Scottish Maker

[nigel le sueur]

Does any know please of a Scottish Maker, late 18th Cent ? with the mark Mc but the "c" is at the top of the "M" and there is a small bar underneath the "c" , and what part of Scotland please.

[Granmaa]

Jackson has a maker from Edinburgh called James McKenzie (p.552) whose mark resembles your description; it says that his mark was found on a tea-set 1825-26. What is the piece you have?

Miles

[nigel le sueur]

Miles

Thanks must admit l looked and never found it, well this makes it intresting the duty mark is clipped and this means the tongs are 1797, and yet in Jacksons the earlist mention of the maker is 1824.
l am ashamed to admit it but l seem to have problems attaching photos to this site :-(
l can always e-mail them if intrested?

As a matter of intrest do you have Grimwades? the reason l ask is because l have a real puzzle over Ben Cartwright 1 or 11 (l have a copy) and this spoon which l have is a good debating point. Of course l appreciate that not every one enjoys pouring over books getting a headache.

Regards

Nigel

[Scotprov]

What, exactly are the marks please? Is it definitely a bar under the c, or is it a .? There are a few with a full stop under the c, but most have other letters like RMcG or McQ.
Are the other marks just a thistle and a duty mark?

[nigel le sueur]

The pair of tongs have now been passed on,but from memory it was a large M a small c with a bar under the c the only marks were the thistle and trefoil duty mark

nigel

[Scotprov]

The trefoil duty mark was utilised in Edinburgh for about the first 15 years of the century, sometimes with, sometimes without a date letter, usually on provincial pieces sent in for assay, that was why no castle punch was used.
There is always the possibility that a sneaky was being done and, without the castle mark, the maker paid less duty, funny things were apt to go on in those days.
The Scottish Provincial stuff with town marks only, and no duty marks, paid no duty so more profit for the smith, and sucks to the government. It didn't only happen there, Exeter was penalised for assaying pieces of lower than .925 standard and York's 'assay office' was run in the back room of an ex spoon-maker's pub, for the benfit of the local silversmiths!