Chapter XIV: Appendix: I

EXAMPLES SHOWING TYPES OF HALL MARKS ON SILVER PLATE

Used by the various Assay Offices in operation during the Manufacture of Sheffield Plated Ware

II

EXAMPLES OF MARKS

Found on old Sheffield Plate during the period 1753 to 1840

I

EXAMPLES SHOWING TYPES OF HALL MARKS ON SILVER PLATE[3]

Used by the various Assay Offices: London, Exeter, Chester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, York, Sheffield, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, and Cork

[Footnote 3: _The Position of Marks._--Marks are not placed on old silver in a straight line. They are shown in this manner for convenience, and are the author's own arrangement. They are in practice irregularly stamped and sometimes upside down. The maker put his stamp on the piece prior to sending it to the Assay Office. The remaining stamps were done under the directions of the Wardens. Although the maker's mark was stamped first, some of the other marks were placed on either side of it.]

The following series of Hall Marks on Silver by the various Assay Offices are given as they fix the exact date when certain types of silver were made, and the maker's stamp with initials enables identification. It is only by comparison with original examples of dated silver that approximate dates can be ascertained of old Sheffield plate which set out to copy silver. Accordingly, the work of the following London makers should be studied with a view to establishing the original designers of many of the old Sheffield replicas. The following great masters came on the threshold of the Sheffield plate invention: Paul Crispin (1743); Paul Lamerie (1746); John Cafe (1749); Peter Taylor (Tea Caddies) (1747); Frederick Kandler (Inkstands) (1757); Thomas Whipham (1747); John Swift (Coffee Pots) (1749); Richard Rugg (1754); William Grundy (1757); Edward Wakelin (1753); Isaac Duke (Sauce Boats) (1743); Simon Jouet (1747); George Wickes (Candlesticks) (1750); Samuel Taylor (Caddies, Sugar Basins) (1756); Henry Herbert (1753).

When the Sheffield industry was at its height the following London makers had established a reputation for various classes of designs which they had made their own.

=Sugar Basins= (Fine pierced and festoon work): Benjamin Gignac (1761); J. Denizlow (1781); Henry Chawner (1792); L. Herne and F. Butty (1750); Daniel Smith and Robert Sharp (1769); S. Herbert & Co. (1767).

=Cream Jugs, Sauce Boats=: Samuel Meriton (1761); Walter Brind (1763); Parker and Wakelin (1775); James Wilkes (1784); Peter and Anne Bateman (1791).

=Candelabra and Candlesticks=: Robert Hennell (1777); Wakelyn and Taylor (1782); John Tayleur (1786); John Schofield (1786).

=Centrepieces=: William Plummer (Adam Style, 1787).

=Tureens and Services=: Dave Smith and Robert Sharp (1747); Thomas Heming (1772); William Pitts and Joseph Preedy (1793); Robert Sharp (Wine Coolers) (1803); Samuel Hennell (Wine Coolers) (1813); Paul Storr (1796-1820).

=Punch Ladles=: Dorothy Mills (1771).

=Salt Cellars=: Daniel Hennell (1758).

=Inkstands=: Thomas Heming (1764).

=Toasted Cheese Dishes=: Thomas Heming (1779).

=Tea Urns=: Orlando Jackson (1771).

=Teapots and Coffee Pots=: William Plummer (Teapots and Caddies) (1764); Frederick Knopfell (1765); Samuel Taylor (Caddies) (1770); W. Cripps (1762); Samuel Wood (1785); William Shaw (Caddies) (1788); Robert Garrard (1805); Philip Rundell (1819).

LONDON

EXETER

The date letters of the various London alphabets are readily ascertainable. The differences in the shape of the shields are not great; the leopard lost his crown in 1821 and has been cat-like in appearance ever since. Exeter continued as an Assay Office till 1882, but York, which was not mentioned among the Assay Offices in 1773, recommenced about the beginning of the nineteenth century and continued till 1870. Its mark was a St. George's Cross and five diminutive Lions. Newcastle-upon-Tyne similarly discontinued assaying silver in 1884.

=Exeter.=--The mark, as is shown, is a castle with three towers. The Date Letters were =A-Y= (1773-1796). The letter =I= was used for two years 1781 and 1782. =A-U= (1797-1816) in square shield and =a-u= (1817-1836) in square shield with four corners cut off. About 1775 the following silversmiths' marks are found on Exeter silver: Richard Jenkins, William Coffin, Richard Freeman, and Thomas Thorne (Plymouth), David Hawkins (Plymouth), William Harvey (Plymouth), Richard Bidlake (Plymouth).

=Chester.=--The Town Mark formerly was three Demi-Lions with wheatsheaves on a shield. In 1775 it was changed to three Wheatsheaves with a dagger, which is still in use at the Chester Assay Office. In addition there is the Lion passant and the Leopard's head denoting sterling silver, as at London.

=Newcastle-upon-Tyne.=--The complete Marks are the Lion passant, the Leopard's head, the Town or Hall mark of three Castles, the Date Letter, the Maker's Mark, and the Duty Mark of the sovereign's head used, as at all other offices, till 1890, when the duty on silver plate was abolished.

