Hall marks on gold & silver plate

FRAUDS AND ABUSES. 103
CRIMINAL LAW CONSOLIDATION. MARK FOR
TWENTY-TWO CARAT GOLD.
A.D. 1844. Abstract of the Act of the seventh and eighth VIC-
TORIA, cap. 22, entitled "An Act to amend the Laws now in force, for
preventing Frauds and Abuses in the Marking of Gold and Silver
Wares in England."
By Sect i, the Act of the 13 Geo. Ill, c. 59, and that part of the
38 George III, c. 69, which relates to the punishment of offenders,
are repealed.
By Sect. 2, the forging or counterfeiting any die used by the
Company of Goldsmiths ot London, or by the Companies of Gold-
smiths in the Cities of York, Exeter, Bristol, Chester, Norwich, or
the Town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, or the Companies of Guardians
of the Standard of wrought plate in the Towns of Sheffield or Birmingham,
for marking gold or silver wares, or knowingly uttering
the same ; the marking wares with forged dies, or knowingly uttering
any such ware; the forging any mark of any such die used as aforesaid,
or knowingly uttering the same; the transposmg or removing
any mark of any die used as aforesaid, or knowingly uttering any
such transposed mark; the having in possession any such forged or
counterfeit die as aforesaid, or any ware of gold or silver, or any
ware of base metal, having thereupon the mark of any such forged
or counterfeit die as aforesaid, or any such forged or counterfeit
mark, or imitation of a mark as aforesaid, or any mark transposed
or removed as aforesaid, knoiving the same respectively to have been
forged, counterfeited, imitated, marked, transposed, or removed the
;
cutting or severing any mark, with intent to join or affix the same to
any other ware; the joining or affixing to any ware, any cut or sev-
ered mark ;
and
the fraudulently using any genuine die, are respec-
tively made felony, punishable by transportation for any term not
exceeding fourteen nor less than seven years, or by imprisonment
with or ivithout hard labour for any term not exceeding three years.
By Sect. 3, every dealer who shall sell, exchange, expose for sale,
export, import or attempt to export or import, or who shall have in
his possession without lawful excuse (the proof whereof shall lie
upon him) any ware of gold or silver, or base metal, having thereupon
any forged or counterfeit mark, or any mark which shall have
been transposed or removed, is made liable for every such ware to a
penalty of 'ten pounds.*
By Sect. 4, dealers are exempted from the penalty
of discovering
and making known the actual manufacturer of any such ware, or
the person for whom the same was bought, had, or received.
ware which shall have been
By Sect. 5, it is enacted, that if any
duly assayed and marked, shall be altered, by any addition being
made thereto, or otherwise, so that its character or use shall be
*
In the cases provided for by this section, it will be seen that it is not
necessary for tjie Company of Goldsmiths, suing for the penalty, to prove a
guilty knowledge.