Postby dognose » Thu Nov 15, 2012 5:43 am
Hi,
Welcome to the Forum.
To my knowledge, James Jay were retailer silversmiths, jewellers and pawnbrokers only, I'm not aware that they have any manufacturing facilities for producing holloware, such as your chocolate pot. The origin of your pot is likely with one of the Sheffield or Birmingham manufacturers who would, depending on the size of the order, apply the retailer's mark only. Such marking would ensure that purchaser of say, a teapot, would return to that establishment for a perfect match when they wanted to add a milk jug and sugar bowl, and not shop around at other stores.
The 'Cross' mark would identify the workman who actually made the item and was stuck so that he was paid, and to identify him in the event of any problem with the item.
Your dating is accurate. James Jay, who were established prior to 1865 at 366, Essex Street, purchased the business, including the pledges, stock and remainder of the lease, at auction, of Richard Attenborough's huge pawnbroking business located at 142 & 144, Oxford Street, London, for the sum of £24,000 in 1887.
James Jay appears to have died in the mid 1890's, and the firm was continued by his nephew, James Charles Jay, who appears to have run the Oxford Street premises, and Robert William Jay, who ran the Essex Street premises. They became a limited liability company on the 4th May 1897, and it is likely that this event would be reflected in their mark.
Trev.