=Sheffield.=--An Assay Office was established by Act of Parliament in 1773 (13 George III, Cap. 52), and Sheffield obtained the rights to hall mark silver. It is unfortunate that between 1773 and 1823 the date letters were taken at random. The difficulty of identifying silver plate between these two dates (an important period) is thereby increased by this irregular choice of the Guardians of the Wrought Silver Plate of Sheffield. It is as though they had designedly set conundrums for posterity which none of the other Assay Offices did with their regular series of date letters. But from 1824-1843 the alphabet denoting the date runs from =a-z= (the letters i, j, n, o, w and y being omitted), and from 1844-1867 the alphabet was =A-Z= (J and Q being omitted).

The marks on the opposite page have been taken from specimens of silver plate hall-marked by the various provincial Assay Offices.

The Chester silversmiths made a variety of excellent plate. There was Richard Richardson whose designs were in the Queen Anne style, and doubtless attracted the attention of Sheffield. In 1768 Bolton and Fothergill made a variety of articles, including some fine candlesticks, and other silversmiths about 1775 whose marks were stamped at Chester are: Geo. Walker, Jas. Dixon, Gimble and Vale (Birmingham), John Gimlet (Birmingham), Ralph Wakefield (Liverpool), Christian Thyme (Liverpool), and Ralph Fisher (Liverpool).

The mark given of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Assay Office is from a Coffee Pot. Although of a slightly earlier period it exhibits the type of mark. Newcastle produced many tankards, teapots and coffee pots of plain character and simple form that Sheffield in the early days might have essayed to copy. The following names of the Newcastle makers may assist possessors of Sheffield plated ware to establish a parallel: Isaac Cookson (1752); Robert Makepeace (sauceboats) (1754); Langlands and Goodriche (1754); Langlands and Robertson (1794).

At York in 1819 Robert Cottle and J. Barber were at work as silversmiths. A teapot of that date made by them exhibits fine design.

Early after the passing of the Act in 1773 the Sheffield silversmiths distinguished themselves by producing fine candlesticks, and among the early makers' marks with the Sheffield hall mark of the Crown as the Town Mark of Sheffield, is that of Samuel Roberts & Co., and this is found together with the mark of the Lion passant and the Leopard's head. Another mark on candlesticks of silver (1791) is I. P. & Co. (J. Parsons & Co.). That Sheffield made silver plate before this is shown by the evidence before the Select Committee of the House of Commons in 1773, alluded to on page 63.

CHESTER

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE

YORK

SHEFFIELD

The Birmingham Assay Office came into being in 1773 under the same Act as that governing Sheffield (13 George III, _Cap._ 52). The marks are an Anchor (the Town Mark), a Lion passant, Date Letter, Maker's initials, and the Duty Mark of the sovereign's head from 1776.

Scottish marks come under another series of Acts and are a field to themselves. Besides Edinburgh and Glasgow marks the number of Scottish marks is legion (Sterling, Perth, Inverness, Dundee, Aberdeen, Banff, etc.).

Edinburgh used the Standard mark of the Thistle after 1759 in place of the Lion passant found on English silver. The hall mark is a Castle with three towers. The alphabets of Date Letters A-Z and the Maker's initials have been regularly used since the fifteenth century. The Duty Mark of the sovereign's head was added in 1784. It was also formerly usual to add the Assay master's initials.

Glasgow, in honour of her patron saint, St. Kentigern (known also as St. Mungo) has a hall mark of a Tree with a bird on uppermost branches, a Bell suspended and a Salmon transversely across the trunk. This fish has a ring in its mouth, the latter alluding to the miracle of the recovery of the last ring of Queen Caidyow. The Standard Mark is the Lion Rampant, used after 1819, and the Maker's Mark his initials. The Duty Mark of the sovereign's head was the same as at Edinburgh.

Dublin marks have a figure of Hibernia, a Harp and Crown, together with Maker's Mark and the Date Letter. The Cork marks are varied. Sometimes there is a castle stamped twice and sometimes only the word STERLING and the Maker's initials or mark.

=Birmingham.=--Among the makers of silver plate we find Matthew Boulton, who also made plated ware, with fine silver candlesticks with the hall mark and date letter for 1794. The date letters of the Birmingham alphabets run: =A-Z= Roman capitals (1773-1798); =a-z= small Roman (1798-1824); =A=Z= Old English capitals (1824-1849); etc.

=Edinburgh.=--Among the well-known makers are Joseph Kerr (1790) and Patrick Robertson (1778). An example is given of the mark of the latter found on a Coffee Pot made in 1769.

=Dublin.=--There are a number of makers with a reputation for fine designs. R. Calderwood (1760); George Beere (1760); J. Laughlin (1765); Stephen Walsh (1765); W. Townshend (1765); Will Hughes (1770); William Homer (1771); Darby Kehoe (1771); Capel Harrison (1771); Thomas Lilly (1772); Charles Townshend (1773); Thomas Jones (1775); Robert Williams (1776); John Nicklin (1780); Matthew Walsh (1780); William Law (1790); Matthew West (1791); Robert Breading (1802); and James le Bas (1819). The initials of these makers will be found on Irish silver of the period.

=Cork.=--Here there were fine designs of an unusual character produced. Robert Goble, an early maker, had left a tradition. There was George Hodder (1745-1770) who made fine coffee pots and other articles. John Williams (1780) who produced sugar baskets finely pierced and chased in classic style, and there was Jonathan Buck, who was renowned for his magnificent repoussé and chased work in cream jugs and the like, who signed his pieces sometimes "J. Buck," in script, and sometimes stamped them with the mark of the buck.

