Draft regulations on hallmarking and provision for regular trials by the Mint's assay master, with notes on past legislation Isaac Newton c. 918 words The Newton Project Oxford 2017 Newton Project, University of Oxford

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 c. 1697, c. 918 words. Draft regulations on hallmarking and provision for regular trials by the Mint's assay master, with notes on past legislation [MINT 19/2/510] MINT 19/2/511-12, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK UKSurreyKew, RichmondNational Archives MINT 19/2/511-12 c. 1697 England English Holograph MintEconomic Theory and Legislation Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins Transcribed by Will Scott
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All Wwrought sillver must be of sterling allay or better & not worse th money & shall be assayed by the Wardens & marked with the Leopards head before it go out of the workmans hands. Offenders convict to eb punished by imprisonment & ransome at yethe Kings will. The Wardens of the craft may go from shop to shop to essayassay if works of gold be of the touch of Paris, & such as are not shall be forfeit to yethe King. 28. Edw. 1. c. 20.

After the plate is essayedassayed & marked with the kings mark the Goldsmith shall set his own mark for wchwhich he will answer, & wchwhich shall be known to them who are assigned by the King to survey their work. The plate shall be of sterling. Those assigned in every town shall make their searches as offten as shall be ordeined. The value of the metall found in default, forfeited to yethe king. No Goldsmith shall take for vessel white & of the weight of a pound, that is to say, of the price of two marks of Paris weight, but eighteen pence as they do at Paris. 37 Edw. 3. c. 7.

Necessary soder allowed. No workman to sell wrought silver before it be touched with the touch & with the mark of the workman upon pain of forfeiting double value, the one half to the king. And if any plate touched wthwith yethe Leopards head be not as fine as sterling, the keeper of the touch shall make the like forfeiture, & so shall the workman. And the like for York, Newcastle, Lincoln Norwich Bristol Salisbury & Coventry as for London & each to have different touches. 2 Hen. 6. c. 214.

Twelve pence per pound weight of silver & per ounce wtweight of gold allowed for wast & remedy. And the single value of the plate only forfeited. Wrought gold not less fine then 22 carats. 18 Eliz. c. 15

Quære whether

The Assayer shall report every half penny weight of betterness or worsness upon pain of disability.

The Diet sthall be tried annually by the Queens Assaymaster in the presence of

The Diets of country corporations sthall be tried every years by the same AssaymrAssaymaster in the presence of

Twelve pence in yethe pound sthall be allowed for wast & remedy, besides the fashion or workmanship.

The Assayer shall be appointed by the company or yethe Crown

A searcher in every city (to be annually appointed by the Court of Aldermen,) may deface all plate abounding with too much soder, seize all unmarked plate exposed to sale & cause any other suspected pieces of plate to be assayed.

If any plate be worse then sterling the owner shall forfeit & the toucher shall forfeit as much.

If any plate being touched shall afterwards be found a penny wtweight worse then staerling &or being melted down  wthwith the soder the mass shall be found two penny weight worse then sterling, the persons offending (besides the forfeiture of the plate) shall lose their franchises &c.

The Assayer shall deface coarse plate & plate wthwith too much soder

1. All sSilver plate including the soder shall be not be less in fineness then ounces penny wtweight of fine silver in yethe pound wtweight Troy., unless by by accident & within the limits & under the penalties hereafter mentioned.

3 All Clean pPplate less in fineness, or abounding wthwith too muchmore soder then is necessary may shall be defaced by the Assayer & not touched b returned to y

2 The Assayer shall report every halfpenny wotweight of betterness or worsness upon pain of

4 Clean plate an halfpenny wtweight wors shall be forfeited to yethe Wardens & company, a penny weight worse shall disfranchise & disable the maker.

5 Plate melted down wthwith the soder three halfpenny wtweight worse shall be forfeited to the company, two penny wtweight worse shall disfranchise & disable the maker.

6. The Assayer or toucher upon discovering any Plate to be faulty, shall try the same again in the presence of the owner or his Assigne & of two or more other creditable witnesses & then if found faulty as before it shall be defaced or forfeited as above, if found faulty.

7 All unmarked plate exp exposed to sale may be seized

7 All plate sold or exposed to sale, shall be f if unmarked or worse, shall be forfeited to him that shall seize or sue for the same, & the value thereof shall be forfeited also to yethe Queen. If an halfpenny marked & an half penny wt worse, the like forfeitures shall be made by the Wardens & Company. If a penny weight worse wthwithout soder or two penny wtweight worse wthwith soder, the toucher & persons w& his Assayer shall be disfranchised.& & disabled.

The Diets shall be tried at time appointed by the Queens Assaymaster in the presence of & the Company shall pay yethe deficiency to yethe crown.., the city Diet annually, the country Diets every years.

[Twelve pence in the pound weight allowed for wast & remedy besides yethe fashion].

A searcher The touch Warden in every city (to be annually appointed by the court of Aldermen of that city) maytaking with him two or more Assistants may search & deface all plate abounding wthwith twotoo much soder, & seize all unmarked Plate exposed to sale. & cause any other suspected plate to be assayed.