Hall marks on gold & silver plate

72
HALL MARKS ON PLATE.
In 1359 one of the members of the fellowship was found guilty
of mals outrages, and he was adjudged to forfeit his livery. He
prayed mercy of the company, and offered them ten tons of wine;
and he was forgiven on paying for a pipe of wine, and twelvepence
a week for one year to a poor man of the company.
It seems to have been a usual practice at this time for defaulters
to make their peace with the company by presenting them with a
pipe of wine; or sometimes with a dinner.
ASSAY MARKS.
A.D. 1363. 37 Edward III, c. 7. Item, it is ordered that goldsmiths
as well in London as elsewhere within the realm, shall make
all manner of vessels and other works of silver, well and lawfully of
the allay of good sterling; and every master goldsmith shall have a
mark by himself, and the same mark shall be known by them who
shall be assigned by the King to survey their work and allay; and
that the said goldsmiths set not their <strong>marks</strong> upon their works, till the
said surveyors have made their assay, as shall be ordained by the
king and his council : and after the assay made, the surveyor shall
set the king's mark, and after the goldsmith his mark, for which he
will answer; and that no goldsmith take for vessel white and full for
the weight of a pound (that is to say) of the price of two <strong>marks</strong> of
Paris weight, but eighteen pence as they do in Paris ;* [and that no
goldsmith making white vessel shall meddle with gilding, nor they
that do gild shall meddle to make white vessel:] and they which
shall be so assigned in every town shall make their searches as oftentimes
as shall be ordained ; and for that which shall be in the goldsmiths'
default they shall incur the pain of forfeiture to the King,
the value of the metal which shall be found in default.! Repealed.
In 1370 the first recorded ordinances are entered in the minutes,
and the statutes are sworn to by the good men, and also entered in
full. These statutes give minute direction, not only as to the manner
of the assay as to ; workings of ouches, buckles, and what not as to
;
the apprentices but also as to ;
praying for the souls of the departed
members of the brotherhood.
In Riley's "Memorials of London" we also find that several
charges were brought before the notice of the mayors and aldermen
of London for counterfeiting silver cufpebonds of mazer or wooden
cups and bowls. These mazers were usually mounted with silver
circlets which ran round the foot and mouth of the vessel connected
by vertical bands which enclosed the bowl.
"
In 1372, Thomas Lauleye, contriving to deceive the common people,
had circlets of latone gilded, and with them bound divers cups,
which he afterwards sold and exposed others for sale, as well in the
* The clause in brackets relating to gilding was repealed
21 Jac. 18.
t This Act is printed in Norman-French, in "The Statutes at Large,"
Vol. I, page 315.