Hall marks on gold & silver plate

CHESTER ASSAY OFFICE. 283
CHESTER.
It appears by the record of Domesday, that in the reign of Edward
the Confessor there were seven Mint Masters in Chester. In
the reign of Charles I much of the silver was coined here, and in
that of William III it was one of the six cities in which mints were
established for recoining the silver of the kingdom. The mint-mark
of Chester on the half-crowns of Charles I struck in 1645 is three
gerbes or wheat sheaves.
We have no record of the time when Chester first commenced
assaying plate; it is not mentioned in the statute of the 2nd Henry
IV (A.D. 1423), but an office must have been established early in the
sixteenth century. An old minute-book contains an entry some time
prior to 1573, directing "that noe brother shall delevre noe plate by
him wrought unles his touche be marked and set upon the same
before deliverie thereof, upon paine of forfeiture of everie diffalt
to be levied out of his goods iij^ iiij'\" We also quote the following,
which may interest some of our readers :
"Md. the viij day of March in Anno 1603 Yt is concluded
and agreyed by the whole Compeney of the Gouldsmyths y* this
Order shall be houlden and kept amongst us all, that the brood
Arrowes agaynst Shroivftid^^ shall way everie one vj'^ stalling and
everie on of the Compeney shall not sell vnder ix'^ and for everie
on that selles vnder ix'^ shall fforfyt xij'\ And yt is ffourther agreyed
that the Steward for y* time shall come and sey them wayd and
touchte. And to have ffor his paynes a ij'^ duzen, and for the
perfformance of thise order we have subscribed our names. At that
time beinge Alderman and Steward of said y*^ Compeney of the
Gouldsmyths.
"
It is agreed by the consent of the Aldermen and Steward of
the Gouldsmiths that who soe ever shall make the bell that shalbe
*
This allusion to the "broad arrov.s against Shrovetide" refers to an
ancient custom at Chester of holding shooting and running matches for prizes
of silver broad arrows every Shrove Tuesday. These arrows (in sheaves of
six in each quiver) were given by the Shoemakers' Company, ajid by all newly
of the
married couples, as homages to the Drapers' Company. The homage
Saddlers' Company was a silver bell, to be given to the owner of the swiftest
horse in a race on the same day. In the Collection of the Corporation of Carlisle
are a pair of s.ilver racing bells. One bears the date 1599; the other has
a band inscribed with this rude distich :
" THE SWEFTES HOKSE THIS BELL TO T.\KE
FOR MY LADE D.\KBR S.\KE."
hence the phrase, " to bear away
Bells were frequently given as racing prizes ;
the bell." Camden, under the head of Yorkshire, mentions " a solemne horse
running, in which the horse that outrunneth the rest hath for his prize a
little golden bell." That was in the days of James I. The well-known nursery
rhyme also alludes to the custom, when children are being started for
a race :
"
Bell horses. Bell horses, what time o' day.
One o'clock, two o'clock, three and away."
At the word ''
away " they commence the start.