Hall marks on gold & silver plate

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HALL MARKS ON PLATE.
silver, of what sort soever, if any such they shall find, to be made,
wrought, and exposed to sale, in deceit of our people."
This privilege has been since so materially enlarged, that they
have the power of inspecting all gold and silver wares in the follow-
ing particular places, viz., Chester, Newcastle, Norwich, Exeter,
Birmingham and Sheffield, with the power of punishing all offenders
concerned in working adulterated gold and silver, and of making
bye-laws for their better government.
STANDARD OF 18-CARAT GOLD.
A.D. 14//. 17 Edward IV, Stat, i, c. i, directs (in^er alia), that
no goldsmith, or worker of gold or silver, shall work, or put to sale,
any gold under the fineness of 18 carats, nor silver, unless it be as
fine as sterling, except such thing as requireth solder ; also, that no
goldsmith work, or set to sale, harness of silver plate, or jewel of
silver, from the feast of Easter, within the City of London, or within
two leagues [" leukey "] of I^ondon, before it be touched with the
leopard's head, such as may bear the said touch, and also with a
mark or sign of the worker of the same so wrought, upon pain of
forfeiture of the double value of such silver wrought and sold to
the contrary ;
that the mark or sign of every goldsmith be committed
to the wardens of the same mystery, and if it be found that the
keeper of the touch of the leopard's head, do mark or touch any
harness with the leopard's head, if it be not as fine in alloy as sterling,
he shall forfeit double the value of the silver, and that the
craft of goldsmiths of London shall be answerable for the nonsufficiency
of the warden.*
This statute was enacted for seven years, and was afterwards
re-enacted for twenty years in 1489, and again for twenty years in
1552 by 7 Edw. VI, c. 6. REPEALED.
ASSAY OF GOLD AND SILVER.
A.D. 1487. 4 Henry VII, parl. 3, c. 2. Item, "Whereas it was
of old Time u/ed, and continued till now of late Years, that there
was for the Weal of the King and the Realm, Finers and Farters of
Gold and Silver by Fire and Water, under a Rule and Order belonging
unto the Mints of London, Calais, Canterbury, York, and
Durham, and in other Places where Mints been holden, and at the
Gold/miths' <strong>Hall</strong> in London, to fine and part all Gold and Silver
belonging and needful for the /aid Mints and Fellow/hip of Gold-
/miths, for the Amendment of Money and Plate of the Realm, that
every Thing might be reformed to the right Standard, as well in
Money as Plate, to the lea/t Co/t for the Weal of the King's Noble-
* This Statute is Norman-French, and is printed in "The Statutes at
Large," Vol. II, page 40.