1917.] GUERNSEY DOMESTIC PLATE. 61 



as Goldsmiths and Bankers, a combination of business which 

 — started by the famous Medici — lasted until the end of the 

 eighteenth century. 



Among the FalJa MSS. we read that, on May 31st, 1605, 

 Nicolas Ollivier sells certain " Campards " to Mr. Henry 

 Smith, while acting as Procureur and Attorney to " Pierre de 

 Beauvoir, fils Henry de St. Pierre-Port," citizen and gold- 

 smith of the City of London (" citoyen et orfeyvre de la Cite 

 de Londres ")'. 



In the following century Matthew Perchard, son of John 

 Perch a rd of Guernsey, settled in Hatton Garden as a jeweller 

 and goldsmith ; he died in 1777, leaving about £30,000 to be 

 divided among his three nephews, Peter Perchard son of 

 Peter, John Perchard son of John, and Peter Perchard son of 

 Daniel, afterwards Lord Mayor of London, and their 

 descendants. The business of silversmith was kept up both 

 by James Perchard of Clerkenwell and also by the Peter 

 Perchard, made Lord Mayor of London in 1805, for he had 

 been sent as a boy to his uncle Matthew, and from him he 

 learnt his business and made his fortune. This Peter subse- 

 quently went into business with Mr. William Brock in Hatton 

 Garden, both as a silversmith and as a banking 1 agent. That 

 Matthew Perchard also undertook to be a banking agent, at 

 any rate so far as the Channel Islands are concerned, is proved 

 by a letter which I have in my possession, addressed to 

 Mr. John Mauger, Merchant in Guernsey : 



" London, 31st January, 1760. 

 " Sir, — Referring to my last of 26th instant, this now serves to 

 advise having yesterday received from Mr. Thomas Brown of Grumvollo, 

 by order of Captain Nicolas Le Cheminant, on your account a Bill of 

 £50, drawn by Pascoe Grenfell and George Grenfell, which is accepted 

 and shall when paid be placed to your credit. I salute you with all due 

 regard, Sir, 



Your very humble Servant, 



Matthew Perchabd." 



Of the many Channel Islands banking agencies estab- 

 lished in London in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, 

 the establishments of Messrs. Samuel Dobree & Co., and 

 Messrs. H. S. Lefevre & Co., still survive. 



But this is now drifting far from our original topic of 

 old Guernsey Plate, once in the Island, but now lost to us for 

 ever, and one can only ask when recalling the things of beauty 

 we once possessed : — 



" Ou sont les neiges d'antan ? " 



