13 in. Chalice, H. 10£ in. One mark, I R.
Inscription on each :
iM- Xs^s-°--CAAs
o-t ^atkasK-ue-L TOasus (bistiJu to-t,
tlues Usises o-t ttues iULesisiseAsL slba,cAua,=
YKseAKst UK, ttises (UsUAsCsK, O-t fowsOsUOsK-Os
UK, Os-uisisto-L I13if.
In addition to this, on the Flagon only,
X^oujC p-esiApsestusO,
^i^escLesK,tub-Usis '-fo-ta.

Paten, Dia. 9 in. One mark, E W, quatre-foil below,
lobed shield.

RHODE ISLAND. 205
Inscription around under side :

isH. \^esOsa,csu, o-t
oAMsOsKsUesL TOcuu, &isGs
to-t, ttues Usises o-t Lies
(hsUstsCsA, o-t fesrUaJsa.'K.JL
uk, Ti^iiAtot II '3 f

Alms bason, Dia. 12 in. One mark, T * Edwards.
Inscription around rim:

The gift o-i.
UisO,OsCs Ulo-UsCtsLL (bistls
to-
jvt Jl\i,Cstua,esL is (UsuAsCsb,
UK,
Bristol 1747
A coat of arms is engraved in the center ; three wheat-
sheaves on an open field. Crest, a lion rampant holding
extended a similar sheaf. Motto : Pectore Puro.
' &Jzft>C ^""T^*^ ^ ^^?1—
PROVIDENCE.
s. John's (Formerly called King's Church).
King's Church was built 1722, but received the name of
S. John's by act of incorporation, 1794. The corner-stone
of the present edifice was laid June 5, 1810, the copper
plate set withjn the stone being engraved by Nchoaiiah
j)odge. <

206 OLD PLATE.
Flagon, H. 13/ in. One mark, J. clarke. Beaker, H.
5 in. *" *- - ¦•-'-'
Inscription on both :
Ca^l. o-b-LastisO-'K,

toAs tkses Usises o-t ttues v-Lesisisisesdi, fQa,Cst,a,=
vyisesrut uk, tfues ^Hs<sUuCs4l, o-t (oKsasisa/KscL
UK, xf'tAJAs-isCLes'HsCses
XjsUjC, fasesXflsestusGLs
^tsSsOA^AK,tislj-Usis fboAsa,
llSlf.
Paten, Dia. 8f in.
Inscription :
LAjK, OA%-(sO,tuOA4s
o-t ^. U . &c-tuo-oAAVuaJzstes'u
toAs ttuc otsises o-t dues CLttasst,
UK, UKses (hAsUUCsK, O-t (OKsOsisOsK-ei,
Ost J^\sOsvAseLesK,Cses /rl. ©.
I1f8.
CONNECTICUT— MIDDLETOWN.
S. LUKE'S CHAPEL.
Chalice, H. 5i in. y Paten, Dia. 6 inW One mark, j.
GARDNER?

CONNECTICUT. 207
Inscription on Chahce :
^As-esK, lus Bo-ctoA- yesljLa,tt toAv-asvd, nuastUuf,
ttlsis (RasUIcsSs, If O-Z- J (Lw-tis IH3
These vessels were formerly at S. James' Church, New London.
NORTH CAROLINA — EDENTON.
S. PAUL'S CHURCH.
Chalice, H. 8 in. Paten, Dia. 9% in. One mark, A R.
Inscription :
Utises fsift o-t <Oo-toAisesist (DcLvtsAiAscL d{oA\sestus,
toAs Uses uAues o-t Uses (wtt-cX uk- (beLesK,to-^K,
uk, Ltues usesOsXs 1 135
Chalice, H. % in. Marks illegible.
Inscription :
K) . JU. ^-tuoAKsK-eAis ^a-'ufz-ua, (OcsCsLesisisOSs
(^L-K,Qst<sCsasKsass U^'uesiJj-Ustes'u.
It appears in the old Vestry Record Book that Parson Garzia was paid
£5 for divine service in the year 1736. He was rector of Christ Church,
Norfolk, 1724-34.
Alms bason, Dia. 10£ in. Marks, h. wishart, and a spread
eagle in a circle.
Inscription :
if'uesises-KtescL ui-itsK, LsUses fausistuisO-Wsis OsK,cL
J^sasyuasUKsOsis v-Us tutue, J^a,cLuesis o-t t4ues
iPi^ot. iopstis. ^tuusi-CsK, uk, (botesKstoAi, 1813.

208 OLD PLATE.
Tankard, H. 61 in. Four marks : — 1, Lion passant ; 2,
Leopard's head crowned; 3, Roman capital Q, London,
1731 ; 4, maker's mark, C W.
Inscription :
jr'uesisesKtesci, to- ;&)t cPa/u,L i, Qt-uAuc-'K, &eLeAK,to-^K, v-us
Jfjui,. Jfja,'uus ¦fyuasK,v-Us. 1833.
On the front of Tankard is engraved the monogram J. C. G.
SOUTH CAROLINA— CHARLESTON.
S. MICHAEL'S CHURCH.
Flagon, H. 13 in. Four marks: — 1, Lion passant; 2,
Leopard's head crowned ; 3, old English capital %, London,
1757 ; 4, maker's mark, ?${_ U". (Mordecai Fox.) Engraved
with the Royal arms between the initials Q. f^
Inscription :
Uiues -^t,it
o-t CMsois &Xscestt Uluo- i- la-o-OAues (bisOs ¦fyo-v-es'u=
sUOAs O-t UK-Uis if AsOAs-UKsC-es
Uo- tfues &luAsCsl o-t v ^{tscslcuet.
^btuast,Lesis Uo-vj-sk, jz9 foaAsOAsUKsa,
116^
UcurZses'K, a,"K,cL CsaAs'uuesds asw-a,Us JAuo-vk, ^oAamwaj-uo*.
V. -K> v-Us tti-es 1J^. jS. UVo-o-psis uk, U'esl'uUAsUuu,
X. B. 1865

SOUTH CAROLINA. 209

J\esC-OAs-es'uescL i
J- \,esisesK,tescL
(ALesXsasKsdseAu no*A,tuesLd, Ijsisascito-tscL

esuy-

(baAstest, U4sksk.o- kJo-VK-UK,ts 1 861
Paten, Dia. 7 in. Four marks : — 1, Lion passant ; 2,
Leopard's head crowned ; 3, old English capital (E, London,
1760 ; 4, maker's mark, J( 3. (Mordecai Fox.)
Inscription :
Utc-c %sistt o-t' iHst-is (b'XsCsesLfs Utt,o-is lj,o-o-K,es bisOs
¦fy.OAs-es'uKsO-Xs O-L ttuuis Kj'uOAs-UKsCses
Uo- tstue, -fetuustsCAks o-t )vt J^ucstua,esL
QuaAAsesis Uoamau to- foa,'uo-LuKsa, I J 63
The whole of the church plate was taken and carried away from Co
lumbia, S. C, at the burning and sacking of that city by the U. S. forces un
der the command of Gen. Wm. T. Sherman on the night of the 17th Feb.,
1865. Thus far only two pieces have been recovered. The Flagon was
found in a jeweler's shop in New York, purchased, and returned through
the generosity of Mr. A. W. Bradford. The Paten was purchased from a
soldier in Cincinnati, O., by a jeweler, and repurchased by the Vestry.
Alms bason, Dia. 8 in.; maker's mark, UU. (Thos.
Farren ? ) Rest illegible.
Inscription :
j$ -tyesoAs&se, KJoA-CsUsesistesis v&- -fecis. 1155.
CrisesisesK,tescL to- )$ Jf^ucstuasest i, (fLuAucfu v-u,
3(LcslaAsJs Zsottuesisis (bisO,.
4>lcL,'utesistoAt, ,e9. -6 1 81 1

210 OLD PLATE.
Alms bason, Dia. 10 in. | One mark, A P, ^engraved in
the center with the sacred monogram within rays^) _
Inscription :
Utces gsistt o-l XsesK-'uUs Yf\iscLestto-^K, (bisOs to-
$ ¦fyesO-i-Gse, i, Q<AsuucsUs KJoAsCsMseAutest, 1155.
J- 'uesisesKstesds to- $ Ji\j-c4ua,esL i, QuiutsCsUs
Xse-sisisUs Xs. XjscL<LuestoA4- <bisOs
UdbosHs £>. 4> XjJ- i8ii

'ue.

0,^1

The Parish of S. George, Dorchester, was one of the first organized in
the Province of South Carolina (1704), and is now extinct. Both basons
were given to supply the place of those taken at the sacking of Columbia.

VIRGINIA — JAMES CITY.
This was the landing-place of our first forefathers ; the
seat of the first civil and religious establishment on the
shores of North America ; and here was celebrated the first
English Communion in the New World. (1607.) In the
library of Ah Souls' Cohege, Oxford, is the original charter
drawn up in the reign of Charles II. for the creation of a
Bishopric in Virginia, Jamestown to be the cathedral city.
JAMESTOWN OLD CHURCH.
Chalice, H. 10£ in. Paten, Dia. 7 in. One mark, I W,
oval object below, plain shield.
Inscription on each :

VIRGINIA. 211
This maker's' mark is on the celebrated cup formerly belonging to the
Blacksmiths' Company, London (1655), and purchased at the Dexter sale for
no less a sum than ^378, and it is also found in a shaped shield on the cop
per plate preserved at Goldsmiths Hall (1675-1697).
Alms bason, Dia. 9| in. Four marks : — 1, Lion passe
2, Leopard's head crowned ; 3, small Roman ,$^joiidon,
1739 ; 4, maker's mark, U U. (Thos. Farren.)
Inscription :
doAs ttues uJsse, o-t flci-YHsesis ¦foutu, ifa,'uL,is>k, (k/u,'u<uk,.
The old church is now in ruins ; the vessels are in use at Bruton Parish.
CHRIST CHURCH, BRUTON PARISH.
Two-handled Cup and Cover, gilt, H. 3f in. ; Dia. 4| in.
Four marks : — 1, Lion passant ; 2, Leopard's head crowned;
3, black-letter small i, London, 1686 ; 4, maker's mark, P-H,
crown and two ermine spots above, crescent below, shaped
escutcheon. (Peeter Harache.)
An illustration and description of this cup are given in a previous chapter
(pp. 122-3); the maker's mark is also to be found on the copper plate pre
served at Goldsmiths Hall. •Ax^ <?£tr>—
Paten, Dia. 5£ in. Four marks : — 1, Lion passant ; 2.
Leopard's head crowned ; 3, small Roman b, London, 1737 ;
T
4, maker's mark, R • G. (Richard Gurney & Co.)
Flagon, H. 10£ in. Chalice, H. 10 in. Alms bason,
Dia. 10 in. Four marks on Flagon: — 1, Lion passant; 2,
Leopard's head crowned ; 3, Old English capital 31, London,
1766 ; 4, maker's mark, U X, crowned. (Thos. Heming.)
On Chalice the maker's mark is wanting, and the date-
letter is an old English capital 31, London, 1764. There are no

212 OLD PLATE.
marks on the Alms bason. All engraved with the Royal
arms between the initials (~^jtj J^
Plate of the same date and by the same maker is at Trin
ity Church, New York.

RICHMOND.
S. JOHN'S CHURCH, tfy&s- 1s^&t> f1fs4**£Lj
Chalice, H. 6f in. Four marks : — 1, Lion's head erased ;
2, Britannia ; 3, Roman capital C, London, 1718 ; 4, maker's
mark, I S, pellet above, one below each letter, z between,
lobed shield. (Thos. Issod.) •

NO. 80. — CHALICE AND PATEN (1718) ; S. JOHN'S CHUECH,
RICHMOND, VA.
Paten, Dia. 6 in. Four marks: — The first three as
above ; 4, maker's mark, B A, mullet above and below,
lobed escutcheon. (John Bathe.)
As S. John's was only built in 1741, it is probable that the vessels were
brought from the church at Ckrjs, which was burned. The Font was ob
tained from there. * In the year 1791 a committee appointed to inquire
into the property of the parish report " that there is one silver cup and
salver." * " Old Churches and Families of Virginia," Bishop Meade.

VIRGINIA. 213
NORFOLK.
CHRIST CHURCH.
The original title of the parish seems to have been the
Elizabeth River Parish, Norfolk county. It was one of the
earliest, founded soon after the first settlement of the Col
ony, in 1637. In 1739 a church was erected on ground given
by Mr. Samuel Boush ; this was destroyed in 1778 when
the city was bombarded by the British. It was restored,
and in 1800 a new church was built ; this was burned in 1827,
when the present edifice was erected.
Chalice, H. 8 in. Four marks : — 1, Lion's head erased ;
2, Britannia; 3, Court-hand E, London, 1700; 4, maker's
mark, S M, rose and crown above, pellet below, shaped
shield. (John Smith.) Engraved with a coat of arms. On
a chevron between three trefoils as many mullets, and on
the opposite side this inscription :
Utues -^itt o-t '(cafis ^a-vMs ISso-Usistt,
to- ttues J>a,t,uistis QuUs'ucsIls o-t
f(oAsto-tKs Uo-w-Mses JJhps'uCsfu 1 100
Chalice, H. 7 in. Paten, Dia. 5i in. Four marks: — 1,
Lion passant ; 2, Leopard's head crowned ; 3, Roman cap
ital G, London, 1722; 4, maker's mark, T.F, fleur-de-lis
above, pellet between, mullet below, lobed escutcheon.
(Thos. Ffarrer.)
On the Paten the only distinct mark is the date-letter, and it has the ap
pearance of having, at one time, a foot.
Both are engraved with a coat of arms, a chevron between
three sea-horses. Crest, a lion's gamb holding a battle-axe,
and the inscription :

214

OLD PLATE.

