Hall marks on gold & silver plate

82 HALL MARKS ON PLATE.
all which Forfeitures /hall be to the U/e of the Queen's Maje/ty,
and the other Moiety to the U/e of /uch Party grieved and /u/taining
Lo/s thereby, as will /ue for the /ame in any Court of Record,
by Action, Bill, Plaint, Information or otherwise, wherein no E//oin,
Protection or Wager of Law /hall be admitted for the Defendant."*
Repealed, except from " and if any goldsmith."
Again, by this Act the Goldsmiths' Company of London is the
only Authority for assaying Gold and Silver Ware, and no Country
Offices are mentioned.
In 1630 new gowns were purchased for the almsmen of the
Goldsmiths' Company, and it was ordered that " The badge of the
Leopard's Head is to be set upon each gown."
When Mr. Harrison, a goldsmith, was Sheriff, in 1633, the Company
lent him a quantity of plate. The list of this shows that
the Company possessed a very valuable collection prior to the loss
of the greater portion of it during the Civil War. The vessels lent
to Mr. Harrison weighed between 2,000 and 3,000 ounces, and were
mostly gilt. They included eleven standing cups and covers, many
basins and ewers, greater and lesser salts. Livery pots, trencher
plates, etc.
At the Court of Assistants, held 23rd May, 1638, it was re-
that :
ported
"
The alphabet of small Roman letters has been used down to
'V.' It being the custom of the Company not to go beyond 'V,' it
is resolved that the alphabet of great letters of the Court hand-
writing shall now be used."
At the Court held, two years later it was resolved that " In con-
sequence of the devices of workmen to entrap the Assay Master,
namely, by clogging their work with unnecessary solder; making
pieces of plate of many parts of silver of different qualities ; putting
new feet to the bodies of old bowls which have passed the touch,
and adding potkins of coarse silver; and in consequence of the
leniency of the wardens by which many offenders escape punishment,
it is ordered that Alderman Wollaston shall make relation
of the aforesaid practices in the <strong>Hall</strong>, and warn offenders that they
will in future be visited with condigne punishment."
In 1650, a complaint was made against Thomas Maundy,
because he had printed and published an order of the Commonwealth
whereby he was appointed to make the great maces, thus deterring
others from providing maces. Mr. Maundy was sent for, and
explained that he had no desire of monopolising the making of
maces, and that he conceived that the order was only to extend to the
making of the : great maces, namely for the Parliament, for the
Council of State, for the City of London, and for Ireland. The
Wardens therefore resolved to publish something showing that the
members of the Company might make any maces, which should be
bespoken of them.
* " The Statutes at Large," Vol. II, page 622.