HALL MARKS ON PLATE.
2/6
BIRMINGHAM. It appears that previous to the middle of the eighteenth century, the silversmiths of Birmingham were in the habit of sending their wares to London and Chester to be assayed. This method of dealing with articles for assay, proving very unsatisfactory, the Birmingham plateworkers in February, 1773, presented a petition to the House of Commons, for leave to bring in a Bill to establish an Assimilar petition was also presented by say Office at Birmingham. the silversmiths of Sheffield, at the same time. The result of the petitions was that, during the same year, the Statute of 13 George
A
III, cap. 52,
was passed.
This Act commences
:
"
Whereas the Silver /miths and Plate-workers in and about the Town of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, and in and about the Town of Sheffield, in the County of Y ork, are under great Difficulties and Hard /hips in the Exerci/e of their Trades, for want of A//ayers in convenient Places to a//ay and touch their Wrought Plate."
Therefore this Act was passed for the appointment of Wardens and Assay Masters for assaying and stamping wrought silver plate, in the Towns of Birmingham and Sheffield; and for appointing for each of these Towns a number of Noblemen, Gentlemen and workers, to be known by the names of "The Guardians of the Standard of Wrought Plate," within such towns. The Act provides that silver goods "/hall be marked as followeth; that is to /ay, with the mark of the Worker or Maker thereof, which shall be the Fir/t Letters of his Chri/tian and Surname; and al/o with the Lion Pa//ant, and with the Mark of the Company within who/e A//ay Office /uch Plate /hall be a//ayed and marked, to denote the goodne/s thereof, and the Place where the /ame was a//ayed and marked and al/o ;
with a di/tinct variable Mark or Letter which Letter or Mark /hall be annually changed upon the Election of new Wardens of each Year in which /uch Plate is marked." And it Company, to denote the was further enacted " That the peculiar Marks of the /aid Companies, directed to be u/ed as above/aid, /hall be as follows that is to /ay, for the Birmingham Company, an Anchor; and for the The Chief Officer of the Company is Sheffield Company, a Crown." known as the Assay Master and is responsible to two authorities; first to the Guardians of the Company, by whom he is appointed; and secondly to the Master of His Majesty's Mint, before whom he is bound, with two sureties, under the penalty of five hundred pounds for the faithful execution of his office, and for the payment of any fines inflicted on him for negligence or fraud, and also for ap;
;
pearing at the Mint annually and verifying his proceeding and diet box. This verification does not apply to the Assay Offices of ChesThe Act assigns to the Guarter, Edinburgh, Glasgow or Dublin. dians the duty of providing a suitable place for assaying and stamping the silver ware; of appointing an able and skilful person