Ules ¦fyilt o-t W{is J{oAit UuAXLest.
to- Us^~ d^astsuislu (UsUAucsks o-t
o-'uto-Lks Uo-vj~K,es XfiAuutts Uses: 3 .- 1133.

1700. 1722.
NO. 81. — CHALICES, CHRIST CHURCH, NORFOLK, VA.
Alms bason, Dia. 11 in. Four marks : — 1, Lion passant;
2, Leopard's head crowned; 3, smah Roman p, London,
1750 ; 4, maker's mark, J- 3(j mullet above. (John Rob
inson.) In the center a coat of arms. Three griffins' heads
erased. Inscription :
Utoe- -fyistt o-t -^OOsiut n ' tuutus-estis uk,
nuesnuoAsUs o-t tff\\Ais n Usuttv-estZ. Us-tuo- vj-a,is
¦ UKsteAuesds uk, tiues fatuustsc-iu at ^oAstoAsKs
Uses 8ttu o-t J\a,'ucsl 1 1 1fl-
*" In 1751 Capt. Whitwell, commander of His Majesty's ship 'Triton,'
presented a piece of silver plate to the church in compliment to his wife be
ing buried there. In 1762(f) Christopher Perkins gave a large silver Flagon
in honor of his wife buried there."

V

* Bishop Perry.

VIRGINIA. 215
Flagon, H. 13£ in. Four marks : — 1, Lion passant ; 2,
Leopard's head crowned ; old Enghsh capital ty, London,
1763 ; 4, maker's mark, U^ "Hf. (Fuller White.) Engraved
with a coat of arms. A chevron between three ostrich feath- '
ers. Crest, a demi-man ppr., crowned in dexter three ostrich '
feathers. — *
Inscription:
U-tues VAsit o-t w(t, (kfOAutesis J^eAuluKsis to- ties
(UsUAucsiu o-t ¥(oAAto-LlL, uk, ynsesyyuoAAAs o-t
bt\si,asb-eAsK, tuisis u>-utes ¦m-fuo- w-aA, UK,teAsVesdL
tfceAuesOK, list ^c&t 1162.
^ MARTIN'S BRANDON.
BRANDON CHURCH.
Chalice, H. 8^ in. Paten, Dia. 6i in. Four marks: —
1, Lion passant ; 2, Leopard's head crowned ; 3, black-let
ter capital 115, London, 1659; 4, maker's mark, M, mullet
below, heart-shaped shield.
Inscription on both vessels : L
Uluis u\, tlues fAstt o-t ff^aAsO- ioAUK, n esistfuuo-iues
to- ttues jisa,\AuuiMs ^stuus'ucft,
o-t ^OsttisK, is /2stsasK,aso-sK-.
The maker's mark is also on a chalice at the Old South Church, Boston.
The tomb of Elizabeth Westhrope, d. 1649, is in the vicinity.
Baptismal bason, Dia. 10i in. ; H. 4£ in. Four marks : —
1, Lion passant; 2, Leopard's head crowned; 3, Roman

216

OLD PLATE.

capital Q, London, 1731 ; 4, maker's mark, T-F, fleur-de-lis
above, pellet between, muhet below, lobed escutcheon.
(Thomas Ffarrer, as at Christ Church, Norfolk.)
Inscription : ^Ay
Jt(cUutuK, 'is Bst,dsslAsLo-sK, dPast-'uUisl 1131. /
NORTH FARNHAM AND LUNENBURG.

farnham church.

Flagon, H. 11 in. Paten., f .Ul,^ ~^u~-^

y<pt :,,, r> <s-J, &AI//&S- ^v'
S. JOHN'S CHURCH.

Flagon, H. 11 in. Chalice, H. 8\ in. Four marks : —
1, Lion's head erased; 2, Britannia; 3, Roman capital E,

NO. 82. — FLAGON AND CHALICE (1720); a-joim'g, jjrtaajMmmpTMOHMawf? no., VA.

OSs

VIRGINIA. 217
London, 1720 ; 4, maker's mark, F A, fleur-de-lis above,
mullet below, shaped escutcheon. (Thomas Ff arrer.) £~Tlie~S
vessels are engraved with the sacred monogram within y
rays, and the following inscriptions : (/  —
CrisCisesK-tesds to- St io-vUK, is ffuus'uc,l
H asisksUK,jsto-K, -faltus lus ^o-l ioJuK, Ua-Ust
Bescs 16 1816

CKesisuo-tse-ci, Oo- .i/HsOsuK-tuasyKs asK,cL J^uAK-es'KAi-Us'u^,.
ifas'uuistuesis Ua, <j-Us jtbt io-fuK, is ifa,Vuist(s
£Jua,istuuK,Qsto-sis -toutus <A\aAsCsl 36 1816-
flf/3)
After the Revuhlliunaiy War, the. Church in Virginia was in a very de
pressed condition, owing to the fact that it had been so closely allied to Eng
land ; the Legislature ordered_the^glebes and plate to be sold, the money to
be devoted to educational purposes, i Col. John Tayloe, of Washington,
who owned a handsome residence (Mount Airy) near Farnham, bought the
silver and presented it to S. John's Church, Washington, Dec, 1816.
Col. Tayloe was an intimate friend of General Washington.
In 1876, finding that they had for years been using confiscated plate, the
then Vestry of S. John's restored it to its rightful owners, but as two of the
pieces, a chalice and paten, had been stolen while at Washington, the two
churches divided the plate, Farnham taking a flagon and paten, and S. John's
a flagon and chalice. / i -s^j-un-- 1 .'i~/U,-:: - — /,/. ^,1. '
* "I cannot forbear remarking that there is no part of the conduct of the
opponents of the Episcopal Church which appears so unamiable and unjusti
fiable as that in regard to the church plate. It was almost always a private
donation, as the vestry books and inscriptions show, and even if it had not
been, the framers and supporters of the law would have felt themselves in
sulted if the insinuation had been made at the time of its passage that such
an application of it would be made. But numerous instances have occurred
in which such application has been made, while too many have been the
cases where individuals have seized upon the vessels and made away with
them for their private benefit.'' * Bishop Meade.

218 OLD PLATE.

HANOVER.
s. martin's church.
Chalice, H. 9 in. Paten, Dia. 11 in. Four marks : — 1,
Lion passant; 2, Leopard's head crowned; old English
capital SD, London, 1759 ; 4, maker's mark, ? -I (indistinct).
No marks on paten. Both vessels are engraved with the
sacred monogram within rays, as at Farnham and Lunen
burg, and this inscription :
UoAs tfues Usises o-t ttues &{uuAuc4uesis uk,
IV t XjZA-tuKAs ifasVuiAU XsOAKsOAs-eA\, r~
jf_,o-UsUisa, &o-<sUK,tisesis Uu\^OsUK.ua, 115^.
* "Airwell, the family seat of the Berkeleys, was the place where the com
munion-plate was kept. After the death of Mr. Berkeley, and death or res
ignation of the minister, by which, under the law, the glebes were forfeited,
the overseers of the poor wished to do what was done in some other parishes,
viz., bring the sacred vessels under the operation of that act, but which in
other parishes was scorned to be done. Those in Hanover, however, well
knowing not only the pious attachment of Mrs. Berkeley to everything be
longing to the church, but that she was a lady of dignity, firmness, and au
thority, instead of appearing in person to demand the plate, sent an em
bassy to her for the purpose, through whom she returned this answer : 'Tell
the gentlemen to come and take them.' They never came, and the vessels
are now in use."

CHRIST CHURCH PARISH.
s. mary's, now called white chapel church.
Chalice, H. 9 in. Paten. Four marks : — Three indis
tinct; maker's mark, G C, mullet between, two pehets
below, shaped shield.
* Bishop Meade.

VIRGINIA. 219
Inscription :
Ules^UsUft O-t -&OsfUt UOslsAssi ffoAt, 1 661
* " From the earliest records of Lancaster county, when Middlesex and
Lancaster were one, it appears that in the year 1661 a general vestry is
formed, and Mr. John Carter, Henry Corbyn, Dayid Fox and William
Leech are appointed to take up subscriptions for the support of the
minister." CHRIST CHURCH.
Chalice, H. 7£ in. Paten, Dia. 10 in. Four marks on
each. On Chahce only one distinct ; maker's mark H, or
double I, two mullets above, one on each side-, heart-shaped
shield. On Paten: — 1, Lion passant; 2, Leopard's head
crowned ; 3, black-letter small $, London, 1695 ; 4, maker's
mark, S H, the S within the H, pehet below, plain shield,
as shown stamped (upside down) on the copper plate
preserved at Goldsmiths Hah.
Inscription :
¦\oluu\t <oluAsCsK, xfoAuUistu J^OsK-CsOsisteAL, ^OAsUKstsUs.
*Bishop Meade.

The writer would be glad to have the names of any places where Old
Plate is to be found, and will be thankful for any notes, impressions from '
marks, or suggestions, with which his readers may be good enough to
favor him, in order that greater accuracy may be insured in any future
edition.

220 OLD PLATE.
CHRONOLOGICAL LIST

EXAMPLES OF AMERICAN PLATE MENTIONED IN THE FOREGOING
PAGES.

Dated. Maker's Mark. Article, Owner and Donor. Page.
1659 I H Rose above, shaped escutcheon . ( Beaker, First Church, Bos-
RS Mullet above, shaped shield .... .? ton  163
(John Hull and Robert Sanderson.) ( j,^ „j^ 01 b*q 1659.
1661 John Hull and Robert Sander- J Chtalioe' First Cllureh> Bos" , an
son, as in 1659  ) *on ¦ ¦ ¦ • • "¦ • • • ¦ ¦ • • • • ¦ 16°
' ( The gift of a Friend. R*H.
( Beaker, First Church, Dor-
1672 D:I inaeircle, pellet above and below < Chester  192
( The gift of Mre. Thatcher.
1679 I H Mulletbelow,heart-shapedshield(T'^oBe1akers,FirstChureh,
R S Rose above, shaped escutcheon . { Oorcnester  193
(John Hull and Kobert Sanderson.) ^™ea|*ffc of Thos. and Alice
1685 WR Pellet above each letter, mullet ( Beaker, First Church, Dor-
between, pellet below, shaped < Chester  193
shield  ( The gift of John Gengen.
' i Beaker, First Church, Dor-
1699 I • E Lobed escutcheon  ¦! Chester  194
( The gift of Isaac Jones.
S Loving cup, Harvard Uni
versity  108
The gift of the Hon. Wm.
Stoughton.
ID Fleur-de-lis below, heart-shaped ( Tw° vC^licl8' * PlMt -, n .,
shield < Church, Dorchester  194
(John DixweU*) Hlo^on"1 G°V' ^
. (. Baptismal bason, Second
1706 E.W Fleur-de-lis below, shaped shield 1 Church, Boston  170
( The gift of Adam Winthrop.
r Three Chalices, First
1708 John Dixwell (?) as in 1701... ^mlCh^h' J*08*011  16°
J The gift of Elder Joseph
1 Bridgham.
t Alms basons, Second
1711 E.W as in 1706  < Church, Boston  169
i The gifts of Edward and
1 Thomas Hutchinson.
( Flagon and Baptismal ba-
1712 P S  2 son,Christ Church, Phila 152
( The gift of Col. Robt. Quary.
Two-handled cup, Kings
1714 I D inaeircle  I Chapel, Boston  181

(John Dixwell.) f Ex dono c- Lyman to ye new
N. C.
* Probably made in London.

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST. 221
Dated. Maker's Mark. Article, Owner and Donor. Page.
, Tankard, Kings Chapel,
1714 ID inaeircle  LB°St°n-T „' „', " " V „1 18°
(John Dixwell.) } Gl™ ^C
, Beaker, Old South, Bos-
1715 IC Crowned, animal(?) below,) ton  176
shaped shield  1 M
' Ex dono W P to South Church.
, Cup, Kings Chapel, Bos-
1716 John Dixwell, as in 1714 ....) *°,n •¦'¦"¦ V,^  182
1 Ex dono ST. Loring to the new
' N. Church.
( Tankard, First Church,
1717 W.P  1 Boston  163
( The gift of John Gorland.
, Two-handled eup, Kings
John Dixwell, as in 1714. . . .) „^.f' ?™*0n- • " ¦ " V 181
1 " The gift of Elder John Dix-
' well to the new N. Church."
( Tankard, First Church,
John Dixwell(?), as in 1701 . . •?' Boston  161
( The gift of Saml More.
, Baptismal bason, Kings
John Dixwell, as in 1714 .... „£$&£ t Farnum ^
' to the New North Church.
, Flagon, Second Church,
1723 I B Crowned, pellet below, shaped S Boston  165
shield  ) The legacy of Mr. John Fri-
' zell.
-i rmr. * ¦• t, n j iiii.1 i-4 Two-handled cup, Second
1723-4 I R Crowned, pellet below, plain) churoh; Bosto£  168
shleld  ( Given by W. L.
C Two-handled cup, Second
I R Crowned, shaped shield .... < Church, Boston  168
( Given by Nathaniel Loring.
. Chalice, Christ Church,
1724 IE Crowned, fleur-de-lis below,) Boston  186
shaped shield  ) The gift of Capt. Thomas
* Tudor.
, Tankard, Second Church,
._...„„„ ) Boston  167
IB as m 1723  < T]ie g^ of Mr8. Dorothy
' Frizell.
S Chalice and Paten, S.
Paul's, Edenton, N. C . 207
The gift of Col. Edward
Mosely.
, Flagon, First Church,
) Boston.  158
1726 IE as m 1724  ) The gift of the Hon. Wm.
^ Dummer.
, Tankards, Harvard Uni-
) versity  117
1729 I : Kneeland  < The gifts of John and William
' Vassal!.
, „ _ S Flagons, Christ Church,
r greene and RG  < Boston  186

222

OLD PLATE.