BIRMINGHAM

EDINBURGH

GLASGOW

DUBLIN

CORK

II

EXAMPLES OF MARKS

=Found on old Sheffield Plate during the period from 1753 to 1840 together with Marks on French Silver Plated Ware=

The bell, the crossed arrows (three and four), the crossed keys, the pineapple, the orb, the hand, are all marks used by Sheffield makers. The following firms are well known:--Roberts, Cadman & Co., Goodman & Co., Parsons & Co., Wilkinson & Co., Williams & Co., Dixon and Sons, Holy & Co., Gainsford, Walker Knowles & Co., all of Sheffield. At Birmingham there was Matthew Boulton, and the Soho Co., Hardy and others. In London there were many firms settled in the Soho district.

The cross keys, illustrated, is the mark of H. Wilkinson & Co. (formerly John Parsons & Co.), Sheffield, though during what period this was used is not determined. The Orb (that is, the ball and cross) was the trade mark of Walker Knowles & Co., Sheffield, but exactitude in regard to the period of its use is lacking. The open hand was the sign of Messrs. Watson, Sheffield, and the crossed arrows of Messrs. Fenton, Creswick & Co., Sheffield.

The original firm Roberts, Cadman and Co., who commenced business in 1784, used the Bell as a mark. They also used, as is illustrated, R.C. & Co. and R.C. & Co. Patent. The latter mark is stamped on a candlestick made about 1797. In the same period Roberts, Cadman & Co. produced Coffee Pots with "Ivory Pine Knob" as advertised in their catalogues of that date. There were Tinder Boxes at 10s. 6d. each with extinguisher with chain and candlestick on top. The Tea Urns were priced at twelve guineas "circular or globular shaped." The Tea Caddies plated inside with silver edges were 45s. each, and some cups and cream ewers were "gilt inside." They made also at this date Lamp Holders to fit into candle sockets, and Taper Holders.

The firm afterwards became Roberts, Smith & Co., then Smith, Sissons & Co., and were succeeded by W. & G. Sissons, who are still continuing the business and are silversmiths and electro-platers.

The three crossed arrows mark is interesting. It is claimed to have been used by Messrs. Fenton, Creswick & Co., Sheffield. The mark illustrated with four crossed arrows is that of T. & J. Creswick (1811). With it is given another crossed arrow mark of two crossed arrows adopted by the Sheffield Assay Office to stamp on Foreign silver assayed at that office in 1904; before that only the letter =F= in an oval was used, but by 4 Edward VII, Cap. 6 all Assay Offices had to adopt a new style, and Sheffield selected the crossed arrows. In 1906 the mark was changed to the one illustrated, which is still used on foreign silver sent to Sheffield for assay and sale in this country.

The firm became Roberts, Smith & Co., then Smith, Sissons & Co., and
is now Messrs. W. & G. Sissons, who still use the mark.

(See illustrations from R. C. & Co.'s Pattern Books, pp. 75, 183.)]

Found on Candlesticks with silver edges.

In 1824 Roberts of Sheffield took out a patent for a new method of
applying silver edges to snuffer trays, cream jugs, sauce boats, &c.
These are found stamped SILVER:EDGD.]

MARKS ON FOREIGN SILVER PLATE ASSAYED AT SHEFFIELD. (1904.)
(1906.)]

(See Illustrations from Pattern Books, pp. 141, 145, 151, 179, 191.)

The Mark as above is that of H. Wilkinson & Co., their successors.]

Many fine examples of old Sheffield plate are unmarked. Where marks are found it is not always possible, except by inference, to determine at what particular date the makers stamped such marks, that is at what date the specimen was made. Obviously the style of decoration indicates approximately the period, as the Sheffield platers set out to offer ware as fashionable as silver. This is determinable by comparison with similar examples made by the silversmiths. But whereas silver plate was accurately dated when it bore the stamp of the annual date letter, wherever made, Sheffield plated ware cannot offer this exactitude.

Marks when found are useful as indicating the initials of old firms who have manufactured plate from the earliest period and are still in business. But many of the marks were used over a long period and only by comparison with silver prototypes can dates be arrived at.

It has been shown (p. 63) that in 1773 when Sheffield and Birmingham were made Assay towns that silver plate was being made there, contemporaneously with plated wares and presumably by the same firms. The evidence before the Parliamentary Committee in 1773 showed that Sheffield had her silver assayed in London, and that Birmingham had also some of her silver assayed in Chester. It therefore follows that many examples of silver plate bearing the London and Chester hall marks were made at Sheffield and at Birmingham--and in the period from the invention of plated ware at Sheffield by Boulsover till the year 1773.

One of the weakest points in regard to marks on plated ware is undoubtedly the absence of real proof as to date. Similar marks are found covering a period too long for one maker's working lifetime. It follows that they represent firms; often accompanying these, though not always, are signs also found through a long period and on various classes of ware, which are stated to be workmen's marks. In old Worcester china signs not understood and standing apart from the factory mark of the crescent or the square Chinese mark are attributed to workmen. There identity ceases. It is the same, unfortunately, with old Sheffield plate. That the Sheffield platers did attempt to simulate the London marks on silver plate is only too true. In some examples with a row of marks, a very colourable imitation of the leopard's head is seen and the public might well be deceived. But after 1773 this practice became too dangerous. In fact the penalties were so severe that makers feared to mark plated goods until the 1784 Act laid down clearer rules.

The mark consisting of four stamps about 1815 in date is interesting. The casque suggests a head, and the _fleur-de-lys_ might, when worn, suggest the Sheffield crown on silver plate. The =G= has all the appearance of a date letter. Such marks have a somewhat sinister appearance, as they undoubtedly by their number and character were attempting to simulate the hall marks on silver plate.

