HALL MARKS ON PLATE.
358
The maker's marks were in use, and were also registered, at the time of the passing of this Act and for many years previously, in accordance with other Acts of Parliament and the practice of the London Hall. The manufacturers were required to stamp and register their mark punches in the Assay Office in Dublin, previous to the year 1694, and this practice has been continued to the present time.
These three standards of 22, 2c and 18 karats, directed by this Act, were continued by another Act, subsequently passed, namely, the 47 Geo. Ill, sess. 2, c. 15, s. 3, August 10, 1807, and are still in use.
By
same Act,
the
without alloy, or
KING'S A.D.
may
sell
gold
HEAD DUTY-MARK. DUTY INCREASED.
1807.
marks for
c. 23, s. 29 (Ireland), no refiner less fine than with one grain per ounce.
47
George
III, sess.
2, c.
do not seem but were those which were in use silver in Ireland,
15,
s.
to be
3
(Ireland).
The
determined by the
in 1807, or as settled by Statute, the Commissioners of Taxes. By Section 6 of this Act, the stamp of the King's head, or head of the reigning sovereign, was now for the first time added to the others to denote payment of the duty, but no notice was taken of the former mark of Hibernia, and both marks were used. The duty v;as raised to one shilling per ounce oh gold and silver plate. (The
duty on
silver plate abolished 1890.) the same Act, sect. 15, both buyer and seller are liable to a By penalty for plate without the required marks.
STANDARD OF SILVER IMPROVED. A.D.
1825.
6
George
IV,
c.
118.
A
small
Roman
letter e is
found for the date towards the end of this year, succeeding the capital letter E. This was done in compliance with the order of the Commissioners of Stamps, to denote the transfer of the duty from the Commissioners and Collectors of Excise to the Commissioners of Stamps; and also to mark the change of the standard of silver made in Ireland at that time, by having to adopt the practice of the London Hall in marking silver plate, at an allowance of only one pennyweight and a half below the standard this was also by brder of the Commissioners of Stamps, and according to the 47 Geo. Ill, sess. 2, c. 15. Previous to this order, Irish manufactured silver plate used to be marked in Dublin, at some periods, as standard, at an allowance of from two and a half to three and a half pennyweight worse than the standard; consequently Irish sterling, manufactured previous to that date, was inferior to English sterling, and to the Irish sterling subsequently
manufactured.