SCOTTISH SILVER

Scottish marks are in a field by themselves. The art of the silversmith has always been on a high level in Scotland, and the statutes governing the marks are many in number, and extend over a long period from as early as the fifteenth century. Besides Edinburgh and Glasgow, the number of Scottish hall-marks is legion. The following towns are known to have marked and presumably assayed silver: Stirling, Perth (sometimes having mark of lamb and flag, and sometimes double-headed spread-eagle), Inverness, Dundee (marked with design of town arms, a pot of lilies), Aberdeen, and Banff.

Edinburgh used the thistle as the Standard Mark after 1759. Before that date the Assay Master’s initials were used. The Hall Mark is a castle with three towers, and has been in use since the fifteenth century. The Date Mark, letters A to Z (omitting J), has been regularly employed since 1681. The Maker’s Mark has been used since 1457. The Duty Mark of the sovereign’s head was added from 1784 to 1890.

Glasgow, whose patron saint is St. Kentigern (known also as St. Mungo), has for a Hall Mark a tree with a bird perched on summit, a bell suspended from the boughs, and transversely across trunk a salmon with a ring in his mouth; the latter alluding to the miracle of the recovery in the fish’s mouth of the lost ring of the Queen of Caidyow. The Standard Mark is a lion rampant, used after 1819, and the Maker’s Mark his initials. The Duty Mark of the sovereign’s head was used as at Edinburgh.

SCOTTISH MARKS

The Edinburgh marks of the date 1705 shown on the opposite page are from an old Scottish Quaich (illustrated page 313). Robert Inglis was the Maker, and the Assay Master was James Penman, and their initials are on separate stamps. The letter A is the date letter for 1705.

The mark for 1750 shows the letter V in italic capitals, and the Assay Master’s initials are H.B, and the Makers’ are signified by K & D.

An Edinburgh mug is marked with the letters A.U and IK, standing for Alexander Ure, the Maker, and James Kerr, the Assay Master. The date letter is K, probably representing the year 1790.

A sugar-caster, 1746 (illustrated page 317), has the Maker’s initials E.O. and the Assay Master’s initials H.G. (for Hugh Gordon). The castle is also stamped as the Hall Mark, and the date letter R in italic capitals.

A coffee-pot made by Patrick Robertson, 1769 (illustrated page 321), has the marks shown opposite. The thistle is the Standard Mark; the castle is the Hall Mark; P.R. is the Maker’s Mark; and the letter P for the date. Another of Patrick Robertson’s pieces—a fine tea-urn in classic style—is illustrated page 325. The date letter for this is Z, indicating the year 1778.

Two Glasgow marks are shown opposite. One is before 1819, before the lion rampant was used; and the other shows the lion rampant, the Standard Mark of Glasgow still in use. The Duty Mark Stamp is the head of George IV. F is the date letter for 1824.

EDINBURGH

GLASGOW

IRISH SILVER

Irish silver offers some complications in regard to its markings, and it is especially interesting in its character.

Dublin is the centre of the silversmiths’ work in Ireland, and officially the Dublin Goldsmiths’ Company holds the exclusive right of assaying and marking Irish silver; but, as we shall show, there was excellent silver made elsewhere in Ireland, notably at Cork, and in the chapter devoted to Irish silver some fine specimens are illustrated.

The Standard Mark is the harp, and was used with the crown added to it, in the year 1637, under the terms of a charter granted by Charles I to the Goldsmiths of Dublin.

As we have seen, in England from 1784 to 1890 the head of the sovereign was added as a mark to denote that duty had been paid. But in Ireland a Duty Mark was in force as early as 1730, viz. the figure of Hibernia. In 1807, in the reign of George III, the duty was raised; and it was enacted 47 Geo. III that the king’s head should be stamped as a Duty Mark. This was continued till 1890, as in England, but at the same time the old Duty Mark of the figure of Hibernia was retained, and has still been used since 1890. The figure of Hibernia may be practically regarded as a Hall Mark, although it was first adopted to denote that duty had been paid.

The Maker’s Mark, in the early days a device, and later initials, follows the practice of assay offices in England. The date letter was used from the middle of the seventeenth century. The present series of letters from 1896 to 1920 covers the alphabet from A to Z (omitting J) in old English capitals.

IRISH MARKS

Dublin. 1699. The marks of this date shown opposite are from a caster (illustrated page 331). The maker is George Lyng. This was of the period prior to the adoption of the figure of Hibernia.

Dublin. 1706. These marks are taken from a cup with harp handles. The harp with crown is in a gracefully shaped shield. The Maker’s initials are E.B., and the date letter S.

Dublin. 1770. In these marks, drawn from a cream-pail (illustrated page 343), the figure of Hibernia appears. It will be noted that this is prior to the addition of a Duty Mark in England (in 1784), and prior to the further addition of a second Duty Mark in Ireland (in 1807), when the head of George III denoted that duty had been paid. The Maker of this piece was Will Haynes. The date is about 1770, but undecipherable.

The present Dublin alphabet A to Z, Old English capitals (omitting J), commenced in 1896. The date letter for 1915 is U. These letters are in the same order as the London alphabet from 1896, but the latter is small Roman, and commences again at A in 1916, whereas the Dublin alphabet continues to Z in 1920.

Cork. 1694. This series of marks shown opposite includes the mark of Robert Goble, of Cork, the maker. The two castles on different stamps appear on Cork examples, and the galley with sails.

Cork. 1764. These marks are drawn from a cream-jug (illustrated page 339), with fine chased and repoussÉ work, signed by Jonathan Buck in full, and having as a mark a buck, together with the word STERLING, which was sometimes used on Cork and other Irish silver.

DUBLIN

CORK

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