Hall marks on gold & silver plate

STANDARDS OF GOLD AND SILVER. 83
On June 12, 1652, the new Wardens took their places at
the Court of Assistants, and the new pounsons were brought in by
the graver. The letter for the ensuing year was to be the great O in
the Court character in an escutcheon.
At the Court held June 4, 1658, there was an order made for
the new letter to be used, " the Company having run through the
alphabet of the character of the Courte hand letter."
A complaint was made to the Court of Assistants on June 2,
1663, that the spoons had then lately not been wrought for length
and wideness of the bowls as tliey ought to be, but were shorter in
the handles and less in the bowls than theretofore.
It was therefore ordered that the form and pattern of a spoon
should be made and hung up in the Assay Ofhce; and if spoons
were brought to be assayed otherwise made, the Deputy Assayer
was to return them to be new wrought again.
The Company, in 1664, in conformity mth the request of one
of the Secretaries of State, made a return of the quantity and value
of the plate made during the previous ten years. This shows that
the total weight of silver plate was 309,728 lbs. 6 oz. 6 dwts., and
the value thereof ;^929,i85 us. 6d. (5s. an ounce). That gold plate
was very seldom made, and that gilt plate was included in the total
amount named.*
Eleven years later the Company made the following order :
London^ Goldsmiths' <strong>Hall</strong>, February 23, 1675.
Whereas complaints have been made to the Wardens of the
Company of Goldsmiths, London, that divers small works, as
buckles for belts, silver hilts, and the pieces thereto belonging, with
divers other small wares, both of gold and silver, are frequently
wrought and put to sale by divers goldsmiths and others, worse than
standard, to the great abuse of his Majesty's good subjects, and
great discredit of that manufacture, and reproach in foreign
parts to the English goldsmiths; and that there are also divers
pieces of silver plate sold, not being assayed at Goldsmiths' <strong>Hall</strong>,
and so not marked with the leopard's head croivned, or lyon, as by
law the same ought to be : And whereas the Wardens of the said
Company, to prevent the said frauds, have formerly required all
persons to forbear putting to sale any adulterate wares, either of
gold or silver : but that they cause the same forthwith to be defaced :
And that as well plate workers as small workers shall cause their
respective <strong>marks</strong> to be brought to Goldsmiths' <strong>Hall</strong>, and there strike
the same in a table kept in the Assay Office; and likewise enter their
names and places of habitations in a book there kept for that purpose,
whereby the persons and their <strong>marks</strong> might be known unto
the Wardens of the said Company; which having not hitherto been
duly observed, and many of the offenders seem to be incorrigible;
these are therefore to give notice to, and to require again all those
* Memorials of the Goldsmiths' Company.