Dated. 1730

IE as in 1724.

1731 JOHN BURT.

I G as in 1730

1732 I • HURD .

1733

s : Burrill and S-B

1734 J CLARKE

B B

I R

J CLARKE.

1735

Maker's Mark. Article, Owner and Donor. Page.
, Two-handled cup, Second
IG Crowned, quatre-foil below, plain ) Church, Boston  169
shield  1 A Friend's gift to the North
^ Brick Church.
( Tankard, Old South, Bos-
1 ton  173
( (With the Sewall arms.)
. Loving Cup, Harvard Uni-
) versity  110
' J From the Bequest of Col.
' Saml Brown.
) Two-handled cup, Second
) Church, Boston  169
. Baptismal bason, Christ
) Church, Boston  187
' 1 The gift of Arthur Savage,
' Esq..
. Flagon, Second Church,
P O Heart-shaped shield  ) Mra° EvLbeth Wensley to 1"°
' the Second Church.
/ Flagon, Second Church,
' Boston   166
The gift of Mrs. Dorothy
Frizell.
Flagon, S. John's, Provi
dence  206
An oblation from Nathaniel
Kay.
i Flagon, S. Michael's, Bris-
> tol  204
J An oblation from Nathaniel
Kay.
/ Flagon and Chalice, S.
) Michael's, Bristol  204
) A legacy of Nathaniel Kay,
* Esq..
, Flagon, S. Paul's, Wick-
S ford  203
1 A legacy of Nathaniel Kay,
' Esq.
, Paten, S. Michael's, Bris-
E W Quatre-foil below, lobed shield . ) A ™^ o( Nathanlel ^ 2°4
' Esq.
( Baptismal bason, S.
SS  < George's, Hempstead . . 146
( The gift of Mr. John March.
- Tankard, First Chureh,
) Dorchester  195
1 The gift of Elijah Danforth,
' Esq.
Tankards, First Church,
Boston  163
The gift of Deacon Jonathan
Williams.
Flagon, Kings Chapel,
Boston  179
The gift of Mrs. Rebecca Wa
ters to the New N. Church.

1736 HURD

1737 I • HURD as in 1732.

1745 JOHN BURT as in 1731

\'

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST.

223

Dated.

Maker's Mark.

1745

hurd as in 1736 

1747

G R 

(Geo. Ridout?)

1748

W BURT 

HURD as in 1736

1761 T-H.

Article, Owner and Donor. Page.
Beaker, First Church, Dor
chester  196
The gift of Mr. William Clap.
Alms bason, Trinity
Church, New York  143
Donor, King George II.
Alms bason, S. Michael's
Bristol  205
The gift of Isaac Royall, Esq.
, Flagon, Old South, Bos-
S ton  171
1 The gift of Nathaniel Cun-
' ningham, Esq.
, Tankard, First Church,
S Dorchester  196
' ) The gift of Deacon Hopestill
' Clap.
f Flagon, Kings Chapel, Bos-
| ton  180
¦L The gift of Mrs. Mary Hune-
j well, dec'd, to the New
^ North Church.
, Tankard, First Church,
I C Fleur-de-lis below, heart-shaped S Boston  162
shield  ) The gift of Madam Eliz. Wel-
' steed.
, Flagon, Second Church,
S Boston  167
1 Given by Rev. Mr. Welsteed
' on his death-bed.
, Alms bason, S. Michael's,
S Charleston, S. C  210
1 The gift of Henry Midelton,
' Esq.
/ Chalice, Old South, Bos-
) ton  175
) The gift of Rev. Mr. Thos.
* Prince, bet. 1718-58.
( Alms bason, Grace Church,
< Jamaica  147
( The gift of Mr. Johji Troup.
Tankard, Old South, Bos
ton  173
The legacy of Mrs. Mary Ire
land.
Flagon, Old South, Bos-
) ton  172
1 The gift of Mr. John Simp-

1751 I. BRIDGE

1752

1753 BRIDGE.

1755 A P

1758 REVERE .

1763 w cowell .

1764 Minott

1773 D ¦ H

(Daniel Henchman.)

I R as in 1734.

Chalices, First Church,
) Boston  161
\ The gift of Mrs. Lydia Han-
' cock.
. Tankard, Gloria Dei, Phil-
) adelphia  153
| The gift of Mrs. E. Vander-
- spiegle.

224

OLD PLATE.

Dated.

1773 J GARDNER

I E as in 1724

B P

1775 S. BARTLETT.

I : potwine

1796 revere, as in 1758

1798 MOULTON

Maker's Mark. Article, Owner and Donor. Page.
{Chalice and Paten, S.
Luke's Chapel, Middle-
town, Conn., formerly at
S. James's, New London 206
Given by Dr. Yeldall.
, Tankard, First Church,
) Boston  162
 ) The gift of Nathaniel Bals-
' ton, Esq.
Flagon and Paten, S.
, T n ) Peter's, Lewes, Del . . .. 154
' antt .  1 The gift of the Hon. John
' Penn.
, Beaker, First Church, Dor-
 ) Chester  197
1 The gift of Mr. Ebenezer
' Mosley.
, Flagon. First Church, Bos-
S ton .'  158
) The gift of Deacon Thomas
* Waite.
, Tankard, Second Church,
) Boston  1 68
j The gift of Madam Sarah
* Welsteed.
£ Alms bason, First Church,
 < Boston  164
( Given by Suviah Thayer.
, Plate, Kings Chapel, Bos-
) ton  179
1 Presented by Madam Bull-
( finnh

(Benj. Pierpont?)

1804 moulton, as in 1798

, Baptismal bason, Kings

revere, as in 1758  \ J?^1'^011 ' '
' 1 The gift of Ebenezer

179

Oliver,

Esq.

/&

y~-

1808 BENJAMIN BURT

• Flagons, Old South, Bos-
I ton .... •  172
) The gift of the Hon. Wm.
"¦ Phillips.
1805 P R Shaped shield ? ,  < X^htter^. . ^ 198
Paul Revere ?) 1 . ...
( A gift of Sarah Preston.
( Tankard, First Church,
< Dorchester  198
( The gift of Lois Wiswell.
, Flagon, Old South, Bos-
S ton  172
) Bequeathed by Deacon the
' Hon. Thomas Dawes.
Alms bason, S. Paul's,
Edenton, N. C.  207
Presented by the ladies of
the Prot. Epis. Churoh in
|_ Edenton, 18112.

1809 moulton, as in 1798.

1812 H. WISHART

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST.

225

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF EXAMPLES OF PLATE,

WITH THE DATE-LETTERS USED, AT GOLDSMITHS HALL,
LONDON, AND THE MAKER'S MARK.

In the following list the years must be understood to begin
in the month of May of the year given as the date, and to
end in the same month of the year following :

Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
Alphabet VII. 1558 to 1577.
1569 Animal's head, plain J Chbae1^eana^ltcover Paten> usual Eli2a"
( Soroll-and-Keys Soo'y, Yale University.
( Chalice and cover paten, belt only on
1572 AB Linked letters  I Chalice. fo? & . £>. /?£&£-
( Mpaara H  mil rt Oo.
Alphabet IX. 1598 to 1617.
1600 Five-pointed star, a ( Seal-headed Spoon ; on back of bowl, R S
mullet below, plain / 1634.
shield  ( Mrf R. 8. Ely.
1607 CB Pellet between rose, (Chaii0e_
or mullet below, < „ . „ .. „. . „ ,
plain shield  .( Old South Church, Boston.
1610 TG Three pellets above, ( The Winthrop Cup.
shaped shield . . . . ( First Church, Boston.
1611 A Catherine wheel (?) I Chalice and cover t ugual belt
rscXt'on \^} S. Peter's Church, Perth Amboy, N.J.
( Cylindrical standing salt with cover, ball
1613 RB Pellet below, shaped < and claw feet.
shield  ( Imperial Treasury, Moscow.
(Replica Met. Museum.)
15

226 OLD PLATE.
Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
Alphabet X. 1618 to 1637.
1fl1a ( Chalice V shaped bowl, baluster stem.
1618  \ M?.R.S.Ely.
i ano uc a+  v„i„„ „i,.  j ( Plain chalice. "Tliii piirilwlnnndli li»4he
1623 HS Star below, shaped N ^^ of polUqfcod> $&**&£*£&)
' I A%? /4.Z>*ft?U Mocorc. Howard fr8o.
1626 T F Monogram, plain < Chalice V shaped bowl, baluster stem.
shield  ( First Church, Boston.
Alphabet XI. 1638 to 1657.
1638 ¦ I C ' Between two pellets, $ Chalice V shaped bowl, baluster stem.
heart-shaped shield \ First Church, Boston.
1639 T G Pellet below, shaped I Chalice.
shield  \ First Church, Boston.

1 640 I H Plain shield  j Seal-headed spoon.
1641 H B Linked letters. .

Mr. R. S. Ely.
{ Chalice.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.

1645 S V Shaped shield  \ Spoon.
r ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
1650 SV As in' 1645  (Spoon. „„-,,,
I Mr. R. S. Ely.
Alphabet Xn. 1658 to 1677.
1658 SV As in 1645  | Spoon.

Mr. R. S. Ely.
j Chalice and paten. The gift of Major
1659 M Heart-shaped shield. <J John Westhrope. Brandon Church, Va.

'I

1661 GS Pelletaboveeachlet-(Beak er engraved belt.
ter, crozier be- < ' °
tween, plain shield. ( Mr- E- S" Ely'
1663 H • E Mullet below, heart- < Wine taster, gilt.
shaped shield  ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
1666 TA Mullet between, $ Two-handled cup.
heart-shaped shield ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
1667 F-G Pellet between, lobed ( Two-handled cup.
escutcheon  \ Scroll-and-Keys Soc'y, Yale University.
1672 T K* Mullet below, plain < Plain standing dishes.
shield  \ Messrs. Howard & Co.
1 674 T-P Pelletbetween, plain ( Standing dish, used as a paten.
shield  ( S. Paul's Ch., Newburyport.
1675 E G* $ Beaker engraved and gilt.
I Messrs. Howard & Co.

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST. 227
Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
Alphabet XIII. 1678 to 1696.

( Plain chalice. " Ed : Wicks, Rie : Poyn-
1678 F S* Plain shield  ) ter, Church wardens."
( Scroll-and-Keys Soc'y, Yale University.
C Alms bason, with the Royal Arms, W\ R
' \ Trinity Church, New York.
,»„. -r-.* „, . ,. ,, ( Large tankard, embossed with tulips, etc.
1685 D Shaped shield  ) » Messrs. Howard & Co.
1686 A W* Monogram, shaped i Two-handled cup, acanthus ornament.
shield  ( Scroll-and-Keys Soc'y, Yale University.

 !
P H* Under a crown and ,

Trencher salt. Mr. R. S. Ely.

two ermine spots, ) Two-handled cup and cover, cut card
shaped escutcheon J wm '_,.,. _^ ,. „ ± r> • v. v
(Peeter Harache) < Chrl8t Churcl1' Bruton Pall8h' Va"
1689 Y ¦ T* Mullet below, shaped ( Small chased beaker.
shield  } Mr. R. S. Ely.
1690 D B* Star above orescent i L j gadrooned and fluted edge.
below, lobed escut-^ s . s &
cheon  (
1691 R* Pellet below, shaped ) Salver.
shield  \ Messrs. Howard & Co.
1694 F • G* Pellet below, shaped /pa(.
ffrancis Garthorne)' ( Trint-V Churcl1' New Yorlc-
\ Flagon and chalice.
] S. John's Chapel, New York.
( Flagon, chalice, and paten.
Christ Ch., Cambridge, Mass.
1 Flagon. S. Paul's Ch., Newbury port, Mass.
All with the Royal Arms Wv R
R P* Pellet above each let- (Alms bason. The gift of Col. Robt
ter, one below, < Quary.
1 shield  ( Christ Church, Phila.

i Communion plate, with the Royal arms,
1695 F • G* Francis Garthorne, as S "\y JJ
in 1694  ^ s Anne.s church, Annapolis, Md.
S . H* Monogram, pellet be- ( Paten.
low, plain shield. . \ Christ Church Parish, Lancaster Co., Va.