In regard to Foreign marks on silver plated ware that was produced in the method of old Sheffield, there are examples known to have been made in France and in Russia, and it is believed that they were also made in Holland and in Sweden. The promulgation of the old Pattern Books by Sheffield at the end of the eighteenth century doubtless had an influence on metal workers on the Continent, who were never slow in assimilating new processes, especially when they offered, as did Sheffield, a lessened cost of production and an appearance simulating something finer.

The legal enactments relating to the marking of French plated ware are referred to on p. 209.

The illustrations of marks found on French silver plated articles are interesting. The authorities were strict in regard to an exact definition in the mark to denote to the public the exact nature of the ware offered for sale. In contradistinction to the slovenliness of English marking this exhibits the logical and protective system devised under French laws. The articles had to be stamped _Doublé_ (replica) or _Plaqué_ (plated), and as is shown in the illustration in no illegible manner. There was no simulation of the French silver plate marks allowed, and the quantity of silver was duly stamped 10M or 20M, as the case might be. The maker, as will be seen, had his mark, but it took a subsidiary place. The public had to be protected first.

In regard to Close Plating, which as a process came about the beginning of the nineteenth century, and was applied to smaller articles where the rolled sheets were not applicable, there are a number of marks found on forks and spoons, snuffers and skewers, on spurs and buckles, dessert knives and forks, and other articles of a like nature.

Electro-plating was discovered about 1840, and a patent was taken out by George and Henry Elkington of Birmingham at that date.

The electro-plated marks are imposing. In worn examples the row of five stamps is not decipherable. What they were originally it is not easy to say, but they have been designed to appear more important than they are.

(Found on late Eighteenth-Century Hot Water Jug.)]

(Found on Salt Cellars in date about 1815.)]

The upper mark (_Plaqué_) is on a Tureen about 1816.

The lower mark (_Doublé_) is on the Coffee Pot illustrated (p. 211).]

A great number of marks appear on close plated articles. Horday & Co., S.G., E.S., S.J. and others. But their identity is not known. Nor is it very significant. An interesting mark, Sly. Dublin, is found on a skewer in the early period.

Probably seventy-five per cent. of examples of old Sheffield plate are unmarked, though they exhibit fine craftsmanship which any maker might well have been proud to have stamped with his initials had the Act of 1773 been framed sufficiently clear to enable makers to venture stamping plated ware at all with safety. Anonymous, therefore, as most of the best Sheffield plate of the best period is, it bears on the face of it the hall mark of exquisite workmanship.

Collectors of old Sheffield plate make a great mistake in constantly demanding that examples be marked. If this demand for marks on old Sheffield plate be insisted upon, the marks will accordingly be supplied. There is nothing to prevent stamps being made to represent some of the marks found on old Sheffield plate, and unmarked pieces will soon bear marks and straightway become more saleable. The public by incessant clamour drive those responsible for providing for its wants into devious paths. The dealer in old Sheffield plate has scores of fine unmarked examples and he is wishful to sell them as such.

They are undoubtedly old and of fine quality. It should be the ideal of the collector to know the technique of his subject so well that the artistic beauty and the skilful craftsmanship of an example should make its appeal to his trained scrutiny irrespective as to whether there is any maker's mark on the piece or not. The seams on old pieces showing joins are a far better test of old workmanship as between old Sheffield plating and modern electro-plating. These seams are the hall marks of the makers a century and a century and a half ago.

INDEX

Abbotsford, Scott's introduction of gas at, 116

Adam design, example of hot water jug, 228

Adam style of design, the, 85

Addison omits Shakespeare from list of great poets, 51

Advertisement of Pinchbeck (1732), 54

Allan David, copyist of old masters, 21

Anonymity of Sheffield plated ware, 289

Arrows, the crossed, as a mark, various types of, 286

Artistic value of old Sheffield plate, 60, 61

Assay offices, examples of marks used at, 274-282

"Below the salt," its meaning, 136

Birmingham Assay Office, institution of, 41

Birmingham--
hall marks on silver plate, 281
its silver plated marks registered at Sheffield, 68
silver platers, rise of, 68

Boulsover, Thomas (1704-1788), inventor of Sheffield silver
plating, 46
obituary notice of, 47

Boulton, Matthew, Birmingham (Boulton and Fothergill),
(M. Boulton and Co.), 68

Buckle makers, the, 262

Buttons made by Thomas Boulsover, 47, 53

Button makers in Dublin (1792), 73

Cabinet makers, French, stamped marks of, 237

Caddies, tea, and their makers, 196

Cadman, Robert, and Co., (Sheffield), 89

Cake baskets, Sheffield plated, 165

Candelabra--
and candlesticks, 79-131
old silver, London makers of, 274

Candelabrum, the--
its varieties, 90
the tri-form, 115

Candlestick--
the chamber, 119
the table, 120

Candlesticks--
early types, 81
from eighteenth century Pattern Books, 74, 86, 89
old silver, London makers of, 274
Sheffield plated, their price, 269

