Draft regulations on hallmarking and provision for regular trials by the Mint's assay master, with notes on past legislation

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/2/511-12, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

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- Revision History
  - 1 January 2001
    - Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young
  - 29 September 2011
    - Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins
  - 16 May 2017
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
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Related Texts
- This document is a version of:
  Draft regulations on hallmarking and provision for regular trials by the Mint's assay master, with notes on past legislation [MINT 19/2/510]

<511r>

All wrought silver must be of sterling allay or better & not worse money & shall be assayed by the Wardens & marked with the Leopards head before it go out of the workmans hands. Offenders convict to eb punished by imprisonment & ransome at the Kings will. The Wardens of the craft may go from shop to shop to assay if works of gold be of the touch of Paris, & such as are not shall be forfeit to the King. 28. Edw. 1. c. 20.

After the plate is assayed & marked with the kings mark the Goldsmith shall set his own mark for which he will answer, & which shall be known to them who are assigned by the King to survey their work. The plate shall be of sterling. Those assigned in every town shall make their searches as offten as shall be ordeined. The value of the metall found in default, forfeited to the king. No Goldsmith shall take for vessel white & of the weight of a pound, that is to say, of the price of two marks of Paris weight, but eighteen pence as they do at Paris. 37 Edw. 3. c. 7.

Necessary soder allowed. No workman to sell wrought silver before it be touched with the touch & with the mark of the workman upon pain of forfeiting double value, the one half to the king. And if any plate touched with the Leopards head be not as fine as sterling, the keeper of the touch shall make the like forfeiture, & so shall the workman. And the like for York, Newcastle, Lincoln Norwich Bristol Salisbury & Coventry as for London & each to have different touches. 2 Hen. 6. c. 14.

Twelve pence per pound weight of silver & per ounce weight of gold allowed for wast & remedy. And the single value of the plate only forfeited. Wrought gold not less fine then 22 carats. 18 Eliz. c. 15

<512v>

Quære whether

The Assayer shall report every half penny weight of betterness or worsness upon pain of

The Diet shall be tried annually by the Queens Assaymaster in the presence of

The Diets of country corporations shall be tried every years by the same Assaymaster in the presence of

Twelve pence in the pound shall be allowed for wast & remedy, besides the fashion or workmanship.

A searcher in every city (to be annually appointed by the Court of Aldermen) may deface all plate abounding with too much soder, seize all unmarked plate exposed to sale & cause any other suspected pieces of plate to be assayed.

If any plate be worse then sterling the owner shall forfeit & the toucher shall forfeit as much.

If any plate being touched shall afterwards be found a penny weight worse then sterling or being melted down with the soder the mass shall be found two penny weight worse then sterling, the persons offending (besides the forfeiture of the plate) shall lose their franchises &c.

The Assayer shall deface coarse plate & plate with too much soder

1. Silver plate including the soder shall not be less in fineness then ounces penny weight of fine silver in the pound weight Troy, unless by accident & within the limits & under the penalties hereafter mentioned.

3 Clean plate less in fineness, or abounding with more soder then is necessary shall be defaced by the Assayer

2 The Assayer shall report every halfpenny weight of betterness or worsness upon pain of

4 Clean plate an halfpenny weight wors shall be forfeited to the Wardens & company, a penny weight worse shall disfranchise & disable the maker.

5 Plate melted down with the soder three halfpenny weight worse shall be forfeited to the company, two penny weight worse shall disfranchise & disable the maker.

6. The Assayer or toucher upon discovering any Plate to be faulty, shall try the same again in the presence of the owner or his Assigne & of two or more other creditable witnesses & then if found faulty as before it shall be defaced or forfeited as above,

7 All plate sold or exposed to sale, if unmarked or worse, shall be forfeited to him that shall seize or sue for the same, & the value thereof shall be forfeited also to the Queen. If marked & worse, the like forfeitures shall be made by the Wardens & Company. If a penny weight worse without soder or two penny weight worse with soder, the toucher & his Assayer shall be disfranchised & disabled.

The Diets shall be tried at time appointed by the Queens Assaymaster in the presence of & the Company shall pay the deficiency to the crown, the city Diet annually, the country Diets every years.

The touch Warden in every city taking with him two or more Assistants may search & deface all plate abounding with too much soder, & seize all unmarked Plate exposed to sale.