Proposals for setting a new standard of Plate.

That from & after the day of 1711 no goldsmith, silversmith p. 184, 185. to denote the year in wchwhich such plate is made. See Nat. an. 8 & 9 Gul. c: 8. p 184, 185. all silver vessels plate & manufacture of silver (except silver wire & uch things as by reason of their smalness are not caparable of receiving a mark) shall contein ounces penny weight of fine silver in the pound weight Troy, & note loss without erring in defect unless by accident & within sothe limits hereafter prescribed, & shall be marked as followeth, that is to say, with the workers mark to be expressed by the two first letters of his SirnameSurname, & the marks of the mystery or craft of the goldsmiths wchwhich instead of a Lyons head erased & the figure of a woman commonly called Britannia shall be the & a distinct variable mark to be used by the Warden of the said mystery to denote the year in wchwhich such plate is made.

And if after the said day of any vessel plate or manufacture of silver being brought to be assayed & touched or marked for good,aaa The pieces of plate sodered together are frequently dof different fineness. or any part or piece thereof except the soder, shall be found upon the assay to be worse or less in fineness thebbbIf one penny wtweight should be there allowed the plate would almost always be made one half penny wtweight then standard. half penny weight full or above one half penny weight of fine silver then the aforesaid standard of ounces penny weight of fine silver in the pound weight Troy, the Assayer shall, upon pain of losing his place of Assayer, report the same & enter the report in a book & repeat the assay in the presence of the owner or his Order & of two or more indifferent witnesses, & if it shall again prove to lack one half penny weight or above one half penny weight full of the standard fineness above mentioned the said Assayer shall deface the same & return it to the owner, but if the same shall upon both assays lack one penny weight full or above of the standard fineness above mentioned, theccc or such part thereof as shall be thought fit. same shall be detained & forfeited to the Wardens & Company of the mystery of or craft of the goldsmiths where the said assays shall be made. And if any vessel plate or manufacture of silver shall be suspected tode have mtoo much soder manifestly more soder then is necessary or to be suspected to be otherwise deceiptfullydeceitfully or fraudulently made, it shall be lawfull for the Wardens of the said mystery or those authorized or imployed by them for the assaying or& marking of plate in the presence of the owner &or his assign Order & two or more indifferent witnesses to search, or deface, melt down & assay the same, & if it shall appear to plainly be deceiptfullydeceitfully or fraudulently made, or if upon the assay it shall be foudn less in fineness then the aforesaid standard by above two penny weight full or above more then two penny weight of fine silver in the pound weight Troycddd The Goldsmiths in London England use too much soder & where soder is necessary, they may put into the plate so much fine silver as is wanting in the soder so that both together may be standard, without errerr erring above two penny weight. the same shall be detained & forfeited to the Wardens & Company of the said mystery.

And if after the said day of any vessel plate or manufacture wchwhich is capable of a mark &of silver shall be exposed to sale sold or exchanged which is not marked as aforesaid, or wchwhich in any part or price thereof except the soder shall be worse or less in fineness then the standard aforesaid by one penny weight full or above one penny weight of fine silver in the pound weight Troy, or wchwhich together with the soder being567 being melted down & assayed the same shall be found worse or less in fineness then the standard aforesaid by above two penny weight of fine silver, the same or the value thereof shall be forfeited by the workman who made the same, the one half to the Queen & the other half to such person or persons who will seize or sue for the same to be recovered by action bill &c. And if the same hath is sumarked for good by the Wardens or Masters of the said mystery or those authorised & imployed by them for the assaying & marking of plate, the Wardens & corporation of that mystery for the time being shall forfeit & pay the one half to the Queen & the other half to any Person or Persons who shall buy the same & be grieved thereby, to be recovered as aforesaid; andy thing in this or any former Act or Acts of ParliamtParliament &c