Hall marks on gold & silver plate

284
HALL MARKS ON PLATE.
made against Shrovetide ffor the Sadlers shall have for his paines
iij* iiij*^, and yf any of the Compeney shall offend in the premisses,
he shall pay unto the Alderman and Steward and the reste of the
Compeney being, iij^ iiij'^.
"And y* all the oulde bells shalbe broke and not any of the
Compeney to by any to be new burnished or sould to the peneltie
aforesaid iij* iiij*^."
The arms of Chester, granted in 1580, were, party per pale, composed
of the dexter half of the coat of England, Gules, three lions
passant gnardant in pale, or, dimidiating, azure, three garbs or,
for Blundeville, Earl of Chester. The crest is, on a wreath or, gules,
and azure, over a royal helmet, a sword of State erect with the point
upwards. The supporters are on the dexter side, a lion rampant or,
ducally gorged argent ; on the sinister side, a wolf argent ducally
gorged or. The grant mentions the antiquity of the city, and that
the ancient arms were nearly lost by time and negligence, and that
the coat which the citizens claimed was deficient in crest and supporters.
The hall <strong>marks</strong> on plate were the arms of the city, a sword
erect between three wheat-sheaves, down to 1697. In 1701, the
shield adopted was three demi-lions with three wheatsheaves also
dimidiated, wh'ch was again changed about 1775 to the more simple
shield above described, without the demi-lions, etc., still in use.
The following extracts from the books of the Chester Goldsmiths'
Company are all we can find relating to the <strong>Hall</strong> <strong>marks</strong>,
commencing in the year following the date of the Charter from King
James II in 1685.
1686. Feb. 1st. And it is further concluded that the
Warden's <strong>marks</strong> shall De the Coat and Crest of
the Citty of Chester on two punsons with a letter
for the year.
1687. Paid for ye tuches engraving .... 12'
Paid for ye three punsons .
1690. June 2nd. On the same day
...
.
. o
the letter was
o
changed from A to B, and so to continue for
one year
1692. April.
letter
Paid for
C .
a
.
punson
. .
and
.
engraving
.
the
.......
1692. Novr. Paid Mr. Bullen for copperplate and
punson
1694. Paid Mr. Bullen for a new letter punson .
1697. Paid for the punson and carriage
00
o
6
01 6
These extracts prove that the Goldsmiths' Company at Chester
assayed and stamped plate with three <strong>marks</strong> the arms of the city,
the crest, and the date letter before 1701 ; the maker's mark being
set upon the plate before it was delivered into the Assay Office, upon
pain of forfeiture, as ordained.
There is no plate preserved by the Corporation of Chester of an
earlier date than the latter half of the seventeenth century. The
three tankards, two flagons, ewer and tobacco-box which \ve have