Hall marks on gold & silver plate

THE NEWCASTLE ACT. 89
never availed themselves of the privilege, or had long
since discon-
tinued it, or it v^ould have been unnecessary to reappoint them ex-
pressly by this statute.
As the King's subjects had, in the year 1697, sold most of their
wrought plate to the mints to be coined into money, and the said
had abolished the old standard of 11 oz.
Act William III, c. 8,^
2 dwts. and established the new standard of 1 1 oz. 10 dwts. for
wrought silver plate, and had only entrusted the said Company of
Goldsmiths in London with assaying and marking all the new standard
plate of the kingdom; and as a large demand now arose for
wrought plate, and the goldsmiths in the remote parts of the kingdom
were under great difficulties to supply their customers, therefore
the goldsmiths, etc., in the above cities (where mints were lately
erected) obtained the above Act, which conferred the same privileges
upon the cities therein named, but from 1696 to 1701 no plate had
been assayed or stamped anywhere but in London.
In the parts of England distant from the metropolis it was the
custom, as enacted by 2 Richard II, 1379, "that every goldsmith
should have his own proper mark set upon his work," and also that
"the work should bear the mark of the city or borough where it was
assayed."
In the Acts of 1423 and 1462, York, Norwich, Lincoln, Newcastle,
and other cities were appointed to assay gold and silver, and
were directed to use " divers touches according to the ordinance of
"
the Mayor, Bailiff, or Governor of the said towns ; hence it seems
they could adopt any mark they thought proper; but in 1700, when
these assay towns were re-established. Sect. 3 expressly defined the
five <strong>marks</strong> to be : (1) the arms of their cities, (2) the inaker's mark,
(3) a variable Roman letter to show the year in which the plate was
made, (4) the lion's head erased, and (5) Britannia.
THE NEWCASTLE ACT.
A.D. 1 70 1. I Anne, Stat. I, c. 9, Sect. 3. This section recites
the Act of 12 William III, c. 4; and proceeds that, "Whereas in the
Town of Neivcaftle upon Tyne there is, and Time out of Mind hath
been, an ancient Company of Gold/miths, which, with their Families,
by the /aid Trade utterly lo/t in the /aid Town : And whereas by
the Statute of the /econd of HENRY the /ixth, the Town of New-
to have Touches
caftle upon Tyne is one of the Places appointed
for Wrought Silver Plate; Be it therefore enacted by the Authority
afore/aid, that the Town of Newcaftle upon Tyne be and is hereby
appointed for the a//aying and marking of Wrought Plate, and for
executing the /everal Powers, Authorities, and Directions mentioned
and contained in and by the /aid Act of the twelfth Year of our
/aid late Sovereign Lord King WILLIAM, as fully and amply, to all
Intents, Con/tructions and Purpo/es, as if the /aid Town had been
expre/ly named in the /aid Act."