London Assay Office Assayers

[PVAJ]

I retired as Superintendent Assayer in 2001. My successor was Dr. Robert Organ. He was followed by John Love in 2008 and is currently in that position.
Paul V.A.Johnson

[dognose]

Hi Paul,

Welcome to the Forum.

We're delighted to have you on board and hope you will answer some of the more technical question that we receive.

Here's an image to jog your memory from 1975:



Paul Johnson reads the the analysis of a sample of platinum in solution from the atomic absorption spectrophotometer.

Source: Unravelling the Mystery - The Story of the Goldsmiths' Company in the Twentieth Century - Peter Jenkins - 2000

Trev.

[dognose]

Working backwards from Paul's information, a list of assayers at the LAO with dates of appointment:

Paul V.A. Johnson - 1974
David B. Dalladay - 1961
Henry R. Ingrey - 1953
Sidney F. Haydon - 1948
Hugh Gamlen - 1928
Sidney C. Robinson - 1919
George Pite - 1906
Frederick W. Harrold - 1887
Henry Pizey - 1878
Henry Matthey - 1863
Jeremiah Fuller - 1837
George Miles - 1824
Benjamin Preston - 1822
Richard Lee - 1818
John Barrow - 1813
Edward Witham - 1812
Richard Bratton - 1804
John Marriott - 1796
Walter Coles - 1785
Fendall Rushforth - 1772
Francis Pages - 1748
Joseph Shillito - 1746
Samuel Edlin - 1739
Joseph Ward - 1721
Nathaniel Bowles - 1716
John Duck - 1695
Nathaniel Bowles - 1686
Paul Trovell - 1669
John Brattle - 1664
Alexander Jackson - 1629
John Reynolds - 1619
Thomas Dymocke - 1617
William Dymocke - 1600
Humphrey Scott/William Dymocke - 1586(?)
Thomas Keeling - 1567
Richard Rogers - 1559
Oswald Lye - 1546
Edmund Lee - 1525
John Jonys - 1498
William Preston - 1492(?)
Christopher Elyot - 1478

Trev.