> Similar marks will be found on copy of copper plate preserved at Goldsmiths Hall
London (1675-1697). rjgtm aid aca, on. , 

228 OLD PLATE.
In 1697 the names of the makers appear for the first time in the books of the
Goldsmiths Company. From 1697 to 1720 the Britannia standard, and for
maker's mark the two first letters of the surname.
Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
Alphabet XIV. 1696 to 1715.
1698 &n Abird(?)above,fleur- l , . .
de-lis below) Pair or candlesticks.

jove.fleur- f .
b e 1 o w, J Pair
Meld..... . )

shaped shield ...,.) Messrs. Howard & Co.
(Richard Syngin.) I.
_6-^ — G*ewTrerrr"pellet be- ( 'ElmA.-'piuiifeul'fuik; giTL \ty Jj, under- a
low^-febed shield'. < CTUWii. 
T' T / sst /., (Jehn-Ladyman.) ( Moiiarc. Howard ft'Co.
1700 SM Under a rose and, S^' •cr<^^*^- "*- y
crown, shaped S Chalice. The gift of Capt. Saml. Boush,
shield  1 Christ Church, Norfolk, Va.
(John Smith.) '

1702 CH Fleur-de-lis above, Messrs. Howard & Co.

'leur-de-lis above, i CofEee.pot.
shaped escutcheon < r
(JohnChartier.) (

pj A pellet above each,
letter, one below, ) Two-handled cup.
plain shield  ) Scroll-and-Keys Soc'y, Yale University.
(Robt. Peake?) *
B O Mitre above, Aeur-de- , Chalioe and ten_ , , Ex donQ goeietatis
lis below, shaped) , r . _ .. „
escutcheon 1 de propagando Evangelic"
escutcheon ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ 1 r r Trinity Church, Newport, R. I.
(John Bodmgton.) v
1703 M A Swan above, plain C rpm^jfl
„„MTal ' ;.'„' ' Vr" I " "> I Mr. R. S. Ely.
(Willoughby Masham.) (

1704 WI Fleur-de-lis be low, ( Chalice and paten. "Ex dono Societatis
shaped shield . . . . < de promovendo Evangelis."
(John Wisdome.) ( Grace Church, Jamaica, L. I.

1705 4Bi Dotted punch  I Chalice and paten. "AnnseReghree."
(Wm. Gibson.) J S. Mary's Church, Burlington, N. J.
J Chalice and paten. "Annas Reginse."
i S. Peter's Church, Perth Amboy, N. J.
1706 Wm. Gibson, as in ( Chalice and paten. "Anna Regina."
1705  \ s. Paul's Church, Wickford, R. I.
1707 EA Flenr-de-lis b e 1 o w, ( m , , ,. ., . „ . „
shaped shield ... } '^ag"11 and chahce. "Annse Regmse."
(JohnEastt.) ( Christ Church, Philadelphia.
L .0 Monogram  S Flagon and two chalices.
(Matt E. Lofthouse.) J Presbyterian Church, Hyattsville, Md.
<§>t Shaped shield  ( Cup.
IPt (J. M. Stooker and Ed.< Mr. J. W. Drexel.
Peacock.) ^ (Metropolitan Museum.)

Date. 1708

1709

1711

1712
1713 1714 1715

1716

1717

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST. 229
Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
EA John Eastt, as in , Chalice and paten. "Annee Reginse."
1707  | S. Peter's Church, Westchester.
Chalice and paten. "Annaa Reginse."
Christ Church, Rye, N. Y.
Chalice and paten. "Annaa Reginse."
S. George's Church, Hempstead, L. I.
G A a within the G, pel- , ~ . . . . ,-,
let below, shaped ^ Communion service, seven pieces. All
shield .... ... A wl™1 "ke Koyal. arms J± R
(Francis Garthorne.) ' Trinity Church, New York.
C L Rose and crown,
above, shaped es-) Two-handled cup.
cutcheon  J Scroll-and-Keys Soc'y, Yale University.
(Jonah Clifton.) *
G a Francis Garthorne, / Communion service, six pieces.
as in 1709  I S. Peter's, Albany.
] Flagon, chalice, and alms bason.
( Brantford, Canada.
(Flagon and paten. Deseronto, Canada.
All engraved with the Royal arms A R
G a Crowned, between two .
pellets, oval object /
below, plain circle. I
(Wm. Gamble. Ent. 1697,/ Small cup.
but probably theN Mr. R. S. Ely.
mark of his son and I
successor Ellis Gam- 1
ble,to whom Hogarth \
was apprenticed 1712.)
Pa ? above, pellet below, ( Tankard
shaped shield... i Messrs. Howard & Co.
(Humphrey Payne.) (
_ _, „ ( Rat-tail spoon.
Co Geo. Cox  | Mr.R. S.Ely.
We Trefoil below, plain 4 Sugar caster.
lozenge  { Messrs. Howard & Co.
lie Crowned, fleur-de-lis,
below, shaped) Paten. The gift of Leonard Vassall, Esq.
shield  i Christ Church, Boston.
(John Read.)
G k r w i t h i n the G, C Tw0.handled cup.
shaped shield ....< r Mr. R. S. Ely.
(Richard Greene.) ( Alphabet XV. 1716 to 1735.
^ Pellet above and be- C Brazier.
'ow  ¦¦ ' '  J Messrs. Howard & Co.
(Robert Hill.) (
FA Rose and c r o w n C Eat.tail spoon and f ork.
above, shaped es-^ * Mr. R.S.Ely.
cutcheon  (

230 OLD PLATE.
Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
1718 B A Mullet above andbe- ,
low, lobed eseutch- S Paten.
eon  J S. John's Church, Richmond, Va.
(John Bathe.) '
Fa Heart-shaped shield. ( Tea caddies.
(John Farnell.) ) Messrs. Sypher & Co.
I g Pellet above, one be- ,
• • low each letter, z) Chalice.
bet. lobed shield. . 1 S. John's Church, Richmond, Va.
(Thos. Issod.)
1719 WA (Pitcher.
it±y vv «.  i Messrs. Howard & Co.
1720 FA Fleur-de-lis above,/
mullet below, I Flagon and chalice.
shaped escutcheon J s. John's Church, Lunenburg, Va.
(Thos. Farren.) \ j Flagon and paten.
\ North Farnham, Va.
Old Standard Resumed, with Initials of Christian and Surname, out ooth
allowed.

1721 P a Shaped shield  j Paten-

S. Peter's Church, Perth Amboy.

i Candlesticks, hexagonal bases, baluster
1722 IB Plain oblong  < stems.
( Mr. R. S. Ely.
IS Mitre (?) a b o v e ,( Chalice and paten.
shaped shield  ( S. Peter's Church, Perth Amboy.
T-F Fl^-Ii.b rt^^^^j,,^ ThegiftofMr.Eobt.
lobed escutcheon ; ue er" __ . . rl. .... ,, „
(Thos. Ffarrer.) < Christ Church, Norfolk, Va.
1723 CG Mullet above, < Tea caddies.
shaped escutcheon \ Messrs. Sypher & Co.
1724 L A Crowned, mullet be- /
L^hifescut: Snuffer tray, with handle.
cheon ' Messrs. Howard & Co.
(Paul Lamerie.) \
1725 R-G Shaped shield  j Jug.
(Richd. Ginee.) ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
1727 TT Cinqu^foU above, C0ctagona]eo
(Thos. Tearle.) } Messrs- Howard & Co-
i Tcsn R r $ Tankard.
j. uv k. J3  ^ Messrs. Howard & Co.
1731 T-F Thos. Ffarrer, as in < Baptismal bason.
1722  ) Martins Brandon, Va.

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST. 231
Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
1731 L-C Fleur-de-lis above, ( n . ,, .. ,
crowned  ' Hand candlestick,

(Louys Cuny.)

J Messrs. Howard & Co.

1732 E P Lion rampant above < Two-handled cup.
(Edward Pocock.) ( Mr. R. S. Ely.
I A M F linked  ( Communion service, five pieces, with
1733 «» t, (Jos. Allen and Morde-< Royal arms d- T?
m r caiFox.) ) u"
*¦ Christ Church, Boston.
1734 KA Mitre above, plain C Wine cistern.
shield  < Winter Palace, St. Petersburg.
(Charles Kandler.) ( (Electrotype, Metropolitan Museum, N. Y.)
1735 J S Linked  < Hand candlesticks.
(Joseph Sanders.) ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
Alphabet XVI. 1736 to 1755.
1736 P-L Star and crown/
above, fleur-de-lis lT .
below, shaped es- / LarSe circular salver.
cutcheon  j Messrs. Howard & Co.
(Paul Lamerie.) \
T Richard Gurney & Co. r
1737 R . G (Note : This mark was j ,-, ,
C first entered in 1727 by / "aten.
Thomas Cooke and \ Christ Church, Bruton Parish, Va.
Richard Gurney.) I
1738 J-R Star above, lobed es- ( ™-.i
ciitcheon

(John Robinson

', ) Messrs. Howard & Co.

The marks since the restoration of the Old Standard in 1720 having become
confused and uncertain, it was ordered by the Act of 1739, which came into
operation on May 28th, that the makers destroy their existing marks, and sub
stitute for them the initials of their Christian and Surnames — directing, in addi
tion, that the new letters should in each case be of a different character or alpha
bet from those before used.
1739 TF Thos.Farren  j Alms bason. ^^ ^ ^^ ^
1740 ig.^RobertAbercromby.}^ " Messrs. Sypher & Co.
L D Crowned  \ Coffee-pot.
(Lewis Dupont.) \ Gorham Mfg. Co.
,. „ , . ,. , /Communion service, five pieces, with the
1741 JA ^deta^Fox "* R^al «" Q. B.
J Trinity Church, Boston.
\ Communion service, five pieces, with the
| Royal arms Q-_ JJ#
\ S. John's Church, Portsmouth, N. H.

t •»* t i. *r * S Tea caddies and sugar basin
JJf John Newton  | Messrs. B

Howard & Co.

232 OLD PLATE.
Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
, Sauce boat.

1744 PA Peter Archambo. . . j I
.-. "I

Mrs. M. A. Rives.
R A Robert Abercromby, J Small salvers.
as in 1 740  ( Messrs. Howard & Co.

T T Crowned  ( Cream Ewer.
' 1
( Cake basket.

(Thos. Tearle.) { , Mrs. Buok.
1745 €'Jt 

( Gorham Mfg. Co.
, Two-handled cup and cover. Engraved
,_,„ ,,, TT ™ xt„„; ) marine scene: "The Greyhound" in
1747 T H Thomas Heming. . . . j e]iaSe 0f " La Flora."
Scroll-and-Keys Soc'y, Yale University.

1748 W- G William Gould(f). . . j

Hand candlestick. Messrs. Howard & Co.

1750 T 7? Mullet above  [Alms bason. The gift of Capt. Whitwell.
d -^ (John Robinson.) I Christ Church, Norfolk, Va.
\ Waiter.
I Messrs. Sypher & Co.
1751 w-S^illiam Shaw and S Chalice and paten.
p William Priest . . . ^ g. Peter's Church, Salisbury, Md.
1752 31 & John Swift  \ SuSar bowl and 00ver-
( Mrs. M. A. Rives.
1753 ME Magdaline Feline. . . \ Waiter-
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
1755 W G William Gould  S Pair of candlesticks.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
Alphabet XVH. 1756 to 1775.
. c \ Plain Jus-
j . >j< 5 Table spoon.

1756 R- _ Messrs. Howard & Co.

Mrs. Buck.
1757 F- W In irregular oblong. (Tankard.
(Fuller White.) ( Gorham Mfg. Co.
i Flagon with Royal arms (3- TJ, The gift
M F Mordecai Fox  } of Gov. Thos. Boone.
( S. Michael's, Charleston, S. C.
I • D Mullet between  \ Pruet stand and casters.
( Messrs. Sypher & Co.
1758 R oox  \ CuP repousse.
( Gorham Mfg. Co.
E A Ed. Aldridge and S Cake basket.
S Jno- Stamper  ) Messrs. Howard & Co.

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST. 233
Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
1759 -I , . \ Chalice and paten.
( S. Martin's, Hanover, Va.
A J Alexander Johnston. ) Coffee-pot.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
w . s Wm. Shaw and Wm. ) Cup repousse^
p Priest, as in 1751. } Gorham Mfg. Co.

SB- & John Swift, as in( Sugar bowl and cover.
1752  \ Mr. R. S. Ely.
F • W Fuller White, as in ( Baptismal bason.
1757  \ S. John's, Portsmouth.
1760 M- F Mordecai Fox, as in /Alms bason and paten, with Royal arms
1?57  | Q-. R. Trinity Church, New York.
I Paten with Royal arms Q-# JJ# The gift
of Gov. Thos. Boone.
S. Michael's, Charleston, S. C.