Carteret's "Drunken Administration," 48

Centrepiece, the, 245

Centrepieces, old silver, London makers of, 274

Chair-backs, a test to apply to their beauty, 109

Chester hall marks on silver plate, 277

Chester--Liverpool, and Birmingham silversmiths' work assayed at, 278

China factories, Derby and Worcester, origin of, 49

Chippendale chair-backs, the test of their beauty, 109

Christie's, price of Sheffield plated candlesticks sold at, 269

Close plating, 261

Coasters (decanter stands), 166

Coffee pots, 206

Coffee pots, old silver, London makers of, 274

Contemporary silver designs in Sheffield plated period, 274, 278, 281, 282

Continental trade, Sheffield platers and, 154

Copyists of old masters, 21

Cream jugs, old silver, London makers of, 274

Danger of public clamour for marks, 293

Date of examples, Sheffield plated, absence of proof of, 289

Death penalties for tampering with silver plate, Geo. III (1815), 48

Decanter stands, 166

Decadence in design, in candlesticks, 126

Design Book, Sheffield Plate, eighteenth century, 139

Designer, the, his greatest asset, what to omit, 109

Destruction of old Sheffield plate, 253

Die work in Sheffield plating, 82

Dies, destruction of old Sheffield plate, 250

Dinner table, passing of the, 254

Dish rings, Sheffield plated, 177

Drunken habits of eighteenth century, 189

Duties on silver, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, 48

Economic substitution, 22

Electro plating, its invention, 290

Empire style candelabrum, 116

English craftsmanship, imitativeness of, 27

English porcelain factories, origin of Derby and Worcester, 49

Engraving, not an imitative art, 28

Engravings, when printed in colours, imitative art, 28

Epigram by Porson on Pitt, 189
on weight in plate, 202

European imitativeness, 25

Exeter hall marks on silver plate, 277

Factory system, the, 268

Fashion of buckles, decline of the, 263

Foreign policy, Carteret's pronouncement on his, 48

Foreign silver plating in Sheffield style, 290

Fraud by silversmiths, penalties against, 35

French--
marks on silver-plated ware, 290
plating, an early process, 39
plated ware, regulations regarding, 209

Garrick, David, his revival of Shakespeare, 50

Gas introduced to light Abbotsford, 116

George IV and the fashion of buckles, 263

German silver and other white metals, 267

Gin bottle covered with bead work, 26

Glass designs imitate silver, 35

Glass, Venetian, copied in Germany, 25

Goltzins simulates prints of old masters, 20

Grease pans, their indication of date, 99

Guido picture fabricated by Mignard, 20

Hall marks on old silver, illustrated, 275, 279, 283

Hancock, Joseph (Sheffield), his share in developing silver
plating, 61

Herculaneum--
design from, 116
influence of art of, 116

Hogarth, "the Scottish," David Allan, 21

Imitativeness, European, 25

Imitation--
as a fine art, 19
of hall marks by Sheffield platers, 289, 290
decadence of wood engraving, 41

Imitations of Sheffield plate, 158

Inkstands, 181

Invention of silver plating by fusion, 45

Ireland, silver plating by fusion carried on in, 71

Irish dish or potato rings, 177

Irish Government offers premium (1783) for plated ware made
in Ireland, 71

Irish hall marks on silver plate, 281, 282

Irish plated skewer marked "Sly," 262

Jackson, John, copyist of Reynolds, 21

Jugs, hot water, 227

Kettles, tea, 205

Knick-knacks, a world of (eighteenth century), 54

Knife handle of stamped Sheffield plate, 50

Lamb, Charles, quoted, 136

Liverpool silversmiths' work assayed at Chester, 278

Liverseege, Henry, copyist of Vandyck, 21

London, silver plating carried on at, 68

Louis XIV--
orders silver plate to be melted, 23
his extravagant use of silver plate, 23

Marks--
on French cabinet work, 237
on porcelain, 232
on Sheffield plate, 62, 63, 231;
(illustrated), 286-293
(Sheffield plate) fear of platers to stamp any, 64, 67
on Sheffield plate resembling silver marks, 62, 63
on silver, position of, 273

Melting down of old Sheffield plate, 253

Mignard fabricates a Guido picture, 20

Missionary-fostered art, 26

Mustard pot, the, 148

Newcastle-upon-Tyne--
hall marks on silver plate, 277
silversmiths at, 278

Nottingham, silver plated ware made at, 68

Nozzles, removable, their indication of date, 96

Old masters, drawings of, copied by David Allan, 21

Old masters, prints of, simulated by Goltzins, 20

Original silver plate design copied by platers, 143

Ornament--
spiral, its abuse, 106
useless, failure of, 110

Parliamentary Committee on conduct of assay offices (1773), 63

Parsons and Co., Pattern Book, 181

Patch boxes, Sheffield plated, 54

Pattern Books, eighteenth century, silver platers', 74, 86, 89, 139

Penalties--
counterfeiting Duty Mark (1815) punishable by death, 48
for fraud in old plate, 36, 62, 63
for wrongly stamping Sheffield plate, 67

Petition of the buckle makers, the, 264

Pinchbeck, Christopher, and his imitations, 54

Pipe lighter--
Sheffield plate, 241
illustrated, 239

Pitt, epigrams by Porson on, 189

Plating, silver--
early, 35
pre-fusion period, 35, 39
process described, 58
used fraudulently, 35

