If family historians are lucky enough to have silversmiths or goldmiths among their ancestors they may have a wealth of information availabel in the form of the hallmarks struck on all items of silver or gold produced by those ancestors. The practice of hallmarking silver was introduced in England by an Act of Parliament in the year 1300, since when all silversmiths and goldsmiths have been required to submit their wares for assay. That is a mark struck on silver or gold articles after they have been tested for quality. A few items were exempted from being hallmarked - i .e. in 1739 goods weighing "less than 10 pennyweights" and, in 1790, those weighing "less than 5 pennyweights. : A hallmark usually consists of four or five symbols which represent the marker's mark, quality mark, assay office and date letter; the fifth mark (used between 1784 and 1890) indicated that duty had been paid on the article, as an excise duty had been imposed on all gold and silver wares duri! ng those 106 years. This mark shows the sovereign's head in profile. The maker's mark usually consisted of two or more initials representing the Christian (forename) and surname of the maker, or the firm responsible for the production of the piece, but occasionally the name was struck in full or, as on high quality silver, the first two letters of the surname only were used. All makers of silver and gold wares were obliged to register their mark at an Assay Office, therefore it is possible to identify the maker of any particular piece by referring to the registers of the appropriate Assay Office. The quality mark on English silver, prior to 1821, is the ancient symbol of a Lion Passant Gardant, that is a liion walking to the left with the head turned full face. After 1821 the Lion Passant was used, but with a lion walking left and looking straight ahead. In Scotland, the equivalent quality mark is the thistle, although this did not apply to silver registered in Glasgow which, between 1681 and 1912, used as its assay mark the town coat of arms with the addition of the Scottish Lion Rampant after that date. The Irish equivalent is a crowned harp. The Irish Assay Offices were in Youghal, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Belfast and Dublin. Irish town marks included Galway (anchor); Youghal (a sailing ship with flag). The two Cork town marks, to my view, look like a castle and a Spanish galleon (?), but don't quote me... Books to consult for information on hallmarks, silversmiths and goldsmiths include "Jackson's Silver and Gold Marks," re-edited recently circa 1990s and published by The Antique Collectors Club. For London hallmarks consult "London Goldsmiths 1697-1837: Their Marks and Lives, by Arthur Grimwade, "produced by Faber and Faber. Names and addresses of known silversmiths and goldsmiths are given in "The Directory of Gold and Silversmiths - Jewellers and Allied Trades 1838-1914:" two volumes by John Culme. Another good source of named silversmith is the catalogues produced by the auction houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's. I note that SAMUEL BEERE of Dublin (circa 1823) was listed as a silversmith in Christie's catalogue, 09 January 1990. It should be noted that Dublin may not necessarily be the place where the smith lived, rather it was the location of the Assay Office, although it is most likely that he did. (The Birmingham, England Assay Office, did not open until 1773; prior to that date the Birmingham smiths had to take or send their ware to Chester or London to be struck). The article refers to an Irish sugar basin apparently in that Christie's catalogue hallmarked, EP, Dublin, 1820, engraved: Edna Mary POWER from her grandfather. Another silversmith listed in Christie's catalogue was J. SMYTH, Dublin, 1850. There was a silversmith listed as D. C. RIAT, Glasgow (Scotland), 1826. English silversmiths in the Christie's catalogue are the following: Birmingham: Adey Brothers (1934); Heath & Middleton (1896); Lathan & Morton (1913); Nathaniel Mills (1852); George Unite (1850-1880). Chester: Nathan & Hayes (18th c. to 1905). Newcastle: Isaac Cookson (1st half 18th century). Sheffield: Henry Archer (1898); Thomas Bradbury & Sons (1908); James Creswick (1855); Nathanial Creswick (1855); James Dixon & Sons (1896); Martin Hall & Co . (1878-1898); William Hutton & Sons Ltd. (1926-1927); James Round (1869-1894). London: George Adams ( 1841-1865); Joseph Angell (1825); Asprey & Co. Ltd. (1909); Edward Barnard (1828); Barnard Messrs (1894); Ann Bateman (1793); Hester Bateman (1781-1799); Peter Bateman (1793); William Bateman (1790-1835); Joseph Bell (1902); Moses Brent (1799); Alice Burrows (1807); George Burrows (1807); William Burwash (1813-1849); John Bodman Carrington (1897); Carrington & Co. (1910); William Chawner (1776-1822); Collingwood & Co. (1933); William Comyns (1905-1910); Augustine Courtauld (1733); Richard Crossley (1700); Crossley & Smith (1808-1809); John Emes (1801); Rebecca Emes (1828); Eley & Fearn (1804-1807); Eley, Fearn & Chawner (1812); William Fearn (1790); Charles Fox (1811-1883); William Fountain (1802); Robert Garrard (1843); Gibson & Langman (1878-1898); William Goulde (c. 1755); Charles Stuart Harris (1894-1896); Thomas Hayter (1814); George Heming (1776); David Hennell (1763-1795); Robert Hennell (1763-1795); Samuel Hennell (1794); Francis Higgins (1895! ); Houles & Co. (1850); Hukin & Heath (1883); William Hutton & Sons Ltd (1895-1903); H. & H. Lias (1850); Alfred Pairpoint (1918); Arthur Pairpoint (1918); Francis Pairpoint (1918); William Plummer (1767); Michael Plumber (1792); John Scofield ( 1780-1784); Thomas Tearle (1738); Francis Boone Thomas (1886); Mary Troby (1810); D. & J. Wellby (1913); Lewis Willmott (1902); Thomas Whipham (1762); Samuel Wood (1743-1750); Charles Wright (1762) James Young (1786). Excerpts, "Family Tree Magazine" (pub. England) Feb 1995