George Wintle (Grimwade 923-6) as at 1810-1813
Thomas Dickens (Journeyman)
On the 17th February 1813 George Wintle was tried at the Old Bailey. He was charged on four counts of counterfeiting the marks of the Goldsmiths Company of London. One of the witness's called that day was a journeyman of George Wintles', Thomas Dickens. See:
http://www.925-1000.com/a_OB_Wintle1813.htmlPart of the transcript taken from the trial reads as follows:
THOMAS DICKENS. I am a silver polisher.
Q.
Have you been for some time past in the employ of the prisoner - A. Yes, on and off about three years.Q. Were you working at the time the officers came to make search - A. I was. I was going to get the lathe to brush the plain table-spoons. I had three in my hand when they came in.
Q. Where were the other nine - A. The other officer found them. They were in the wheel-box, near me.
Q. Now, these spoons, had you seen them before in the course of that week - A. I had seen them the day before. I had them given out to me to smooth fine, to make ready for the hall.
Q. Did you smooth-fine them on the Thursday - A. Yes; I took them up stairs, and after I had smooth-fined them I took them down, and delivered them to James Wintle , to take to the hall.
Q. How long had you them out - A. I had them out before eight o'clock; and I took them down a little before nine in the morning. I suppose it was about ten minutes as near as I can guess. I delivered them back to James Wintle . He assisted his father in the business. He used often to give work out; and take it in, and pay us sometimes.
Q. Did Mr. Wintle conduct his business, or leave it to others - A. He used to be there almost always; he was there that week.
Q. Before you delivered them back to James Wintle , did you put a mark upon them - A. I did.
Q.
I believe it is customary for each workman to put a mark upon them that he might know them, to finish them - A. It is. I put a X upon them. Them nine have my mark, and them three have my mark.For a complete transcript of the trial go to:
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.j ... 8130217-39

Above are the images of a tablespoon (9" (22.6cm) in length and weighing 57 grams, assayed at London in 1810) that clearly shows the journeyman's mark of Thomas Dickens.
This is the third journeyman's mark that we have identified, along with photographic evidence, on 925-1000.com, following that of Benjamin Bailey Thorogood who worked for Solomon Hougham and John Whip who worked for Edward Jackson at York.
Trev.