Pompeii, influence of art of, 116

Poor relations and their foibles, 136

Porcelain factories, Derby and Worcester, origin of, 49

Potato rings, Sheffield plated, 177

Potters, copy of silversmiths' designs by, 28, 31

Pottery, French, supplants silver plate, 24

Pounce pot, the, and its use, 182

Prince of Wales's feathers used in design, 153

Process of Sheffield silver plating described, 58

Rise in value of old Sheffield plate, 269

Romney picture of _Serena_ (Miss Sneyd), 119

Ruskin and copies of Turner drawings, 22

"Salt, below the," its meaning, 136

Salt cellar, the, 135
the new style, 147

Sauce boats, old silver, London makers of, 274

Scott, Sir Walter, his introduction of gas at Abbotsford, 116

Scottish hall marks on silver plate, 281

Seams a test of genuineness in Sheffield plate, 293

Sevrès porcelain makers' marks, 232

Shakespeare neglected by Addison and Steele, 51
revival of study of, 50

Sheffield--
Assay Office, institution of, 40, 41
hall marks on silver plate, 277
origin of silver plating at, 39

Sheffield plate--
old, destruction of, 253
wonderful technique of, 161

Sheffield platers--
as to their originality, 143
deterred from placing any marks, 64, 67

Sheffield silver plate, makers of, eighteenth century, 278

Sheffield, silver plating process described, 58

Silver--
duties in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, 48
price of, in eighteenth century, 47
lustre ware imitates silver plate, 35
marks, simulation of, by marks on Sheffield plate, 62, 63
plate designs copied by platers, 143
plate made at Sheffield assayed in London, 63
plate, value of hall marks on, 274
plating at Sheffield, origin of, 39
plating by fusion, its invention, 45
plating, early, 35
plating, the great period, 73

Silversmiths--
copy of potters' designs by, 28, 31
list of late eighteenth century, 77
(London) who influenced Sheffield platers, 274

Simulation in art, 25, 28

Smith, J. R., engraving of _Serena_ after Romney, 119

Spiral forms in candelabra, 100

_Spectator_, advertisement in (1712), 140

Spurious candelabra and their errors, 95

Steele, Richard, omits Shakespeare from list of great poets, 51

Steel toys, the, of Sheffield, 140

Sugar basin, the, 210
basins, old silver, London makers of, 274

Supper table, the, 238

Taper holders, 181

Tea and coffee sets, 201

Tea caddies and their makers, 196

Tea kettles, 205

Teapots, 189
old silver, London makers of, 274

Tea urn, the, 202

Technique, wonderful, of Sheffield plate, 161

Tinder boxes, Sheffield plated, 286

Toasted cheese dishes, old silver, London makers of, 274

Trencher salts, their use, 147

Tureens--
old silver, London makers of, 274
soup, 220

Turner drawings, facsimiles of, 22

Tutenag, an alloy of antimony and zinc, 267

Urn, the tea, 202

Utility the true test of ornament, 110

Value of old Sheffield plate, 269

Ward, his replicas of Turner drawings, 22

Wedgwood, Josiah--
shell-forms, adoption of, 31
carved wood models, use of, 31
indebted to metal-workers of Sheffield, 32

White metals, German silver, etc., 267

Wine coolers, old silver, London makers of, 274

Wine labels, Sheffield plated, 53

Wood engraving, decadence of, 41

Worcester china, workmen's marks on, 289

York, silversmiths at, 278

_Printed in Great Britain by_

UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, LONDON AND WOKING

UNWIN'S "CHATS" SERIES

LIST OF VOLUMES

=Chats on English China.= By ARTHUR HAYDEN. Illustrated with reproductions of 156 marks and 89 specimens of china. Cloth, 9s. net. Tenth Impression.

This is the standard work on the subject. The volume will enable the possessors of old china to determine the factories at which their ware was produced.

"It gives in a few chapters just what the beginner wants to know
about the principal varieties of English ware. We can warmly
commend the book to the china collector." _Pall Mall Gazette._

"So simply yet so thoroughly written, that it is a sage guide to
the veriest tyro in china collecting." _Bookman._

=Chats on Old Furniture.= By ARTHUR HAYDEN. With a coloured frontispiece and 104 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net. Fourth Edition. Twelfth Impression.

"The hints to collectors are the best and clearest we have seen; so
that altogether this is a model book of its kind." _Athenæum._

"A fully illustrated practical guide for collectors." _The Times._

"Mr. Hayden has worked at his subject on systematic lines, and has
made his book what it purports to be--a practical guide for the
collector." _The Saturday Review._

=Chats on Old Prints.= How to Collect and Identify. By ARTHUR HAYDEN. With a coloured frontispiece and 72 full-page plates. Cloth, 9s. net. Seventh Impression.

Every branch of the subject is carefully and explicitly handled in this book, and valuable information as to technical processes and identification of prints is given.

"If there is a better book of its kind on print collecting we have
not yet come across it." _Daily Graphic._

"A very useful handbook for beginners, intended to help any reader
of artistic tastes, but very moderate means, to collect to good
purpose." _The Times._

=Chats on Costume.= By G. WOOLLISCROFT RHEAD, R.E. With a coloured frontispiece and 117 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net. Second Impression.

A practical guide to historic dress. "Clothes" is a subject that has been neglected by collectors, and this book will be a useful guide to those who desire to repair that neglect by forming a collection.

"A book that is at once the work of an authority on the subject of
costumes, and one that helps to enlarge our range of selection."
_Pall Mall Gazette._

=Chats on Old Miniatures.= By J. J. FOSTER, F.S.A. With a coloured frontispiece and 116 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net. Second Impression.

This book presents in a concise and popular form a variety of valuable information on the collection and preservation of miniatures, on the leading English and French artists, and on the specimens exhibited in public galleries.