7) e Shaped escutcheon . { Baptismal bason. The gift of Mrs. Griz-
1761 £> o (Daniel Smith and< zel Apthorp.
-«- O Robert Sharp.) ( Christ Church, Cambridge.
1762 WC ( Toilet boxes,, shell covers.
\ Messrs. Howard & Co.
j _ g John Hyatt and) Hand candlesticks.
~ Chas. Semore ... 1 Messrs. Howard & Co.
1 763 Tf- W Fuller White i Flagon. The gift of Mr. Charles Perkins.
1763 M W * uller White  ^ Christ Church, Norfolk, Va.
T _ . . ,„„ ( Cruet stand and casters.
1 • u AS in 1 /OS  £ Messrs. Howard & Co.
W € Mullet above  ( Pair of candlesticks.
(Wm. Cafe.) \ Messrs. Howard & Co.
,„„. T- C Thos. and Wm. ( Table spoons.
1"64 w. c Chawner  \ Mr.R.S.Ely.
TH Crowned  < Chalice, with Royal arms fl-. R.
(Thos. Heming.) ( Trinity Church, New York.
,. _ T . to i S Coffee-pot.
L • B Louis Black  ^ Gorham Mfg. Co.
1765 31 •§> John Swift, as in ( Sauce boat.
1752  \ Messrs. Howard & Co.
_ , tt,.,,. rr j $ Small cup.
1766 J© 6 Wilham Howard  ^ r Mr. R. S. Ely.
( Plain tankard.
S-W  } Messrs. Howard & Co.
TH Thos. Heming, as in i Alms bason, with Royal arms Q-. JJ.
1764  \ Trinity Church, New York.

234 OLD PLATE.
Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
1766 IC Monogram, shaped ( Paten.
shield  ( S. George's Church, Hempstead, L. I.
E • C Probably Ebenezer /Pair of candlesticks.
Coker  I Messrs. Howard & Co.
] Inscription on foot of each :
"BOT IN 1766 IN THE ROOM OP A
E
I LARGE AND SMALL SALT T GIFTS OP W
IcUNIGRAVES AND JAS BUNCE JUNK."
/Another Pair. Inscription :
I " BOT IN 1766 IN THE ROOM OP A SALT
< OCTAGON THE GIFT OP WM KIFFINS ESQ."
I All four have the coat of arms of The
V Leather Sellers Conjpany, London.
_ „ ( Seal-headed spoon.
K ' °  \ Mr. E. Holbrodk.
I P Prince of Wales' /
E W plume above . .... I Sauc6 W-
^smfrfs TS"& Messrs. Howard & Co.
Prince.) I
1767 E ¦ C As in 1766  j Inkstand' Me8ar8. Howard & Co.
1768 I • C. John Carter(?)  j Salver- Mr R. s.Ely.
1769 ID JohnDarwall  j Tea-pot. Gorham Mfg. Co.

W V William Vincent. . . . j Tea-Pot-

Messrs. Howard & Co.

. n^r. « c a j xn iv. ( Pair of candlesticks.
1770 AF Andrew Fogelberg. . | Messrs. Howard & Co.
w . ( Pair of candlesticks.
W  ( Messrs. Howard & Co.

1771 RR Richard Rugg(?) . . j

Salver. Messrs. Howard ife Co.

1772 T • W  J Coffee-pot,

( Mrs. Buck.
WG William Grundy . . . . \ Coffee-Pot- M(jsgrs 8yplier & Co

f .• £ S. & I. Crespell  j LarSe oval salver"

Messrs. Howard & Co .

n .' a Chas. Aldridge and S Cake basket.
A Henry Green ... )

Henry Green ... ) Messrs. Howard & Co.

1773 R • H Plain oval  < Salts.
(Robert Hennell.) ( Mr. R. S. Ely.

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST. 235
Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
1773 WT  / Pitcher, inscribed : " Remember the
1 Donor, R B "
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
W C  j Plain beaker.
'< Mr. R. S. Ely.
1774 J-S Mullet between... * P^in tankard.
( Gorham Mfg. Co.

handles. Yale University.

1775 T • W As in 1772  \ Two-handled cup, strap-
( Scroll-and-Keys Soo'y,
c w ( Tankard.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
Alphabet XVIII. 1776 to 1795.
( WmWTaylS.) *"* t Me8Sr9- H°ward & c°-
R I
D H Robert and David ) Salts.
H Hennell  \ Messrs. Howard & Co.
1777 T W  j Cream ewer.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
HG  ( Large gadrooned puneh-bowl, gilt.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
1778 C S George Smith  t Table spoons.
(A noted spoon maker.) \ Mrs. Buck.
Cream ewer. Messrs. Howard & Co.
I • C John Crouch and ( Large salver.
T ¦ H Thos. Hannam . . . . ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
TD T. Daniell  (Salts. ™ „..„
X Messrs. Howard & Co.
i nna D S Smith and Sharp, as ( Salver.
RS in 1761  X Mr. R.S.Ely.
17S0 WC ( Plain tankard. ^
1780 WL  } M. G.BisseH.
d r ( Waiter, pierced edge.
1701 t" K.  ^ Messrs. Howard & Co.
1782 R- H Robert Hennell, as ( Salts.
in 1773  \ Mr.R. S. Ely.
I • W Wakelin and Tayler, ( Cake basket.
W • T as in 1776  ( Messrs. Howard & Co.

ff £ Hester Bateman. ... 5

.«. ^ -rrr o S Dessert spoons
1783 I© $ Wm. Sumner .... < r
ff B Hester Bateman, as ( Sauce boa
in 1778  \
„r tt S °yal tray.
1784 WH  \

Mr. R. S. Ely.
ff B Hester Bateman, as ( Sauce boat.
in 1778  \ Messrs. Howard & Co.

Messrs. Howard & Co.

286 OLD PLATE.
From Dec. 1, 1784, the duty mark of the sovereign's head; for the first two
years in intaglio * (like the matrix of a seal), instead of in relief.
Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
1784 T D* T. Daniell, as in ( Urn-shaped tea caddy.
1778  ) Messrs. Howard & Co.

I • L* John Lambe  j Tea caddy-

Messrs. Howard & Co.

MesBrs. Howard & Co.

E. F* Ed. Fennell  \ Inkstand.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
1785 ff B* Hester Bateman, as ( Argyle.
in 1778  X Messrs. Howard & Co.
-its« GS George Smith and ( Bowl.
-t^f WF Wm. Fearn  \
1787 E F Edward Fennell as in ( Tankard
yyg ( Salt spoon.
' X Messrs. Howard & Co.
1789 R • C Richard Crossley . . . j Dessert sP00ns- ^ R g EJy
I-T Pelletbetween ... J Tea-pot, repousse.
X Gorham Mfg. Co.
1791 ' • CH Joh,? °™uch &ndS Salver.
inl^f^^'^i NotedbyG.MC.
HC HenryChawner...JChafillSdisl1- „ _ „ A r
J X Messrs. Howard & Co.
S G Sam. Godbehere and ( Table spoons.
E W Ed. Wigan  \ Messrs. Howard & Co.
1793 S J Stephen Joyce  j LarSe ewer and salver- w w A ,.
r J ( Mrs. M. A. Rives.
1794 * • W J. Wakelin and Robt. ( Cake basket.
R • G Garrard  \ Messrs. Howard & Co.
1795 S H J Oval salver.
X Messrs. Howard & Co.
Alphabet XIX. 1796 to 1815.
1796 PP Peter Podie(?)  S Coffee-pot.
v ' ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
1797 W B  ...\ Tea-pot.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.

1798 W • A William Abdy  j Dish with oover-

Messrs. Howard & Co.

1799 W H 5 Choeolate-pot.
 ( Messrs. Howard & Co.

First Presbyterian Church, Macon, Ga.
Messrs. Howard & Co.

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST. 237
Date. Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
P B /
1 800 A B Peter, Ann, and Wm. ) Dessert spoons.
w B Bateman  1 Mr8. Buck.
C C 5 Tea-pot. •
' ' ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
JE John Ernes  (Chalice ( Fin
1801 J F ^°^n Ernes, as in ) Chafing dish.
1803 EW Codbehere, Wigan, J Cream ewer.
I B and Bult  i Messrs. Howard & Co.
f p ( Sugar basket.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
1804 S W (Hexagonal salts.
"  X Messrs. Howard & Co.
C H Chas. Hougham . . . .1 Tea oaddy- „ „ . , „
X Messrs. Howard & Co.
RS Robert Sharp  (Mustard-pot.
r X Messrs. Howard & Co.
, „n_ P B Peter and William ( Table spoons.
W B Bateman  \ Mr. R. S. Ely.
S G Godbehere, Wigan, ( „,.,, .
EW and Bult, as Tin 3 Mllk W- „ „ _ , _
IB 1803 ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
T G Thos. and J o s h . ( Inkstand.
I G Guest  ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
W. B ( Egg-boiler and tray.
R. S ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
1 snfi C V i Tea, sugar and cream.
ou  X Gorham Mfg. Co.
W B Wm. Bennett. .:.... \ Snuffers and tray.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
j- p John Emes, as in ( Pepper caster.
° -0 1800  ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
1807 TD Thos. Dexter  j Inkstand. Messr, Howard & Co.
W B Wm. Bennett, as in ( Candlestick.
1806  ) Messrs. Howard & Co.
1 SOS A F \ Tea-pot.
J.BUO at  ^ Messrs. Howard & Co.
I Mustard-pot.
R. C Richard Crossley . . . < Messrs. Howard & Co.
( Tea-pot.

238
Date. 1809

1810

1811

1812
1813 1814
1815

OLD PLATE.
Maker's Mark. Article and Owner.
w p ( Inkstand.
X Messrs. Howard & Co.
C C Charles Chesterman.jCreamewer- „ „ A „
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
AF Asinl808  j Tea-pot.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
E jj ( Cream ewer.
X Messrs. Howard & Co.
gw ( Inkstand.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
P. S PaulStorr  (Coaster.X Messrs. Howard & Co.
I E j Toast-rack.
E E ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
E ¦ M Ed. Moore  \ Shaving-cup.
X Messrs. Howard & Co.
I C ( Inkstand.
W R  X Messrs. Howard & Co.
G W Geo. Wintle  \ Taper-holder. .
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
I-S Jas. Sutton  ( Tea urn.
( Messrs. Howard & Co.
P. S Paul Storr, as in (Tea tray.
1811  X Messrs. Howard & Co.
R S Robt. Sharp, as in ( Salver.
1804  X Messrs.' Howard & Co.
I C ( Toilet box.
W R X Messrs. Howard & Co.
P. S Paul Storr, as in( Salver.
1811  ( Messrs. Howard & Co.
From the latter part of the last century the makers' marks were of
a very plain character, being merely the initials of Christian and sur
name in Roman capitals inclosed in a die to suit the letters, without
any signs or emblems.

ENGLISH AND FOREIGN HALL MARKS. 239
EXAMPLES OF ENGLISH AND FOREIGN HALL MARKS.
London, 1572.

n ®.sa «¦>

^ l1^ 0

London, 1595.

London, 1625.

London, 1691.

Four Marks.
1. Lion passant.
2. Large leopard's head
crowned.
3. Date letter.
4. Maker's mark.

<b:-.o a'.a

London, 1702.

London, 1714.

1. Lion's head erased.
2. Britannia.
3. Date letter.
4. Maker's mark.

Q 0 £?

Djfiss©

Ejp| London, 1735.

@D £3 O co

1. Lion passant.
2. Small leopard's head
London, 1751. ) crowned.

London, 1775.

3 . Date letter.
4. Maker's mark.

l@'OG3D •*

re QOOO

London, 1784.

London, 1795.

Five Marks.
5. Sovereign's head
(from 1784).

m ©Q©0

Kj 30130

London, 1822.

London, 1885.

(2. From 1822, Leop
ard's head without
crown.)

240 OLD PLATE.
examples of hall marks. — (Continued.)
Exeter, 1733. John Elston, maker.

£MMi

Sheffield, 1774.

<B& 3 *3 g y

,'@a"-5S'!^e 0 //

Sheffield, 1808.

Sheffield, 1818.

- (King's head.)

(The crown and date-letter were often used
as one punch.)
Dublin, 1808.

i©^!|5>«

6-,*-*S

B © ©

ff

'H

©'**

O^© GB

Holland.

Holland.

Holland ?

The Hague.

Amsterdam.

Amsterdam.

A lion rampant crowned,
a shield of the town
arms, maker's mark,
and date letters.

LONDON DATE LETTERS. 241

TABLES OF THE LONDON DATE LETTERS.

CHARACTERS OF THE ALPHABETS.

V. 1518 to 1538 —Lombardic.
VI. 1538 to 1558 — Roman letter, and other capitals.
VII. 1558 to 1578 —Black letter, small.
VIII. 1578 to 1598 — Roman letter, capitals.
IX. 1598 to 1618 — Lombardic, external cusps.
X. 1618 to 1638 —Italic letter, small.
XI. 1638 to 1658 — Court hand.
. ' XII. 1658 to 1678 —Black letter, capitals.
XIII. 1678 to 1696 — Black letter, small.
XIV. 1696 to 1716 — Court hand.
XV. 1716 to 1736 — Roman letter, capitals.
XVI. 1736 to 1756 — Roman letter, small.
XVII. 1756 to 1776 — Old English or black letter, capitals.
XVni. 1776 to 1796 — Roman letter, small.
XIX. 1796 to 1816 — Roman letter, capitals.
XX. 1816 to 1836 —Roman letter, small.
XXI. 1836 to 1856 — Old English or black letter, capitals.
XXII. 1856 to 1876 — Old English or black letter, small.
XXITL 1876 to 1896 — Roman letter, capitals.
Care must be taken, in examining plate, to place the shield containing the
date letter with its pointed base downward, or some confusion may arise in
mistaking b for q, p for d, n for u, f for j (in Cycle XVI), etc.
For the earlier cycles see "Old English Plate," by Mr. W. J. Cripps, who,
however, in the third edition, 1886, discards the first two cycles of his previous
editions, the fifth becoming the third, tho present being the twenty-first. These
tables are taken from that valuable hand-book by the kind permission of the
author. 16

242

OLD PLATE.

m

1518-9
1519-4) 1520-11521-S 1522-3
1523-41524-51525-6 1526-*
1527-81528-91529-01530-1
1531-2 1532-3
1533-4 1531-51535-6
1536-7
1.537-8

VI.

