Watchcase Hallmarking at Provincial Assay Offices

[dognose]

Hi,

An account showing the weight of watchcases assayed at Chester in the years 1814-1829.



Year.........Silver.......Gold (in Troy Ounces)
1814........ 1741....... 2858
1815........ 2477....... 3028
1816........ 2048....... 2476
1817........ 2183....... 2215
1818........ 3060....... 2705
1819........ 2036....... 3173
1820........ 1588....... 3278
1821........ 1921....... 3573
1822........ 2271....... 4923
1823........ 2619....... 5925
1824........ 2196....... 5985
1825........ 3029....... 6974
1826........ 1744....... 5568
1827........ 1820....... 6447
1828........ 1890....... 7476
1829........ 1520....... 6139

The account at Chester was not kept with any regularity before the year 1814.

The Sheffield Assay Office records no more than 110 silver watchcases entered for the period 1820-1829.

At Exeter they assayed just seven, Newcastle none, York none, for the same period.

At Edinburgh and Glasgow no seperate records were kept for the assaying of watchcases.


Source: An Historical Inquiry Into the Production and Consumption of the Precious Metals
By William Jacob
Published by John Murray, 1831

Trev.
.

[dognose]

Hi,


An account of the weight of silver watch-cases assayed at the Birmingham Assay Office (not charged with duty) from 26th March 1798, to 14th April 1831.


From 25th March 1798--- to July 1798......... 2,549 Troy Ounces
.................June, 1798............... 1799........ 10,305
.........................1799............... 1800........ 11,094
.........................1800............... 1801.........13,617
.........................1801............... 1802........ 16,303
.........................1802............... 1803.........20,617
.........................1803............... 1804.........23,254
.........................1804............... 1805........ 30,199
.........................1805............... 1800........ 41,408
.........................1806............... 1807.........42,128
From 25th March 1807...to July 1808........ 47,545
.........................1808............... 1809........ 41,032
.........................1809............... 1810........ 51,428
.........................1810............... 1811........ 57,728
.........................1811............... 1812........ 45,842
.........................1812............... 1813........ 44,503
.........................1813............... 1814........ 53,650
.........................1814............... 1815........ 58,547
.........................1815............... 1816........ 56,712
.........................1816............... 1817........ 26,218
.........................1817............... 1818........ 33,225
.........................1818................1819.........48,042
.........................1819............... 1820........ 26,569
.........................1820................1821........ 25,794
.........................1821................1822........ 33,401
.........................1822................1823........ 34,268
.........................1823............... 1824........ 45,084
.........................1824............... 1825........ 56,026
.........................1825............... 1826........ 54,084
.........................1826............... 1827........ 49,633
.........................1827............... 1828........ 56,641
.........................1828............... 1829........ 55,872
.........................1829............... 1830........ 42,247
.........................1830 to 14 April 1831........39,135

Source: An Historical Inquiry Into the Production and Consumption of the Precious Metals
By William Jacob
Published by John Murray, 1831

Trev.
.

[dognose]

Hi,

An account of the weight of gold watch-cases assayed at the Birmingham Assay Office (not charged with duty) up to the 14th April 1831.

From June 1824...... to July 1825......761 Troy Ounces
................1825................ 1826......597
................1826................ 1827..... 452
................1827................ 1828..... 710
................1828................ 1829..... 481
................1829................ 1830..... 496
................1830 to 15 April 1831..... 312

Source: An Historical Inquiry Into the Production and Consumption of the Precious Metals
By William Jacob
Published by John Murray, 1831

Trev.
.

[MCB]

Hello all,
Further to the data for Chester assayed watchcases records show the troy ounce weight increased apace in later years:

Year---------Silver-------Gold
1865------- 22303------15699
1866------- 16216------13504
1867------- 17023------10499
1868------- 17345------11446
1869------- 15583------10858
1870------- 14763------12050
1871------- 18395------12549
1872------- 28993------12919
1873------- 36423------12503
1874------- 34584------11987

The 1854 Act introduced the removal of the 30 mile radius requiring makers to register at their local assay office resulting in most Coventry and many Birmingham watchmakers transferring assay to Chester.
Ralph Samuel, a leading Liverpool watchmaker, in evidence to the 1856 House of Commons Select Committee reviewing the future of provincial assay offices, had said the Chester mark was looked upon world-wide as a sign of "Liverpool" quality which was particularly valued in North & South America and Australia.
By 1887 however the watchcase gold weight assayed had dwindled to 3334 troy ounces although silver cases assayed remained high at 26257 troy ounces.
Source Ridgway & Priestley on Chester Gold & Silver Marks 1570-1962.

Mike
.