"Mr. Foster is truly a guide, philosopher and friend. He tells us
not only how to judge and how to buy miniatures, but how to take
proper care of them.... The splendid photographs by which the book is
enriched adds in a great measure to its attractiveness and utility."
_Aberdeen Free Press._

=Chats on Old Lace and Needlework.= By MRS. LOWES. With a frontispiece and 74 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net. Third Impression.

Written by an expert and enthusiast in these most interesting branches of art. The low price at which the work is issued is exceptional in dealing with these subjects, and it is remarkable in view of the technical knowledge displayed and the many photographic illustrations which practically interleave the book.

"In commendable, clear and concise style Mrs. Lowes explains the
technical features distinguishing each example, making the book the
utmost value in identifying samples of old lace."--_Weldon's Ladies'
Jour._

=Chats on Oriental China.= By J. F. BLACKER. With a coloured frontispiece and 70 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net. Fifth Impression.

Will be of the utmost service to collectors and to all who may have old Chinese and Japanese porcelain in their possession. It deals with oriental china from the various standpoints of history, technique, age, marks and values, and is richly illustrated with admirable reproductions.

"A treatise that is so informing and comprehensive that it commands
the prompt recognisation of all who value the choice productions of
the oriental artists.... The illustrations are numerous and invaluable
to the attainment of expert knowledge, and the result is a handbook
that is as indispensable as it is unique."
_Pall Mall Gazette._

=Chats on English Earthenware.= A companion volume to "Chats on English China." By ARTHUR HAYDEN. With a coloured frontispiece, 150 Illustrations and tables of over 200 illustrated marks. Cloth, 9s. net. Fourth Impression.

"To the ever-increasing number of collectors who are taking an
interest in old English pottery... will be found one of the most
delightful, as it is a practical work on a fascinating subject."
_Hearth and Home._

"Here we have a handbook, written by a well-known authority, which
gives in the concisest possible form all the information that the
beginner in earthenware collecting is likely to need. Moreover,
it contains one or two features that are not usually found in the
multifarious 'guides' that are produced to-day." _Nation._

=Chats on Autographs.= By A. M. BROADLEY. With 130 Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

"Being an expert collector, Mr. Broadley not only discourses on the
kinds of autograph he owns, but gives some excellent cautionary advice
and a valuable 'caveat emptor' chapter for the benefit of other
collectors." _Westminster Gazette._

"It is assuredly the best work of the kind yet given to the public;
and supplies the intending collector with the various sources of
information necessary to his equipment." _Manchester Guardian._

=Chats on Old Pewter.= By H. J. L. J. MASSÉ, M.A. With 52 half-tone and numerous other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net. Third Impression.

"It is a remarkably thorough and well-arranged guide to the subject,
supplied with useful illustrations and with lists of pewterers and of
their marks so complete as to make it a very complete and satisfactory
book of reference." _Manchester Guardian._

"Before setting out to collect old pewter it would be as well to read
Mr. Massé's book, which is exhaustive in its information and its lists
of pewterers, analytical index, and historical and technical
chapters." _Spectator._

=Chats on Postage Stamps.= By FRED J. MELVILLE. With 57 half-tone and 17 line Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net. Second Impression.

"The whole book, with its numerous illustrations of excellent quality,
is a _vade mecum_ for stamp collectors, even though their efforts
may be but modest; we congratulate Mr. Melville on a remarkably good
guide, which makes fascinating reading." _Academy._

"There is no doubt that Mr. Melville's book fills a void. There is
nothing exactly like it. Agreeably written in a popular style and
adequately illustrated, it is certainly one of the best guides to
philatelic knowledge that have yet been published." _World._

=Chats on Old Jewellery and Trinkets.= By MACIVER PERCIVAL. With nearly 300 Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

"The book is very thorough, dealing as it does with classic, antique
and modern ornaments; with gold, silver, steel and pinchbeck; with the
precious stones, the commoner stones and imitation."--_Outlook._

"'Chats on Old Jewellery and Trinkets' is a book which will enable
every woman to turn over her jewel-case with a fresh interest and
a new intelligence; a practical guide for the humble but anxious
collector.... A good glossary of technicalities and many excellent
illustrations complete a valuable contribution to collector's lore."
_Illustrated London News._

=Chats on Cottage and Farmhouse Furniture.= A companion volume to "Chats on Old Furniture." By ARTHUR HAYDEN. With a coloured frontispiece and 75 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net. Third Impression.

"One gets very much for one's money in this book. Seventy-three
full-page illustrations in half-tone embellish a letterpress which is
replete with wise description and valuable hints." _Vanity Fair._

"Mr. Hayden's book is a guide to all sorts of desirable and simple
furniture, from Stuart to Georgian, and it is a delight to read as
well as a sure help to selection." _Pall Mall Gazette._

"Mr. Hayden writes lucidly and is careful and accurate in his
statements; while the advice he gives to collectors is both sound and
reasonable." _Westminster Gazette._

=Chats on Old Coins.= By FRED W. BURGESS. With a coloured frontispiece and 258 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net. Second Impression.