1538-9 1539-01540-1
1541-2
1542-31543-4 1544-5
1545-6 1546-7
ED. VI.
1547-8
1548-9
1549-0 1550-1
1551-2
1552-3 HART.
1553-4 1554-5
1555-61556-71557-8

VII.

i

ELIZAB. 1558-9

1559-0 1560-41561-21562-3 1563-4
1564-5 1565-61566-7
1567-8 1568-9
1569-0 1570-1
1571-2 1572-315.73-41574-5 1575-6
1576-7
1577-8

vm.

Dj

1578-91579-0
1580-11581-21582-3 1583-4
1584-5 1585-61586-71587-81588-91589-01590-41591-2 1592-31593-41594-51595-6 1596-7
1597-8

As before.

MARKS.
J. Leopard's bead crowned. 2. Maker's mark. 3. Date letter. 4. I/ion passant (from 1545).

LONDON DATE LETTERS.

243

1602-3
JAMES I.
1603-4

1612-3

(ftl

1613-4

m

1614-5

®

1615-6

m

1616-7

m

1617-8

MARKS,
1. Leopard's head crowned. 2. Maker's mark. S. Date letter. 4. Liod passant

244

OLD PLATE.

LONDON DATE LETTERS.

245

MARKS.

1. Leopard's head crowned. 2. Maker's mark. 3. Date letter. 4. Lion passant,
And (from 1784) 5. Sovereign's head.
Note. — The leopard's head is without a crown after 1822-3.

246

OLD PLATE.

XXI.

&

1836-7 VICT.

m

1837-8

m

1838-9

B>

1839-0

e

1840-1

1

1841-2

@J

1842-3

ffl

1843-4

SJ

1844-5

&j

1845-6

CJ

1846-7

m

1847-8

IS)

1848-9

98

1849-0

»J

1850-1

iSti

1851-2

tE

1852-3

ISJ

1853-4

s:

1854-5

a

1855-6

XXII.

®

®

As before.

m

i

1856-71857-8
1858-91859-01860-1
1861-2
1862-31863-41864-5
1865-61866-7
1867-8
1868-91869-0
1870-1
1871-21872-3
1873-4
1874-5
1875-6

XXIII.

5
®
<#

V

As before.

H
ty

1876-7
1877-8
1878-9
1879-0
1880-1
1881-21882-31883-4
1884-51885-6
1886-71887-81888-9
1889-01890-1
1891-21892-3 1893-41894-5 1895-6

As before.

MOTE.
Since 1697. if not
earlier, the London
marks have been of
several sizes so as to
suit large and small
articles, and whilst
the largest size of
punch bears the
marks as they are
here given, the
smaller sizes often
hare the letter, lion
passant, or other
mark, on a plain
square or oblong
with the corners
slightly cut off ;
sometimes, how
ever, they are a
small edition of the
full-sized marks .

MARKS.
1. Leopard's head. 2. Maker's mark. 3. Date letter. 4, Lion passant.
5. Sovereign's head.

SUMMARY OF LONDON HALL-MARKS.

247

SUMMARY OF LONDON HALL-MARKS
Black Let., Sm. . . 1558 s\

Black Let., Sm. .1561
Roman Caps  1578 J

w

Four marks.

Lombardic Caps. .1598 gSS 1. Lion passant.
Italics, Sm  1618 ill ^ 2- Large leopard's head crowned.

Each alphabet with one * excep
tion consists of twenty letters ; J, V
or V, W, X, T and Z, being the
letters omitted.

After 1560 all letters in a shield.

o
Court Hand  1638 ill

Black Let. Caps. 1658 §||
O HOOHS
* Black Let., Sm.. 1678 ^l^v «sar

3. Date letter.
4. Maker's mark.

Court Hand  1696

g§3 1. Lion's head erased. 2. Britannia.
¦"I^S 3. Date letter. 4. Maker's mark.

Roman Caps  1716 "\ ggS
la""f w
t Roman, Sm  1736; ^gj§
O
Old English Caps. 1756
Roman, Sm  1776
Roman Caps  1796 J

>
Roman, Sm  1816 §88

ft -From 1739-1755
shield.)

1. Lion passant.
,. 2. Small leopard's head crowned.
3. Date letter.
4. Maker's mark.

> . O
a;
is

a?*22

Old English, Sm. .1856 a
"S t-
Roman Caps  1876 P

1. Lion passant.
2. Small leopard's head crowned
(from 1822 without crown).
3. Date letter.
4. Maker's mark.
5. Sovereign's head (from 1784).

1697 standard raised to 11 oz. 10 dwts. — 1720 old standard revived.
(175 oz. Troy= 192 oz. avoirdupois.)

248 OLD PLATE.
* TABLE OE MAKERS' MARKS, LONDON, 1675-1697,
Stamped from the identical punches on a copper-plate pre
served at Goldsmiths Hall, from the date of the goldsmiths
order' of the 23d February, 1675, until the 15th April, 1697,
when the new or Britannia standard was adopted, and the
maker's initials changed from the Christian' and surname to
the two first letters of the surname. At the bottom of the
plaque is written :
"On the above plate are the marks from workmen taken at this office
prior to the Fifteenth of April, A. D. 1 697, of which not any other Entry is
to be found."
This change in the method of marking prevents our
tracing many of those which follow afterwards in the
goldsmiths' books.
The marks are stamped irregularly from top to bottom of
the plate, and when one was imperfectly struck, a second
was placed by its side, and, in some instances, reversed.
For the convenience of reference the marks are here ar
ranged alphabetically, with the imperfections as they occur
upon the plate. It may be noticed that the initials of a
widow or female successor are always placed within a loz
enge-shaped escutcheon ; unfortunately the names are wanUng. ,
The "Touchstone for Gold and Silver Wares" (1677) in
forms us that
"They (the Goldfmiths) have alfo made in a part of their Hall, a place
called by them their AJfay-Offi.ce. In this Office is likewife kept for Pub-
lique View a Table or Tables artificially made in Columns (that is to fay)
one Column of hardened .Lead, another of Parchment or Velom, and fev-
eral of the fame forts ; In the Lead Columns are ftruck or entred the Work
ers Marks (which are generally the two firft Letters of their Chriftian
and Surnames) and right againft them in the Parchment or Velom Columns
are writ and entred the Owners Names."
It is probable that most of the tables and records were
destroyed in the great fire of 1666, although it is evident
that some were in existence in the time of the writer of the
" Touchstone." It often happens that, from the punch having slipped
under the hammer, the marks show a double line ; or, hav
ing received a double stroke, one impression partly over
laps the other. * Chaffers.

MAKERS' MARKS, LONDON, 1675-1697.

249

250

OLD PLATE.

m

IJ

wm

(rT)
(sl

K

(CK]

m

Itk)
(>©wc)

&B

le

rE

©

N

"A? o
^6]

P@ig
6S>S
TOM)
P
1ST
CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. PAGE.
Gold — Silver — their Alloys— The English Standard —
the assay— goldsmiths' weights  1
chapter ii.
thk medi/eval guilds — the goldsmiths company— legi8-
lation and marks — the provincial assay towns  11
chapter iii.
plate and plate buyers  18
chapter iv.
scotland— ireland — france — germany — holland —
spain — russia — america  88
chapter v.
Historical Sketch — Frauds and Imitations— Transfor
mations—Plate Forgers  40
chapter vi.
american silversmiths: boston— albany— new york —
PHILADELPHIA— PliOVIDENCK  52
chapter vii.
ecclesiastical Plate : Chalices and Patens — Communion
cups — Flagons — Alms Uasonb — Candlesticks  62
chapter VIII.
Decorative and domestic Plate.- Ohsolete Vessels —
Spoons — Mazers— Salts— Stoneware juos — ewers —
Basins— Tankards— Forks, etc., etc  78
chapter IX.
Ecclesiastical Plate : New York — new Jersey — Penn
sylvania—Massachusetts, etc., etc  141
Chronological list of Examples of American Plate  220
Chronological list of Examples of Plate with the Lon
don Date-letters and Makers' Marks.  225
Examples of English and foreign Hallmarks  239
Tables of the London Date-letters  241
Table of Makers' Marks, London, 1675-1697  248
France: Paris Date-lettkrs — List of the Fakmers, etc. 262
index of Places  267
index of donors of plate  258
Index of Makers and marks  260

MAKERS' MARKS, LONDON, 1675-1697.

251

252

OLD PLATE.

FRANCE.
Marks that will be found on plate made in Paris prior to
1791 (p. 35):
1. Date-letter, crowned, until 1791. (See table on next
page.)
2. Maker's mark.
3. Mark of the charge (1672-1791). (See tables, pp. 254,
255.)
4. Mark of the discharge (1681-1791). (See tables, pp.
254, 255.)

SPECIMENS OF THE MARKS OF THE CHARGE AND DISCHARGE
AS USED IN PARIS AND THE THREE CHIEF TOWNS IN THE
PROVINCES SHORTLY BEFORE THE ABOLITION OF ALL TAXES
IN 1791.
(From the "TraiU de la Garantie," par B. L. Eaibaud, Paris, 1825.)
CHARGE DISCHARGE General Punches.

L.ar9° Q°smaU Lar9° G°smaU
silver. S« siher. s™™

Paeis.

Ingots for drawing.

Lyons.

Foreign plate.

Bordeaux.

Ancient works.

Rouen.

Very small works.

PARIS DATE LETTERS.

253

16691670 1671 167216731674 167516761677
51678 $1679 168016811682 1683
16841685
1686 1687
16881689
S 1690 ?
} 1691 S
16921693

1694 1695
169616971698 1699 1700
1701 1702
1703
17041705 170617071708 1709
171017111712
1713 1714
LOUIS XV.
1715
1716

1717
17181719 17201721
1722 1723172417251726
1727 17281729 173017311732
1733 1734
1735
173617371738 1739

1 1740 \
> 1741 <
1742 1743
1744 17451746 174717481749
17501751
17521753175417551756
17571758 17591760
17611762 1763

1764 1765
1766 1767
1768 1769
1770 1771
1772 1773
LOUIS XVI.
1774 1775
177617771778
1779 1780
17811782 1783

From 1784 to 1791 the letter P. crowned (the shape varying each year), the last two figures of
the date between crown and letter.

254

OLD PLATE.

LIST OF THE FARMERS GENERAL OF THE DUTIES, AND THEIR
MARKS FROM 1672.
C" Old French Plate," Cripps.)

Wk ^

Vincent Fortier, Oct. 1672-Oct. 1680.
Adjudicataire du droit de marque.

Paul Brion de Saussoy, Oct. 1680-1684.
Sous-Fermier.

Fitienne Ridereau, 1684-1687.

Fermier.

Jacques Leger, Oct. 1687-Dec. 1691. Fermier.

Pierre Pointeau, Dec. 1692-1698. Fermier General.

Perrine, 1698-1703.

Fermier General.

Etienne Baligny, 1703-Dec. 1713.
Fermier General.

Florent Sollier, Dec 1713-Oct. 1717.
Sous-Fermier.

fitienne de Bouges, Oct. 1717-1722.
Fermier des droits de la marque.

Charles Cordier, 1722-Nov. 1726.
Charg6 de la Regie des Fermes
Generates Unies.

Jacques Cottin, Dee. 1726-Oct. 1732.
Sous-Fermier.

MARKS OF THE FARMERS OF THE TAXES. 255
LIST OF THE FARMERS GENERAL, ETC. — (Continued.)

^

Hubert Louvet, Oct. 1732-Oct. 1738. Sous-Fermier.

Robin, Oct. 1738-1744.

Sous-Fermier.

Antoine l'Eehaudel, 1744, Feb. 1750.

JK di $t <®

Fermier.

Julien Berthe, Feb. 1750-Oct. 1756. Sous-Fermier.

Eloi Brichard, Oct. 1756-Oct. 1762. Sous-Fermier.

Jean Jacques Prevost, Oct. 1762-Oct. 1768.
Adjudicataire General.

Julien Alaterre, Oct. 1768-Oct. 1774.
Adjudicataire General.

Jean Bte. Fouacbe, Oct. 1774-1780.
Regisseur pour le eompte du Roi.

Henri Clavel, 1780-1789.

Henri Clavel, 1780-1789.

Calandrin, 1789.

Regisseur-General.

Regisseur- General.

256

OLD PLATE.

