(See above post)
De Burgh Burke Discharged. — " Law is a strange thing, but justice is often a stranger." This gentleman, who paid his departing visits to his countrymen and tendered cheques in payment to the extent of £200, when he had only a balance of 15s. in the bank, has been discharged upon the ground that the offence was not the one upon which he was extradited. The bill for larceny has also been thrown out, despite the fact that the American Commission and the British Judge were satisfied " there was quite sufficient evidence to justify the sending up of the bill on the charge of larceny." It was further suggested that he should have his passage back to America paid by the Crown.
Source: The Watchmaker, Jeweller and Silversmith - 1st December 1892
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For Those with an Interest in the Irish Silver Trade
Re: For Those with an Interest in the Irish Silver Trade
A jeweller's display for St. Patrick's Day:
This image was published in 1911.
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This image was published in 1911.
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Re: For Those with an Interest in the Irish Silver Trade
Irish Hall Marking at the Dublin Assay Office
By George W. Thornley
I have been asked to write a short account of the Dublin Assay Office, and in doing so it involves a brief explanation as to what an “Assay” Office is, and how, and why, it came into existence.
The two precious metals — gold and silver—were always regarded as the basis of a medium of exchange, consequently it was necessary to set some standard of quality upon each metal. The common law treated dishonesty as a felony only when it took the form of an actual wrong to the owner’s possessions, but it also regarded dishonesty as a crime if it affected the public in goods or money. The first control of commercial silver seems to have originated in 1300 (28 Edward I., c. 20) whereby it was enacted that every pound troy (or 12 ounces) must contain 11 ozs. 2 dwts. of fine silver when made up for sale to the public. The standard so set up has been in force ever since, and is today recognized as 0.925. The Goldsmiths’ Company of London was directed by this Act to assay all silver submitted to it, and, if it was of the required fineness, to mark it with certain devices, the chief of which was the Leopard’s Head or King’s Mark, and this has ever since been known and identified with London, and only appears on silver plate which has passed through the assay test there. This was the beginning of the first Assay Office, and it was subsequently confirmed in its powers by Royal Charter in 1327,
The Dublin Assay Office was then established by Royal Charter in 1637; these being the only two offices which were founded by Royal Charter. As the demand for domestic silver grew apace other assays were established by Acts of Parliament at York, Exeter, Bristol, Chester, Norwich, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham, and New Geneva (Co. Waterford). Many of these are now defunct, and the only working offices today are London, Dublin, Chester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, here mentioned In their order of seniority. It seems rather strange that the control of such a vital matter as quality of gold or silver should have been placed in unofficial hands, but the fact remains that none of the Assay Offices were ever under Government supervision, and the same remark applies to those that exist today. The actual management of each office is in the hands of a voluntary body of workers, who are usually practical men connected with the trade. They appoint the Assay Master and his. staff, regulate the general working of the office, fix prices for hall-marking all the various articles, and, in short, run a business at no pecuniary benefit to themselves.
There is no doubt that the whole business of “Hall Marking” is an anomaly. No other trade is so protected against fraud, so far as both buyer and seller are concerned, and yet it is all done quietly and without ostentation and at no further expense to the purchaser. The public is absolutely assured that the goods purchased are of the guaranteed standards in gold, and the required fineness in silver. The penalty for an offense is a criminal one, and action is first taken by an Assay Office and then supported by the Commissioners of Customs and Excise. In addition to offenses against modern manufacture the corporation is endowed with powers under the charter to seize and destroy any silver offered for sale as antique which, in their opinion, is not genuine, the marks having either been forged or taken from one article and let into another. This forging has become a common practice in recent years and many articles have been seized and destroyed under these powers. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of pieces about masquerading as antique despite the vigilance of the corporation, who are most active in their endeavours to stamp out this nefarious practice. It is a position hard to realize and difficult to explain to the present generation. Why should a purely voluntary body have such drastic powers placed in its hands, when such a thing does not obtain in other present-day trades?
We have to go back a very long way to try and visualize the domestic history of the various periods.
Gold and silver have been the principal media for barter during the past 600 years. It was, therefore, necessary that these two media should always be up to a certain standard because they are both dealt in by weight. It is obvious, therefore, that if a dishonest person could palm off one ounce of gold or silver, which was not of the required standard, on an unsuspecting party, as a bargain, he would be getting very much the best of the deal. Acts were promulgated which made such an offense a penal one, but no machinery was set up to test and mark the quality until the Act of 1300, before referred to, which constituted the Goldsmiths’ Company of London—a purely voluntary body—the supreme authority on quality in England, and so it has remained right down to today.