"A most useful and instructive book... will prove a boon to the
intending collector of old coins and tokens, and full of interest to
every collector. As was to be expected of any volume of this series,
the illustrations are numerous and good, and greatly assist the reader
to grasp the essentials of the author's descriptions." _Outlook._

"The author has not only produced 'a practical guide for the
collector' but a handy book of reference for all. The volume is
wonderfully cheap." _Notes and Queries._

=Chats on Old Copper and Brass.= By FRED W. BURGESS. With a coloured frontispiece and 86 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

"Mr. F. W. Burgess is an expert on old copper and bronze, and in
his book there is little information lacking which the most ardent
collector might want." _The Observer._

"Italian bronzes, African charms, Chinese and Japanese enamels, bells,
mortars, Indian idols, dials, candlesticks, and snuff boxes, all come
in for their share of attention, and the reader who has mastered Mr.
Burgess's pages can face his rival in the auction-room or the dealer
in his shop with little fear of suffering by the transaction."
_The Nation._

=Chats on Household Curios.= By FRED W. BURGESS. With 94 Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

"Mr. Burgess gives much information about such attractive antiques
as old glass and enamels, old leather work, old clocks and watches,
old pipes, old seals, musical instruments, and even old samplers and
children's toys. The book is, in short, an excellent and comprehensive
guide for what one may call the general collector, that is, the
collector who does not confine himself to one class of antique, but
buys whatever he comes across in the curio line, provided that it is
interesting and at moderate price." _Aberdeen Free Press._

=Chats on Japanese Prints.= By ARTHUR DAVISON FICKE. With a coloured frontispiece and 56 Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net. Fourth Impression.

"Mr. Ficke writes with the knowledge of the expert, and his history
of Japanese printing from very early times and his criticism of the
artists' work are wonderfully interesting." _Tatler._

"This is one of the most delightful and notable members of an
attractive series.... A beginner who shall have mastered and made
thoroughly his own the beauty of line and the various subtlety and
boldness of linear composition displayed in these sixty and odd
photographs will have no mean foundation for further study."--_Notes
and Queries._

=Chats on Old Clocks.= By ARTHUR HAYDEN. With a frontispiece and 80 Illustrations. 2nd Ed. Cloth, 9s. net.

"A practical handbook dealing with the examples of old clocks likely
to come under the observation of the collector. Charmingly written and
illustrated." _Outlook._

"One specially useful feature of the work is the prominence Mr. Hayden
has given to the makers of clocks, dealing not only with those of
London, but also those of the leading provincial towns. The lists
he gives of the latter are highly valuable, as they are not to be
found in any similar book. The volume is, as usual with this series,
profusely illustrated, and may be recommended as a highly interesting
and useful general guide to collectors of clocks."
_The Connoisseur._

=Chats on Old Silver.= By ARTHUR HAYDEN. With a frontispiece, 99 full-page Illustrations, and illustrated table of marks. Cloth, 9s. net. Fourth Impression.

"Mr. Hayden's 'Chats on Old Silver' deals very thoroughly with
a popular branch of collecting. There are a hundred full-page
illustrations together with illustrated tables and charts, and the
student of this book can wander round the old curiosity shops of these
islands with a valuable equipment of knowledge.... Altogether we have
here a well-written summary of everything that one could wish to know
about this branch of collecting." _The Sphere._

"The information it gives will be of exceptional value at this time,
when so many families will be forced to part with their treasures--and
old silver is among the most precious possessions of the present day."
_Morning Post._

=Chats on Military Curios.= By STANLEY C. JOHNSON, M.A., D.Sc. With a coloured frontispiece and 79 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

"Mr. Johnson in this book describes many of the articles a collector
should be on the look out for, giving short but informative notes on
medals, helmet and cap badges, tunic buttons, armour, weapons of all
kinds, medallions, autographs, original documents relating to Army
work, military pictures and prints, newspaper cuttings, obsolete
uniforms, crests, stamps, postmarks, memorial brasses, money and
curios made by prisoners of war, while there is also an excellent
biography on the subject. The author has, indeed, presented the reader
with a capital working handbook, which should prove a friendly and
reliable guide when he goes collecting." _Field._

=Chats on Royal Copenhagen Porcelain.= By ARTHUR HAYDEN. With a frontispiece, 56 full-page Illustrations and illustrated tables of marks. Cloth, 9s. net.

"This very beautiful and very valuable book will be eagerly welcomed
by lovers of porcelain.... Mr. Hayden describes with great skill and
preciseness all the quality and beauty of technique in which this
porcelain excels; he loves it and understands it, and the examples
he has chosen as illustrations are a valuable supplement to his
descriptions." _Bookman._

=Chats on Old Sheffield Plate.= By ARTHUR HAYDEN. With frontispiece and 58 full-page Illustrations, together with makers' marks. Cloth, 9s. net.

Old plated ware has, by reason of its artistic excellence and its
technique, deservedly won favour with collectors. The art of making
plated ware, which originated at Sheffield (hence the name of
"Sheffield plate"), was continued at Birmingham and London, where a
considerable amount of "old Sheffield plate" was made, in the manner
of its first inventors, by welding sheets of silver upon copper.
The manufacture lasted roughly a hundred years. Its best period was
from 1776 (American Declaration of Independence) to 1830 (Accession
of William IV). The author shows reasons why this old Sheffield
plate should be collected, and the volume is illustrated with many
examples giving various styles and the development of the art,
together with makers' marks. Candlesticks and candelabra, tea-caddies,
sugar-baskets, salt-cellars, teapots, coffee-pots, salvers, spoons,
and many other articles shown and described in the volume indicate
the exquisite craftsmanship of the best period. The work stands as a
companion volume to the author's "Chats on Old Silver," the standard
practical guide to old English silver collecting.

T. FISHER UNWIN LTD. 1 ADELPHI TERRACE, LONDON, W.C. 2

Transcriber's Notes:

1. Italics are shown with _text_ and bold print is shown with =text=.

End of Project Gutenberg's Chats on Old Sheffield Plate, by Arthur Hayden