A TABLE OP MAEKS IN USB IN PAEIS AND THE PBOVLNOES DUEING THE
ADMINISTEATION OP JEAN BTE. POUACHE (1774-1780).

CHARGE.

DISCHARGE.

Large Silver.

Gold and
Small Silver.

Large Silver.

Gold and Small Silver.

*Paris. A

Cipher of 5 let
ters, Paris.

An ox's head.

An ape's head.

*Rouen. J}

CipherR E

A marc weight.

A walnut-shell.

Caen, Alen-

con. q

" C E

Head of Socrates.

An altar.

"Lyons. J)

Cipher of 4 let
ters, Lyon.

A man's ear.

A horse's head.

Tours. J]

Cipher of 5 let
ters, Tours.

The sole of a right
foot.

An owl's head.

Poitiers. Q-

CipherP T

A cat.

A goat's head.

La Rochelle. JJ

L R

A squirrel.

A cow's head.

Limoges. [
'Bordeaux. J£

L M
" B D

An antique vase with
two handles.
An imperial crown.

A mitre.
A mask (de profll).

Bay onne ,

Auch. Jj
BON
A pouch.
The sole of a right
foot.
Toulouse,Mon-
tauban. ]y[
T LS
A branch of a vine.
A skylark.
Montpellier. ]$
Riom. Q
" MPL
" RO
Two branches of lau
rel tied together.
A left foot.
A poppy-head.
A turban.
Dijon. p
" DJ
A sea-shell.
A garden hat.
Moulin s Or
leans. JJ
OLA
A closed left hand.
A squirrel's head.
Chalons. jij
" RS
An ear of corn.
The butt of a pistol.
Amiens, Sois-
sons. X
AM
A bear's head.
An old man's head.
Bourges. Y
" B G
A half-closed right
hand.
A sheep's head.
Grenoble. 2
Aix. &
" GNB
" AX
The right fore paw of
a lion.
A "composite" capi
tal.
A helmet (de pro-
111).
A swan's head.
Rennes. 9
Metz. J^J^
" R N
" M Z
A branch of laurel
and palm.
A hind's head.
A knot of ribbon.
A Cupid's head.
* For similar marks see p. 262.
INDEX OF PLACES.

Canada. PAGE
Brantford  145
Deseronto  145
Connecticut.
Middletown  206
Delaware.
Lewes  154
Middletown  154
Newcastle  154
Wilmington  155
Maryland.
Annapolis  156
Hyattsville  156
Salisbury  157
Massachusetts.
Boston  158
Cambridge  189
Dorchester  192
Newburyport  199
Salem  200
New Hampshire.
Portsmouth  201
New Jersey.
Burlington  148
Perth Amboy  149
Swedesborough  150
17

New York. PAGE
Albany  145
Hempstead  146
Jamaica  147
New York  141
Rye  146
Westchester  145

North Carolina.

Edenton .

Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia ...  151
Rhode Island.
Bristol  203
Newport  202
Providence  205
Wickford  202
South Carolina.
Charleston  208
Virginia.
Brandon  215
Bruton  211
Christ Church  218
Hanover  218
James City  210
Lunenburg  216
Norfolk  213
North Farnham  216
Richmond  212

258

OLD PLATE.

INDEX OF DONOES OF PLATE.

PAGE
Anne, Queen... 143, 145, 146, 148
149, 151, 203
Apthorp, Dna  191
Baker, John  180
Balston, Nathl  162
Barclay, Rev. H  143
Barrett, John  182
Barrett, Saml  178
Belcher, Gov  188
Bethune, Mrs. Mary  191
Boone, Gov  208, 209
Bovey, Mrs. Cath  148
Boush, Capt. Saml  213
Bracket, Anthony  175
Bradford, A. W  209
Bridgham, Elder J  161
Brown, Col. S  110
Bullfinch, Mad  179
f
Cary, Nathl  179
Cheever, Elder  178
Cheever, Jos  182
Clap, Hopestill  196
Clap, William:  196
Cunningham, Nathl  171
Danforth, Elijah  195
Dawes, Thos  173
Dixwell, John  181
Dummer, Lieut.-Gov  158
Fahlun Mining Co  156
Farnum, David  183
Flint, Esther  195
Foster, John  169
Fox, Capt. David  219

PAGE
Frizell, Mrs. Dory  166, 167
Frizell, John  165, 166, 178
Garzia, Rev. J  207
Gengen, John  193
George II., King  143, 188, 189
201, 208
George in., King  144, 212
Goodridge, Walter  169
Gorland, John  163
Granby, Mrs. Mary  208
Grant, Deacon  182
Hancock, Mrs. Lydia  161
Harris, Richard  97
Harrod, John  178
Hunewell, Mrs. Mary  180
Hutchinson, Edward  170
Hutchinson, Gov  178
Hutchinson, Thomas  . 170
Ireland, Mrs. Mary  174
Jones, Isaac  194
Kay, Nathl  203, 204, 205, 206
Lake, Alice  193
Lake, Thomas  193
Lathers, R  209
Loring, Nathl  168, 183
Lyman C  181
March, John  146
Marsh, Mrs. Sarah C  201
McGilchrist, Rev. Wm  200
Milles, Johannis  199
More, Saml  161, 162, 173

INDEX OF DONORS OF PLATE.

259

Morrison, Francis  210
Mosely, Col. E  207
Mosley, Ebenezer  197
Middleton, Hy. A  210
Midelton, Hy  210
Oliver, Ebenezer  179
Oxenbridg, Jno  160 7
Parkman, Elias  183
Penn, Hon. John  159
Pen Ruddock, Mrs. A  178
Perkins, Charles  215
Phillips, Wm  172
Preston, Remember  197
Preston, Sarah  198
Prince, Rev. Thos  175
Quary, Col. R  119, 152
Royall, Isaac  205
SafEn, Martha  176
Saltonstall, Dame Dory  171
Saltonstall, Mad. Mary  177
Savage, A  187
Schoolmaster, G. T  206
Senior, H. V  174
Sewall, Rev. Dr  177
Shirley, Gov  189
Simpson, John  172
Soc'y for the Propagation of the
Gospel  147, 202
Stoughton, Hon. W  109, 194

Tayloe, Col. John  217
Thatcher, Mrs  192
Thayer, Suviah  164
Tollman, Farr  176
Towzell, John  200
Tresse, Margaret  153
Troup, John  147
Tucker, Robert  214
Tudor, Capt. Thos  186
Tyng, Dudley A  200
Vanderspiegle, Mrs. E  154
Vassall, J  117
Vassall, L  187
Vassall, W  117
Waite, Thomas  158
Waldron, Rev. Wm  166, 167
Waters, Rebecca  180
Welsteed, Mad. Eliz  162
Welsteed, Mad. Sarah  168
Welsteed, Rev. Wm  166, 167
Wensley, Mrs. Eliz  166
Westhrope, Maj. John  215
Whitwell, Capt  214
William, King, and Mary, Queen, 141
144, 190
William III., King  15/
Williams, Deacon J  163
Winthrop, Adam  170
Winthrop, Gov. John  159
Wiswell, Lbis  198
Woodbury, Capt. A  200

Talbot, Mrs. John  149, 150 Yeldall, Dr  207

260 OLD PLATE.

INDEX OF MAKEES AND MAEKS.

(Marks consisting of two or more letters should be tookedfor under the first letter
of the pair or group.)
PAGE PAGE
Abercromby, R  231 Bateman, P. and W  237
A B  225 Bathe, J  212, 229
Abdy, W  236 B B  203, 222, 249
AD  249 *Belknap  54
A • D  175 «Belknap, S  56
R ' Bennett, W   237
A F  234, 237, 238 <B6ntley, T  56
AG  249 »Besley, T  58
AH  250 / B H  162
A J  232 Black, L  233
A K  250 BM.  250
A L  250 BO  202, 228
Aldridge & Green . . 234, 237, 238 Bodington, J  202, 228
Aldridge & Stamper  232 ^jrBogardus, E  58
Allen & Fox  188, 189, 201 ^ Bonnet, J  58
230, 231 \ Bourdet, S  58
« Allen, J  60 ^»Bowyer  54
AN  250 BP  197,224,250
* Anderson, W  58 BR  144, 149
A Ne linked . . '.  148 - Brasher, E  59
A P  210, 223 \ Brevoort, J  58
A R  207, 221, 25() ^Bridge  166, 180, 223
„ Archambo, P  23<P j3r;g<lon  54
^Austin, N  56 «,Broadhurst, S  58
AW  227, 250, 251/ B S  161, 251
% Buell, A  57
'O'Burger, J  59
B  249 kBurr, E  61
B A  212, 229 "j»Burrill, S  166, 222
rf- Balch & Fryer  57 "^Burt   54
K. Ball, W  60 ^%Burt, B  53, 56, 198, 224
^TBaneker, A  58 /rBurt, J  53^179, 222
« Bartlett, S  158, 224 ^>Burt, S. . '.  *  53
Bateman, H  235, 236 \ Burt, W  53, 171, 223

INDEX OF MAKERS AND MARKS. 261
PAGE PAGE
c  249 ^»DeRemier, P  58
c A  249 Dexter, T   237
Cafe, W  :  233 D G  249
C A- H G  234 D H  161, 223
» Cario, M  .58 D 1  192, 220
• Caron, N  58 _/Dixwell, J. 54, 160, 161, 175, 179
Carter, J  234 180,181,182,194,220,221
C B  155, 174, 225 DL  250
C C  237, 238^ADodge, C  61
CD  249 >*Dodge, N  61, 205
C E  249"/*Doolittle, A  57
C F  237 D S. BS  191, 233, 235
C G  ,  152,230 D T monogram  251
C H  228, 237^>Dubois, A  153
Chartier, J  228 ^JsDummer, J  53
Chawner, T. and W  233 x^Ounn, C  58, 59
Chawner, H  236 Dupont, L  231
,*Chene, D  59 D V  251
Chesterman, C  238 D W  251
C I monogram  250 >Dwight, T  ,.. 53
Ck  249
c K 9-o E A  146> 151> 228> 232
cJ  229 EA'IS  232
^ciarke,j.::,:::::; '203;206n222 j^j  146-151' »;
C°  22^250 EDmongram  .'249
ACodner  54 „. , _.
-, . „ ___ A Edwards  54
Coker, E  233' _, , m _„ „„, „„„
(301^ L  127 ^Edwards, T  58, 205, 223
*Cornelison, C  58  " " ' "
jfCowell, W  53, 173, 174, 223 Z Z,  ' „*„
Cox, G  229
<***  232 eK:::::::. :::::::::::":::::: III
CR  250 EL : 25Q
Crespell, S. and 1  234 EM  ' /  238,250
»Cr°ss -^  53  23?
Crossley,R.  237 Em '  54
Crouch and Hannam .... . 235, 236 ' „ a c„
ct, om * Emery, S  56
*"„  „°/ EMFlinked  249
CTmonogram  2^ -England, W  60
CunyLouys  230/ 
CW  208,235,251 Ep   ^
D...  227, 249 E R  250
DA  ....249 ET  251
Daniell, T  235, 236 ^ Etting, B  58
Darwall, J  233 E V  251
? David, 1  154, 224 «Evans  183
»Davis  54, 567EW  169, 170, 204, 220, 222
*Dawson, J  59
D B  227, 249 F  249
»DePeyster, W  58 FA.  217,229,230,249

262 OLD PLATE.
PAGE PAGE
Farnell, J  229/ Grigg, W  58
Farren, T  209, 211, 230, 231 *Griselm, C  60, 152
F B  249 Grundy, W  234
FC  249 GS  235
F D monogram  249 G S  226, 251
FE  249 G S. WF  236
Feline, M  232 GT  251
Fennell, E  236 Guest, T. & J  237
Ffarrer, T  213, 216, 217, 230 Gurney & Co  211, 231
F G  141, 144, 156, 190, 226 G W  238, 251
227, 249 OZ  152
FH E linked  249
>Fielding, G  58 H  250
F L  250 ^XHall, J  57
Fogelberg, A  233 ^Halsted, B.  59
r Folson, J  57 , " iarache, P  122, 211, 227
>Forbes, W. G  58, 59 /Hastier, J  58
^-Foster, J  53, 56 /Hays, A  58
Fox, M. . . 144, 188, 189, 201, 208 H B  226, 235, 236, 249
209, 232, 233 H C  236, 249
Frothingham  54 H E linked  249
F S  226, 251 /Heath, J  58
k Fueter, D. C  58, 59 Heming, T  144, 211, 232, 233
X Fueter, L  58 /Henchman, D  54, 161, 223
F W . . . . 201, 215, 232, 233, 251 X Hennell, R:  234, 235
H G  ... 235, 249
G  249 H H  250
Ga  143, 145, 229 S?i  229
Gardner, J  206, 224 Hill, R  229
Garthorne, F. . . 141, 143, 144, 145 H K  250
156, 190, 227, 229 H L  250
GB  249 HN  155
GC.'  218 /Holmes  54
X Gee, J  60 vHomes, W  56
^Germon, J  60 VjtHopkins, J  57
G F  249 / Hougham, C  237
GG  249 vHourtin, W  58
G H  169, 250// Houtenburgh, T  58
&  148, 149, 202, 228^ Howard, W  233
Gibson, W  148, 149, 202, 228 HP  250
^.Gilbert, W  59 HR  250
Gines, R  230 H S  226
GM   250 HT  251
Godbehere and Wigan . . . 236, 237j^ Hull, J. . . . 52, 160, 163, 175, 176
^.Goelet, P  58T 192, 220
^Gorham* J   61 >Hunt, E  60
Gorham Mfg. Co  61 *-Hurd  169, 195, 196, 222, 223
Gould, W  232 /Hurd, B  54
G P  250/*Hurd, J. . . 53, 163, 164, 187, 222
G R  143, 223, 229//Hurd,N  53, 54, 161
Greene, R  186, 221, 229 -\Hutton, J  58
% Griffith, D  56 ^HV  251

