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Some details of the Chester Assay Office, reproduced from 'The Reliquary' 1893.


British Museum Parliamentary Papers 1773. Vol. i., 19.

Report from the Committee appointed to enquire into the manner of conducting the several Assay Offices, &c., 1773.

Appendix No. 3.

An Account of the Names of the present Members of the Company of Goldsmiths and Watchmakers of the City of Chester.

Joseph Duke ... ... Silversmith.

George Walker ...... Ditto.

John Scasebrick ..... Jeweller.

Gabriel Smith ...... Watchmaker.

Thomas Brown ...... Ditto.

Robert Cawley ...... Ditto.

John Richardson ...... Came in by Birthright, and does not follow the Trade of a Silversmith or Watchmaker.

Thomas Duke ...... Came in by Birthright, and does not follow either of the Trades.

James Conway ... ... Served his Time to a Silversmith, but does not follow the Trade.

Eccles ...... Was formerly a Watchmaker, but has left the Town.


An Account of the Names and Trades of the present Wardens and Assayer of the Company of Goldsmiths and Watchmakers of the City of Chester, and when and at what Times, and by whom, they were respectively elected.

Names of Wardens. Trades. When elected, and by whom.

Gabriel Smith Watchmaker
Thomas Brown Watchmaker

20 July, 1772, by the Company of Goldsmiths and Watchmakers of Chester.

Name of Assayer: John Scasebrick, Jeweller.

21st October 1769,
By the Company of Goldsmiths and Watchmakers of Chester.

An Account when, and before whom, the present Assayer of the Company of Goldsmiths and Watchmakers, of the City of Chester, was sworn in for the due Execution of his Office.

John Scasebrick, the present Assayer, was sworn in for the due Execution of his Office, the 21st of October, 1769, by Charles Boswell, Esq.; then Mayor of the City of Chester.

An Account of the Names and Places of Abode of all the Goldsmiths, Silversmiths, and Plateworkers, now living, that have entered their Marks in the Assay Office at Chester:

William Hardwick ... ... ... Manchester.

Ralph Wakefield ... ... ... Liverpool.

T. Prichard ... ... ... Shrewsbury.

Jos. Walley ... ... ... Liverpool.

John Gimlet ... ... ... Birmingham.

Christian Thirme ... ... ... Liverpool.

George Walker ... ... ... Chester.

George Smith ... ... ... Warrington.

William Pemberton ... ... ... Chester.

Richard Richardson ... ... ... Chester.

George Walker ... ... ... Ditto.

Ralph Walker ... ... ... Liverpool.

Mr. Fisher ... ... ... Ditto.

James Dixon ... ... ... Chester.

John Wyke and Thomas Green ... Liverpool.

Bolton and Fothergill ... ...

Gimble and Vale ... ... ... Birmingham.


An Account of the Weight of Plate assayed and marked at the

Assay Office in the City of Chester, for Seven Years, distinguishing

each Year. Ounces.

1766 ... ... ... 824

1767 ... ... ... 331

1768 ... ... ... 314

1769 ... ... ... 161

1770 ... ... ... 2,176

1771 ... ... ... 2,429

1772 ... ... ... 2,348

Total............8583 oz.

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"A Report from the Committee appointed to enquire into the manner of conducting the several Assay offices," etc. Reported by Thomas Gilbert, Esq., 29th April, 1773.



" Method of conducting the Assay Office at Chester"

" Mr. John Scasebrick (Assay Master of Chester, and a Jeweller) informed Your Committee, that there is a Company of Goldsmiths and Watchmakers at Chester, which consists of Two Wardens and about Eight other Members ;–and produced, pursuant to the Order of Your Committee, the several Accounts annexed in the Appendix,t No. 3.–And said, That he never made any Entries of, nor took any Diet from, Plate that proved worse than Standard ; but upon his Report of it to the Wardens, it was defaced and returned to the Owners ; that he cannot recollect the Quantity of Plate broke since he has been in the Office, but about a Month ago, One Dozen of Watch Cases, that came from Liverpool to be assayed, were broke ; and that he has broke other Kinds of Plate about a Year or Two ago, which belonged to a Silversmith in Chester; that he is paid for Plate which is broke and defaced, the same Prices as if it was Standard, according to Act of Parliament, and enters such Payments in a Book ; but no Entry is made of Plate broken.

The Witness further informed your Committee, that the Plate which has been sent by Messrs. Boulton and Fothergill of Soho, near Birmingham, to be assayed and marked at the Chester Office, has generally been 2 or 3 dwt. above Standard, and that he never received any Plate from the said Boulton and Fothergill which was under Standard–That he calls 11 oz. 2 dwt. Standard, and 11 oz. i dwt. or anything under 11 oz. 2 dwt. under Standard ; and never received any Plate in his Time from Birmingham or Sheffield that was under Standard.