With regard to our own local office in Dublin. It was founded in 1637 by charter of Charles I., and from that time onward has faithfully carried out all the duties which the charter imposed upon it, as necessary to be performed for safeguarding the Irish public against fraud in their purchase of gold or silver wares. The corporation is limited by the charter to 20 members and all are elected for life. It includes a master, two wardens (senior and junior), a clerk, and an assay master, and a vacancy can only arise on the death of one of the elected members. The corporation meets quarterly on four specified dates and transacts all business brought before it. Should any point arise in the meantime it is submitted for reference to the master and his two wardens. What I should like to emphasize is that all this is done voluntarily, and yet the spirit still exists to protect the public from fraud of any kind whatsoever. The members are only too anxious to work in agreement with a Government department that controls anything in the nature of dutiable goods, and surely after long experience should be able to furnish information that can be relied upon in connection with the new regulations.
The office of assay master has been for three generations in the family of Le Bas, and every confidence has always been placed in them by the Goldsmiths’ Corporation of Ireland. Hundreds of thousands of ounces of gold and silver have passed through their hands for marking, and not a single piece has ever been marked unless it came up to the required standard. This, in itself, is a great tribute and has advanced the value of Irish goods in all auction rooms and among collectors of antique plate.
It is so difficult, in a short article such as this, to convey the atmosphere of the Assay Office. After all, 300 years of tradition must mean something to those who are now carrying on the work of hall-marking. The records are unique and form part of the commercial history of Dublin. They are frequently consulted by antiquaries, who find much to interest them, and they are, without doubt, the most complete record of any Irish trade. No finer tribute could be paid to the artistic resources and the craftsmanship of the country than can be found in the records for the past 300 years. Unfortunately, there are few who regard those records as being of any value. The spirit of modernity has seemingly destroyed all links with the historic past, but the fact remains that at one period they were preeminent in the craft, and their works of that time are being recognized as treasures in all parts of the civilized globe...
May I again say how difficult it must be for permanent officials to recognize the work of a purely voluntary body of men, but an office that has existed for close on 300 years without Government support must have some very strong sentiment behind it. Few voluntary institutions can boast such a lengthy period of existence, with such an unbroken sequence of service to the public.
It might be well to explain that the standards of quality of gold are expressed in carats: 22, 20, 18, 15, 12, 9. It should also be explained that the standard of 20 carats is peculiar to Dublin, no other Assay Office being empowered to mark such a quality.
Source: The Watchmaker, Jeweller, Silversmith and Optician - 1928
Trev.
By George W. Thornley
I have been asked to write a short account of the Dublin Assay Office, and in doing so it involves a brief explanation as to what an “Assay” Office is, and how, and why, it came into existence.
The two precious metals — gold and silver—were always regarded as the basis of a medium of exchange, consequently it was necessary to set some standard of quality upon each metal. The common law treated dishonesty as a felony only when it took the form of an actual wrong to the owner’s possessions, but it also regarded dishonesty as a crime if it affected the public in goods or money. The first control of commercial silver seems to have originated in 1300 (28 Edward I., c. 20) whereby it was enacted that every pound troy (or 12 ounces) must contain 11 ozs. 2 dwts. of fine silver when made up for sale to the public. The standard so set up has been in force ever since, and is today recognized as 0.925. The Goldsmiths’ Company of London was directed by this Act to assay all silver submitted to it, and, if it was of the required fineness, to mark it with certain devices, the chief of which was the Leopard’s Head or King’s Mark, and this has ever since been known and identified with London, and only appears on silver plate which has passed through the assay test there. This was the beginning of the first Assay Office, and it was subsequently confirmed in its powers by Royal Charter in 1327,
The Dublin Assay Office was then established by Royal Charter in 1637; these being the only two offices which were founded by Royal Charter. As the demand for domestic silver grew apace other assays were established by Acts of Parliament at York, Exeter, Bristol, Chester, Norwich, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham, and New Geneva (Co. Waterford). Many of these are now defunct, and the only working offices today are London, Dublin, Chester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, here mentioned In their order of seniority. It seems rather strange that the control of such a vital matter as quality of gold or silver should have been placed in unofficial hands, but the fact remains that none of the Assay Offices were ever under Government supervision, and the same remark applies to those that exist today. The actual management of each office is in the hands of a voluntary body of workers, who are usually practical men connected with the trade. They appoint the Assay Master and his. staff, regulate the general working of the office, fix prices for hall-marking all the various articles, and, in short, run a business at no pecuniary benefit to themselves.