INDEX OF MAKERS AND MARKS. 263
PAGE PAGE
Hyatt and Semore  233 K  ¦  250
I  250 *A  231
I A  249 Kaildler> C  132,231
I A- MF188, 189,201, 230' WlsS^6*™*' A  58
IB  165, 167, 221, 230, 249/*^6rS*6ade' C  58
IC. 108,146,159,162,173, 176/*?' B/ ' " T  58
177, 183, 199, 220, 221, 223 /T^f0"' J;  58
226, 233, 234, 249 /FMelaad- *  H7, 221
IC TH  235, 236
IC-.WR  238 L  250
I D. 154, 160, 161, 175, 179, 180 L A  230
181,182,183,194, 220,221 L A •  228
224, 232, 233, 234, 249 Ladyman, J  228
I E. 158, 162, 163, 164, 173, 186 Lamerie> p- • 135, 138, 230, 231
194, 220, 221, 222, 224, 249 Lambe, J  236
I E- E E  238 LB  233
IF  249 L C  127> 230> 249
I G  164, 169, 222, 249 L D  231> 249
I H  163, 226, 250/ Leach' C  56
IH- CS  233yAr Leach, N  56
IH- RS  160,163,175, i76/LeRoux,B  58
192, 220/*LeRoux'C  58
I j 250 s* ^e Ronx» J  58
I k'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'." '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'. 250 LI  250
IL  236, 250 L0  *  156,228
x M ' 250 Lofthouse, M. E  156, 228
I N .'.'.'. '.'.'. '.'.'.'. 250 >Lo™> P  58
IO  250'LS  251
IP  250/*^e11'?-  58
IP. EW  234 J$W, J- B  58
I R  153, 168, 204, 221, 222
223, 250 M  174, 215, 226, 250
I S. 150,212, 229, 230, 238, 251 M A  228
Issod, T  212, 229 ^Martin, P  58
IT  232, 236, 251 Masham, W  228
I W  210, 251 .Maverick, P  59
IW-RG  236 MB linked  249
IW.WT  235 ME  249
j Y 251 M F  144> 208' 209' 232' 233
M G  249
\ Jackson, J  58 M H  .^  250
j e  237 xMinott  Sit- . . 172, 223
..Jenckes, J. C  61 MK  250
Joyce, S  236 MM  250
kJenks, J  52 Moore, E  238
jjy-  231 >. Morris, S  58
y Johnson, S  59VMoulinar, J  58
Johnston, A  232 i-Moulton  172, 179, 224
JS  214,231, 232 M P linked  250
JS  231, 235 MS  251
g| g>  232, 333 M W  251

264 OLD PLATE.
PAGE PAGE
Myers, M  58, 59 ^Revere . . 163, 164, 175, 178, 179
223, 224
N B  249 -Revere, E  56
N C  249 ^Revere, P. . . . 54, 55, 56, 170, 198
Nelme, Anthony  148 /Revere, T  56
Newton, J  231^ 'Reynolds, T  59
N G  24#" R G  186, 221, 230, 249, 250
N W  251 RG.TC  211, 231
RH  234, 235, 250
O F monogram  249 RH-DH  235
O G  249 R 1  250
XOnclebag, G   58 Richardson, F  60
¦rOverin, R  '•;¦.¦¦¦ 58 Ridgeway, J  56
R K  250
P  250 RL  250
_^=2*.  231 RM  250
Pa  150,229,230 R N  250
i Paddy, S  53 *Robert, C  58
^Parker  54 Robinson, J  214, 232
Parker and Wakelin  233 » Rominie, J  58
* Parisien, 0  58, 59 / Roosevelt, N  58
Payne, H  229 R P  152, 227, 250
PB-AB-WB  237 RR  234
P E  ,.,t  228 R S  234, 237, 238, 251
Peake, R  228 R T  251
* Pelletrau, E   58 Rugg, R  234
> Perkins, J  „  56 R W  251
P H  211, 227, 250 / Rydout, G  58, 59, 143, 223

s Pierpont  54
j»Pierpont, B  56, 197, 224

Sv  •¦¦¦¦ 251
l'.ii,«, :.>„! Du,t;  -.1 . S^ers, J. .. .231

p K 250 ^V Sanderson, R  52, 53, 160, 163
pl.'. . '. '. '. '. '. '. '. '. '. '. ". '. . . asi; 250 175> 176> 192> 220
p M 250 f Saunders  61
p O  166, 222 S- B  '  166> 222
Poeock, E  230 s- c  249
Podie, P  236 S C • I C  ^  234
? Pons, T  56 VSchaats, B  58
jPotwine, 1  168, 224 / S- D  )  *  249
pp  236' SE  ¦**  249
PR  170,198,235,251 SG-EW  236
PS  152, 220, 238 S G. E W. I B  237
Sharp, R  237, 238
( Quintard, P  58 Shaw and Priest  157, 232
% Simpkins, T. B  56
B  227, 250 ' SH  219, 227, 236, 250
BA..'  231 SI  250
RB  225, 230 S J  236
R C  232, 236, 237, 249 • Skinner, A  58
RE  249 ' S. L  250
mt  186, 229 ^Slydell, J  58
Read, J   186, 229 S. M  :  213, 228

INDEX OF MAKERS AND MARKS.

265

Smith, G. 
« Smith, J  56, 213

Smith and Fearn
Smith and Sharp
S N 
SO 
S R 
SS  146, 149, 154, 222,
ST 
S T • H E linked 
3>t. #e 
Stocker and Peacock 
Storr, P 
Sumner, W 
Sutton, J  
S V  '.'.''¦;  226,
S W  233, 237, 238,
Swift, J  232,
Sp 
Syngin, R 
T A  226,
T B 
T B L monogram 
TC 
T C- W C 
TD  235, 236,
TE 
Tearle, T  230,
f Ten Eyck, C 
TF  157, 209, 211, 213,
226, 230, 231,
T G  159, 226,
T G I G 
T H  144, 147, 211, 223,
233,
Thomas, W 
TI 
Timbrell, R. ....... , 
T K  '. 
TL 
T M linked 
T P  199,
T R  
. Trott, J 
TS  
T T  168,230,231,
TV 

PAGE PAGE
235 TW  234, 235
228 /Tyler  ,  54
. 236 * Tyler, A  53
191, 233, 235 x Tyler, D  56
 250^

/ Vanderspiegel, J  58
¦'¦'¦ ' ¦  60

25l/?^aUglm' D
Vergereau,Vincent, W  233

_ " * Vergereau, P  5£
¦toy/ -1

249
228228 W A  230, 234, 236
238 Wakelin and Garrard  236
235 Wakelin and Tayler  235
238 W B  236, 237, 249
251 WB.RS  237
251 W C  116, 233, 235, 249
233 U0C  233
228 WD  154
228 We  229
W F  238
249 W F linked  249
249 WG  .. 232, 234, 250
250 WH  236
249 White, Fuller 201, 215, 232, 233
233 WH  235, 250
237 M96  233
249 W I  147, 228, 250
231 Wintle, G  238
58 Wisdome, J  147, 228
216 Wishart, H  207,224
249 W K linked  250
249 WL.  :  250

237

WM  250

232 WN  250
250 WP  163,221,250
58 WR  193,220, 251
250 M5 $  •'• ¦ • 235
251 W S  236, 251
226 WS-WP  157y 232
250 WT  235
250 W V  234
226 WW  251
 58
 58

251 /Wyncoope, B.
197' Wynkoop, C...

251
251 YT  227, 251.
251 YZ  251

266

OLD PLATE.

INDEX.

PAGE
Aberdeen  34
Albany  57
Alloys  3,4
Alms basons  77
Altar candlesticks  77
Alphabetical date-letters . 14, 15, 241
America  2, 38, 45, 74
American silversmiths  52
Amsterdam  240
Anchor mark  16
Apostles' spoons  83, 85
Assay  6, 7, 8
Augsburg  12, 38
Avoirdupois weight  10
Banker goldsmiths  43
Basins, ewers and  99
Baskets, cake and bread  137
Basons  76
Beakers  72, 118
Betts v. Robertson  39
Bible, early notices of gold and
silver in the  1
Birmingham  16
Boston  52
Bottles, costrels or pilgrims'  76
Boudoir furniture  131
Bristol'  14, 15
Britannia standard  4, 15
Cake-baskets  137
Can  80
Candelabra  129
Candlesticks  77, 129
Carat  4
Casters  134
Castle mark  33, 34
Caudle-cups ....  120
Cellini, Benvenuto  42
Chalices  63
Chester  15

PAGE
Chinese  122
Chocolate-pots  136
Chronological list of
Examples of American plate . . 220
London plate  225
Church plate  62, 141
Cisterns, wine  132
Coeoanut-cups  105
Coffee-pots  135
Coins, silver  39
Cologne  38
Colonial  38
Communion-cups  69
Copper  3, 4
Cork  34
Coventry  14
Cream jugs  137
Crown mark  16
Cruet-stands  134
Cups, standing  102
Cups  80, 104, 117, 119
Date-letters  14, 15, 241
Deniers  37
Domestic plate  78
Dublin  34, 240
Dundee  34
Duty  16, 38, 39
Ecclesiastical plate  62, 141
Edinburgh  33
Epergnes  137
Esterlings  5, 12 .
Ewers, basins and  99
Examples of English marks  239
" " Foreign "  240
Exeter  15, 240
Farmer of duties  35, 254
Flag and staff mark  34
Flagons  75

INDEX.

267

Flasks  76
Flaxman  42
Fleur-de-lis  35
Forgeries  45
Forks  124
Fountains, wine  132
France  35
Frauds  45
French marks, tables of  252
Frosted silver  9
Geneva, New  34
Germany  38
Glasgow  33, 34 '
Goddards  80
Gold  1,3
Gold plate  78
Goldsmiths Co  7, 8, 13
" weights... .„ .\  9,10
Guilds  11,12
Hague, the  240
Hall-markB, where placed  47, 49
Hanaps  73, 102
Harp mark  34
Hibernia  34
Historical sketch  40
Hogarth  42
Holbein  42
Holland  38, 240
Index of donors  258
" "makers  260
" " places  257
Inverness  34
Ireland  34
Jewelers  2
Jugs, stone-ware  99
Justa, the  80
Kettles, tea  186
King's head mark  16
Lamerie Paul  9
Lancaster  61
Lemon-strainer  129
Leopard's head  13, 16
Lily  35
Lincoln  14
Lion  15
Lion's head  16

PAGE
London marks, tables of  239, 241
Loth, a German weight.  38
Loving-cups  108
Maidenhead spoons  81
Makers' marks  13
" Chronological list
of  220, 225
Maryland  3
Massachusetts  3, 52
Mazers  90
Monkey spoons  89
Monteiths  128
Montpellier  12, 14, 36
Murra, the  90
Nef, the  80
Newburyport  56
Newcastle-upon-Tyne  14, 15
New England  114
New Geneva  34
New York  3, 58
Norwich  14, 15
Nuremberg  12, 38
Ostrich eggs, cups of  105
Paris  11, 35, 253
Pewter vessels  71
Perth  34
Philadelphia  39, 60
Pittsburgh  61
Plate and plate buyers  18
Plate, the word  3
Plates  123
Porringers and posnets  120
Pound  9, 10
Providence  61
" Quarterly Review"  18, 50
Queen's head  16
Rouen  36
Russia  38
Salisbury  14
Salts  93
Salvers  99
Sauce-boats  128
Sconces  130
Scotland  33
Shakspere  5, 56, 83, 126
Sheffield  16,240

268

OLD PLATE.

PAGE
Sideboard  79
Silver  1, 3
Sovereign's head  16
Spain  38
Spoons  47, 48, 81
Apostles'  83, 85
maidenhead  83
monkey  89
seal-headed  88
tea  89, 137
St. Andrews  34
Standards  4, 5
" French  37
Sterling  5, 12
Stone-ware jugs  99
Strasbourg  36
Tankards  Ill
Tasters   118
Tazze  117
Tea-kettles  136
" pots  135
" spoons  89, 137
urns  136

PAGE
Thistle mark  34
Toilet services  131
Touch, trial by the  5, 6, 7
Touch of Paris  12
Touchstone, a  5,7
Tower pound  9
Transformations  49
Transpositions  47
Troy weight  9, 10
Trussing-cups  80
Tumblers  122
United States .2, 39, 74, 75, 76, 114
Urns, tea  136
Virginia  3
Voiders  80
Wardens  13
Weights  9, 10
Wine-cisterns  132
York  14,15