Being asked, If he had any Assistant in the Office ?–he answered, When I am not well, I have a Person whose name is Farmer, and who assisted Mr. Richardson my Predecessor ; that Farmer was not a sworn Officer, neither was he appointed by the Company.

That the Witness served his Apprenticeship with Alderman Richardson, the late Assay Master, and that the Assay Office is at Alderman Richardson's House, where all the Utensils remain ; that he never knew an Instance of several Things in One Parcel of Plate sent to be assayed, that were made of different Sorts of Silver as to Fineness; and that when there are a great Number of Pieces, he scrapes some off most or all of them, and assays them all together ; that he never knew an Instance of Buckles worse than Standard, having Pieces of Silver soldered to them in order to obtain the Company's Marks ; and believes he could very safely swear they were all as they were cast.

Being asked his Method of Drawing ? he answered, If Pieces come, from which I can cut off Bits, I cut them off; but if there are no Pieces fit for cutting, I scrape them with a sharp Scraper, I then take an Assay Weight, called 12 Ounces, but which is about 17 Grains, and weigh as much of such Cuttings or Scrapings as are equal to the 12 Ounces, which is then wrapped in Lead, and when the Furnace and Coppels are hot enough, the Assay is put in and refined, but no Flux is used, because the Lead refines it; if it comes out 11 oz. 2 dwt. fine Silver, we mark it with the Lion, the Leopard's Head, the City Arms (being Three Lions and a Wheat Sheaf) and the Letter for the Year, the Letter for the present Year is U.–Sometimes we pass it at 11 Ounces, but when only 11 Ounces, I write to the Owners, and give them a Caution to take Care another Time.

The Witness said he wrote to some Silversmiths at Liverpool, whose Plate was full 11 Ounces, not long since, and had done so to others ; and his Intentions were not to pass it again if they sent it only 11 Ounces fine, but they took Care to mend their Silver.

That if there is a great deal more Solder than necessary upon Watch Cases, and they were melted down into One Mass, the Standard of such Silver would be reduced in Proportion to the Quantity of Solder, because Solder has One Third of Allay in it; and believes Solder may be added to Silver Wares after they are assayed; that he knows nothing of the Solder necessary for Tankards, because he is not acquainted with Tankards, having never marked or assayed any ; and never returned any Silver Wares for having apparently too much Solder.

That he marks the Plate after it is assayed, if it proves Standard, and keeps the Marks locked up.

That the late Mr. Richardson was a Manufacturer of Silver at the Time he was Assayer, and generally kept Two or Three People at Work in that Manufacture ; and that Farmer (who sometimes assays for the Witness when sick or out of Town) worked for Mr Richardson near Thirty Years, and assayed and marked his Plate; that the Witness never heard of Mr. Richardson's Plate being objected to as under Standard; and believes it was not in the Power of any Man living to object to it, as there never was better Silver worked ; that it was oftener above Standard than under, and that he had tried it, and found it so himself; and never found any of Mr. Richardson's Plate under Eleven Ounces.

That the Witness works a little in the jewelling Way ; but never worked above Ten or Twelve Ounces since he has been in that Trade; that he has no fixed Salary as Assay Master ; his Profit arises from the Prices allowed by Act of Parliament, which never amounted to ;£10 in any One Year.

That he doth not assay the Lead before he puts the Silver in it, because he uses Litharidge Lead, which has had all the Silver taken out of it; and although it may happen, that by an overstrong Blast upon the Test some of the Silver may be blown over with the Litharidge yet the Quantity is so small, that it would make very little Difference.

That he takes Ten Grains upon every Pound of Stlver which he puts into the Diet Box, besides which he is paid for the Assay ; because it is the Custom of the Town, and allowed by Act of Parliament.

That the Diet was never sent to the Tower to be assayed, nor was ever required by the Lord Chancellor, or any Body else, in the Witness's Time.–Being asked, What Quantity of Diet there was now in the Office at Chester, he said, He could not tell; for when he wanted Silver he had taken some out.

That he has tried all his Assay Weights, down to the Pennyweight, and they all bear a due Proportion; and that he has a Halfpenny Weight.

That he never met with any Silver allayed with Tin, and imagines it would not be malleable enough to bear the Hammer, but would be too brittle.–Upon being asked, How he knew when Silver was sufficiently assayed ? he answered, We know by the Assay; it has first a Cap over it, then that works off in various Colours ; and after that it grows quite bright, and then we know all the Lead is worked away; we always use a sufficient Quantity of Lead."

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