There is no doubt that the whole business of “Hall Marking” is an anomaly. No other trade is so protected against fraud, so far as both buyer and seller are concerned, and yet it is all done quietly and without ostentation and at no further expense to the purchaser. The public is absolutely assured that the goods purchased are of the guaranteed standards in gold, and the required fineness in silver. The penalty for an offense is a criminal one, and action is first taken by an Assay Office and then supported by the Commissioners of Customs and Excise. In addition to offenses against modern manufacture the corporation is endowed with powers under the charter to seize and destroy any silver offered for sale as antique which, in their opinion, is not genuine, the marks having either been forged or taken from one article and let into another. This forging has become a common practice in recent years and many articles have been seized and destroyed under these powers. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of pieces about masquerading as antique despite the vigilance of the corporation, who are most active in their endeavours to stamp out this nefarious practice. It is a position hard to realize and difficult to explain to the present generation. Why should a purely voluntary body have such drastic powers placed in its hands, when such a thing does not obtain in other present-day trades?
We have to go back a very long way to try and visualize the domestic history of the various periods.
Gold and silver have been the principal media for barter during the past 600 years. It was, therefore, necessary that these two media should always be up to a certain standard because they are both dealt in by weight. It is obvious, therefore, that if a dishonest person could palm off one ounce of gold or silver, which was not of the required standard, on an unsuspecting party, as a bargain, he would be getting very much the best of the deal. Acts were promulgated which made such an offense a penal one, but no machinery was set up to test and mark the quality until the Act of 1300, before referred to, which constituted the Goldsmiths’ Company of London—a purely voluntary body—the supreme authority on quality in England, and so it has remained right down to today.
With regard to our own local office in Dublin. It was founded in 1637 by charter of Charles I., and from that time onward has faithfully carried out all the duties which the charter imposed upon it, as necessary to be performed for safeguarding the Irish public against fraud in their purchase of gold or silver wares. The corporation is limited by the charter to 20 members and all are elected for life. It includes a master, two wardens (senior and junior), a clerk, and an assay master, and a vacancy can only arise on the death of one of the elected members. The corporation meets quarterly on four specified dates and transacts all business brought before it. Should any point arise in the meantime it is submitted for reference to the master and his two wardens. What I should like to emphasize is that all this is done voluntarily, and yet the spirit still exists to protect the public from fraud of any kind whatsoever. The members are only too anxious to work in agreement with a Government department that controls anything in the nature of dutiable goods, and surely after long experience should be able to furnish information that can be relied upon in connection with the new regulations.
The office of assay master has been for three generations in the family of Le Bas, and every confidence has always been placed in them by the Goldsmiths’ Corporation of Ireland. Hundreds of thousands of ounces of gold and silver have passed through their hands for marking, and not a single piece has ever been marked unless it came up to the required standard. This, in itself, is a great tribute and has advanced the value of Irish goods in all auction rooms and among collectors of antique plate.
It is so difficult, in a short article such as this, to convey the atmosphere of the Assay Office. After all, 300 years of tradition must mean something to those who are now carrying on the work of hall-marking. The records are unique and form part of the commercial history of Dublin. They are frequently consulted by antiquaries, who find much to interest them, and they are, without doubt, the most complete record of any Irish trade. No finer tribute could be paid to the artistic resources and the craftsmanship of the country than can be found in the records for the past 300 years. Unfortunately, there are few who regard those records as being of any value. The spirit of modernity has seemingly destroyed all links with the historic past, but the fact remains that at one period they were preeminent in the craft, and their works of that time are being recognized as treasures in all parts of the civilized globe...
May I again say how difficult it must be for permanent officials to recognize the work of a purely voluntary body of men, but an office that has existed for close on 300 years without Government support must have some very strong sentiment behind it. Few voluntary institutions can boast such a lengthy period of existence, with such an unbroken sequence of service to the public.
It might be well to explain that the standards of quality of gold are expressed in carats: 22, 20, 18, 15, 12, 9. It should also be explained that the standard of 20 carats is peculiar to Dublin, no other Assay Office being empowered to mark such a quality.
Source: The Watchmaker, Jeweller, Silversmith and Optician - 1928
Trev.