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May it please your most excellent Majesty Whereas by several laws and statutes of this realm now in force it is provided and enacted, that no goldsmith, silversmith, or other person whatsoever, shall work or make, or cause to be wrought or made, any silver vessel, plate, or manufacture of silver less in fineness than that of eleven ounces and ten peny weight of fine silver in every pound troy, nor put to sale, exchange, or sell any silver vessels, plate, or manufacture of silver (except as in the said statutes, or some of them, are severally excepted) until such time as such vessel, plate, or manufactured silver shall be touched, assayed, and marked at the respective cities or places in the said statutes mentioned, and by such corporations, officers, or persons as are thereby respectively entrusted for touching, assaying, and marking the same, under such pains, penalties, and forfeitures as in and by the same laws and statutes are prescribed, as by the said several laws and statutes (relation being thereunto severally had) may more plainly and fully appear: And whereas it is found by experience, that the silver vessels, plate, and manufactures of silver, which were made according to the old standard of eleven ounces and two peny weight of fine silver (which standard was altered by an Act made in the eighth year of the reign of your Majesties royal predecessor King William the Third, of glorious memory [intituled An Act for encouraging the bringing in wrought plate to be coined], are more serviceable and durable than the silver vessels, plate, and manufactures of silver which have been made according to the said standard of eleven ounces and ten peny weight of fine silver in every pound troy: Be it therefore enacted by the Kings most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by authority of the same, that the said old standard of eleven ounces and two peny weight of fine silver at least, to be contained in every pound weight troy of silver vessels, plate, or other manufactures of silver, made or to be made or wrought after the first day of June one thousand seven hundred and twenty, shall be restored, revived, and take place instead of the said new standard of eleven ounces and ten peny weight of fine silver at least in every such pound troy.
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After 1 June 1720, no goldsmith, &c. obliged to work any plate according to the new standard of 11 oz. 10 dwt., &c.
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2. And . . . that from and after the said first day of June one thousand seven hundred and twenty, no goldsmith, silversmith, or plateworker shall be obliged, by force or virtue of the said former laws and statutes, or any of them, to work or make, or cause to be wrought or made, any silver vessel, plate, or manufacture of silver, according to the said new standard of eleven ounces and ten peny weight of fine silver at least in every pound troy, or be restrained from putting to sale, exchanging, or selling any silver vessels, plate, or manufactures of silver, so as the same do contain eleven ounces and two peny weight of fine silver at least in every pound troy, and be touched, assayed and marked in such manner and form as in and by the said former laws and statutes and by this present Act, are provided and established for touching, assaying, and marking the same.
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After 1 June 1720, no goldsmith, &c. to work or put to sale any plate less in fineness than 11 oz. 2 dwt.
To be marked as prescribed by the laws for assaying of the standard of 11 oz. 10 dwt. Which laws are hereby continued.
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3.Provided . . . always that from and after the said first day of June one thousand seven hundred and twenty, no goldsmith, silversmith, or other person whatsoever, shall work or make, or cause to be wrought or made, any silver vessel, plate, or manufacture of silver, less in fineness than that of eleven ounces and two peny weight of fine silver in every pound troy, or shall put to sale, exchange, or sell any silver vessel, plate, or manufacture of silver, made after the said first day of June one thousand seven hundred and twenty (unless it be silver wire or such things as in respect to their smallness are not capable of receiving a mark) until such time as such vessel, plate, or manufacture of silver shall be touched, assayed, and marked in manner and form prescribed by the said laws and statutes, or any of them, for touching, assaying, and marking of the said standard of eleven ounces and ten peny weight fine, at least, in every pound troy, in case the same standard had continued; and that all and every the rules, directions, powers, privileges, pains, penalties, forfeitures, clauses, matters, and things enacted or provided in or by any of the former laws and statutes of this realm, which at or until the time of making this Act were or are in force for preserving or securing the said standard of eleven ounces and ten peny weight of fine silver at least in every pound troy, or for touching, assaying, marking, or allowing for good the silver plate of that standard, shall be continued, applied, practised, and put in execution for preserving and securing the standard of eleven ounces and two peny weight of fine silver at least in every pound troy (by this Act revived and intended to be established), and for the touching, assaying, marking, and allowing the same, as fully and effectually to all intents and purposes as if the same rules, directions, powers, privileges, pains, penalties, forfeitures, clauses, matters, and things were again particularly repeated and re-enacted in and by this present Act, any thing in the said former laws and statutes, or any of them, contained to the contrary notwithstanding.
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The two different standards of wrought plate continued.
The distinguishing marks for the two standards.
No plate to be of a courser allay.
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41. And whereas it may be requisite for encouraging the several manufactures of wrought plate, to continue both the standard of plate of eleven ounces ten peny weight troy, and also the standard of eleven ounces two peny weight troy, for the better accommodating the buyers of plate, and the workers and dealers therein: Be it therefore enacted by the authority aforesaid, that from and after the first day of June one thousand seven hundred and twenty, all silver vessels of plate or manufactured of silver shall not be made less in fineness than that of eleven ounces ten peny weight of fine silver in every pound troy, or of silver less in fineness than eleven ounces two peny weight of fine silver in every pound troy; which two different standards of wrought plate shall be severally and respectively marked with distinguishing marks; (that is to say,) vessels made of silver plate or manufactured silver, not less in fineness than eleven ounces ten peny weight of fine silver in every pound troy, to be marked with the workmans mark, the mark of the wardens of the mystery or craft of the goldsmiths, and with the figure of a lions head erased and the figure of a woman called the Britannia; and all vessels of silver plate or manufactured silver, not less in fineness than eleven ounces two peny weight of fine silver in every pound troy, and under the degree of eleven ounces ten peny weight of fine silver in every pound troy, shall be marked with the workers mark, and the wardens of the mystery or craft of goldsmiths as aforesaid, and with the figure of a lion passant, and the figure of a leopards head; and that it shall not be lawful to make any vessels of silver plate or manufactures of silver of a courser allay than what is herein specified, under the penalties and forfeitures prescribed by any of the laws now in being concerning wrought plate, any thing in this Act, or in any other Act or Acts, to the contrary notwithstanding.
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