By J. E. Nightingale, F.S.A. 



365 



II. — The maker's mark. Until about the middle of the sixteenth 

 century the worker's or maker's mark consisted of a certain symbol 

 or trade sign. Most shops in early times had a sign by which they 

 were known. This custom of hanging a sign-board has hardly yet 

 died out. Afterwards, the two initial letters of the maker were used 

 instead of the previous emblem, and so continues to the present 

 time. 



III. — The annual letter. This is the important mark which 

 indicates the year in which the piece was made and assayed by the 

 goldsmiths' guild. A cycle of twenty years ran through twenty 

 letters of the alphabet, beginning with the letter A. At the 

 commencement of each cycle the form of the letter was changed; 

 varieties of the Lombardic letters were succeeded by Black-letter, 

 Roman letter, Court hand, &c. The changes were rung on these 

 forms so as to give a sufficient distinction of shape in each cycle. 

 It requires considerable care in determining the correct date letter 

 of a piece, and it is necessary to refer to the printed lists, as the 

 same letters are often repeated in different cycles with very slight 

 alterations in their form. This applies especially to the earlier 

 dates. The tables now published commence with the letter A of 

 Henry VI. — 1438-9. Any existing examples of the first two or 

 three cycles are excessively rare; at present only one is known of 

 the first, namely, that of the Lombardic h found on a spoon given 

 by Henry VI. to Sir Ralph Pudsey. It should be mentioned that 

 the date-letter is changed, not on the first of January in each year, 

 but on St. Dunstan's Day, some time in the month of May. 



IV. — The lion passant guardant. This will be found on all pieces 

 since about 1545. 



There are small variations in these marks which make it necessary 

 to consult the printed lists in order to determine their exact signifi- 

 cance. It often happens that, from indistinct marking or too much 

 cleaning, the date-letter is uncertain, or not to be found. In this 

 case the form and fashion of the piece will help to determine the 

 approximate date. The above remarks refer to the London hall- 

 marks. There are a few provincial ones, such as Norwich, Exeter, 



VOL. XXI. — NO. LXIII. 2* B 



