(click on photos to enlarge image)
THE INTRODUCTION OF MECHANICAL MARKING
BY THE LONDON GOLDSMITHS’ COMPANY
By the middle of the 18th century the amount of plate
passing through "Hall" for hallmarking had increased to the
extent that it was becoming desirable to find a way to speed up
the process. Of even more importance was the growing problem of
fraud. The form of fraud that was causing the greatest concern
was transposition which had become prevalent following the
introduction of plate duty on 1st June 1720. This is the
practice of cutting out legitimate hallmarks from a small item
to solder them into a larger piece or cutting them out of old
plate, sent to a silversmith for melting and refashioning, so
that, again, they could be used on new pieces which were thus
never sent in for assay and proper hallmarking.
As early as the 8th January 1730 the Court of Wardens at
Goldsmiths' Hall had met to consider this matter and the
following entry appears in the minutes pertaining to that
meeting:
"Then (the?) Wardens took into consideration how to remedy an
ancient evil practice, amongst ill-disposed goldsmiths, of
cutting out the Company’s marks from old pieces of plate, and
soldering the same into new pieces, which have never been tryed
(sic) at the Hall, and may possibly be very coarse, and the
fraud equal to the counterfeiting of the Company’s marks, for
which there is a penalty of £500 set by Act of Parliament. Now
in order to prevent the said evil practice of cutting out the
marks from one piece of plate, and soldering the same into
another piece, (the?) Wardens ordered that the officers in the
Assay Office, who usually strike the marks on plate, do strike
the marks on every piece of plate as farr (sic) distant from
each other as the same conveniently may be struck, so that they
may not be cutt (sic) out together."(note
1) This shows the concern that the Company had over
transposition and it may appear a little odd, therefore, that an
examination of plate of this period reveals that this
instruction was not followed. This is because several
influential silversmiths appealed against it. The reason for
this objection is not recorded but whatever the reason two
months after its introduction the Company reversed the
instruction. However, as initially, it had been instituted some
items of plate marked thus do occasionally turn up.
Thomas Long, the engraver to the Goldsmith's Company, set about
designing a machine which would be capable of marking plate with
all the marks at one strike and do so in such a way that the
marks would always appear regular and in the same order. By 1753
his design for such a machine was near completion and on the
1st. March the Standing Committee of the Goldsmiths’ Company met
to consider it. The following reference appears in the minute
book relating to that meeting.
"Then the Committee resolved the further consideration of the
matter of an order of reference made the 26th. day of October
last concerning the forwardness of the workmanship of plate
before it be markt and the manner of marking it the better to
prevent counterfeits and the Com(mitt)ee having been sundry
times attended by Mr. Long the Ingraver (sic) who produced two
sorts of patterns of engine to strike the marks more true and
regular than by the former method both as to order and
visibility They directed him to prepare a proper set of engines
and tools for purposes by him proposed with what expedition he
can at the charge of the Companys Assay Office."
(note 2)
Unfortunately Long died in 1754 before he could demonstrate his
machine but the Companys new engraver, Thomas Pingo who took
office in 1756, immediately set to work on it with the result
that at a meeting of the Court of Assistants on 28th May 1757 he
offered to "perfect and compleat (sic) the iron fly press and
the table and punches for the more exact and regular marking of
plate in the Company’s assay office......"
(note 3) and on 30th
June 1757 the Court minutes read:
"At this Committee Mr. Thomas Pingo the engraver produced
several proofs of marks or impressions made on a piece of copper
with the Iron Fly Press intended for the use of the Assay
Office, and he struck some more impressions or marks with the
press on buckles and spoons in the presence of the Committee
which were approved by them whereupon they resolved that the
said press be used in the Assay Office under the Direction of
the Deputy Warden in the marking all such plate as may
conveniently be marked therewith, but this without altering the
usual mode or form of marking such plate till further order."
(note 4)
Thus it was that mechanical marking was introduced for the first
time by the Goldsmiths' Company of London. It is believed the
machine came into regular use from the beginning of the marking
year 1758 (note 5)
but, oddly, it was not used on spoons in spite of their success
as demonstration pieces and neither was it used on hollow ware.
The only plate this author has found on which the "fly Press"
was used at this early date is large flatware such as salvers,
plates and waiters and its effectiveness can readily be seen by
comparison of the marks on a salver of 1740 (Fig I) and one of
1760 (Fig II).
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Fig I: Hand punched
marks on a salver by
Robert Abercromby London 1740. Note the punch
outlines which were introduced on 18th July 1739
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Fig II: Press mark
on the base of a salver of 1760 by
Emick Romer
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This new method of marking met with a certain amount of success and by the end of
the 18th century it was decided to mark small flatware, such as spoons and forks, with
the fly press. These items had been marked, during the 18th century, with the lion at
a right angle to the other marks in an endeavour to circumvent transposition and this
may be why the press was not used on them earlier. This decision was taken after the
beginning of the marking year 1781/2 so that some spoons were marked with the letter
"f" in the old hand punched way (Fig III) but somewhen between 29th May,
when the marking year started, and November of 1781 (probably nearer to November
than to May) the press was introduced and there are "bottom marked" spoons
(marking on the stem near the bowl) which exhibit this form of marking (Fig IV)
though they are very rare.
 |
 |
Fig III: Hand
Punched Bottom Marking on
Table Spoon by Hester Bateman London 1781
|
Fig IV: Bottom "Fly
Pressed" Mark on Spoon by
William Tant London 1781
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It was found, however, that this was unsatisfactory,
probably because the pressure of the press would weaken the stem
of the spoon, and the following entry appears in the Assay
Office Court and Committee Book for 1st November 1781:
"The Accounts of the plate broken since the last Committee were
inspected. After which the Committee examined some silver spoons
with the Marks struck upon the upper part of the handles And
Resolved that it be recommended to the wardens to give their
Directions to the proper Assay Officers to mark the table and
teaspoons in future upon the upper part of the handles".
From November 1781 therefore spoons and forks were top marked (marking
on the wide end of the handle) Fig V. The sequence of marks used
on large spoons was the same as for other press marks namely;
date, lion, leopard and this differed from the order of hand
punched marks which was lion, leopard, date. No fly press stub
was produced for use on tea spoons at this time, and a quite
different method was adopted for marking these. This was the
double mark punch but that is another story.
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Fig V: Top Marked
Spoon (Maker's Mark Rubbed) London 1781/2
Fly Press Mark struck after 1st November 1781
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ACKNOWLEGEMENTS
I am greatly indebted to the Worshipful Company of
Goldsmiths for allowing me research facilities and for allowing
me to reproduce extracts from their records
Some of the foregoing text was published in 2005 by The Silver Society in their journal
'Silver Studies' number 19
David McKinley
David McKinley devotes much of his time to researching the history of silversmithing in England with particular reference to hallmarking at the London office.He writes for The Silver Spoon Club of Great Britain, The Silver Society and ASCAS website.
David McKinley is the author of the book THE FIRST HUGUENOT SILVERSMITHS OF LONDON.
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