Draft regulations on hallmarking and provision for regular trials by the Mint's assay master, with notes on past legislation

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All Wrought sillver must be of sterling allay or better & not worse th{illeg} money & shall be ass{illeg}ayed by the Wardens & marked with the Leopards head before it go out of the workmans hands. Offenders convict to eb punished by imprisonment & ransome {illeg}at ye Kings will. The Wardens of the craft may go from shop to shop to essay if works of gold be of the touch of Paris, & such as are not shall be forfeit to ye King. 28. Edw. 1. c. 20.

After the plate is essayed & marked with the kings mark the Goldsmith shall set his own mark for wch he will answer, & wch 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 ye 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 wth ye Leopards head be not as fine as sterling, the keeper of the touch shall make the like forfeit{illeg}ure, & so shall the workman. And the like for York, Newcastle, Lincoln Norwich Bristol Salisbury & Coventry as for London & each to have different to{illeg}uches. 2 Hen. 6. c. 214.

Twelve pence per pound weight of silver & per ounce wt 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

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Quære whether

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

The Diet st{illeg}hall be tried annually by the Queens Assaymaster in the presence of

The Diets of country corporations st{illeg}hall be tried every       years by the same Assaymr in the presence of

{illeg}Twelve pence in ye pound st{illeg}hall be allowed for wast & remedy, besides the fashion or workmanship.

The Assayer shall be appointed by the company or ye Crown

A searcher in every city (to be annually appointed by the Court of Aldermen,) may deface all plate abounding with t{illeg}oo 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 wt worse then staerling &or being melted down  wth 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 wth too much soder

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

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

2 The Assayer shall report every halfpenny wot of b{illeg}etterness or worsness upon pain of

{illeg} 4 Clean plate an halfpenny wt wors shall be forfeited to ye Wardens & company, a penny weight worse shall disf{illeg}ranchise & disable the maker.

5 Plate melted down wth the soder three halfpenny wt worse shall be forfeited to the company, two penny wt 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 {illeg}two or more other creditable witnesses & then if found faulty as before it sha{illeg}ll be defaced or f{illeg}orfeited 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 ye Queen. If an halfpenny {illeg} marked & an half penny wt worse, the like forfeitures shall be made by the Wardens {illeg}& Company. If a penny weight worse wthout soder or two penny wt worse wth soder, the toucher & persons w{illeg}& 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 ye deficiency to ye crown. {sic} the city Diet annually, the country Diets every          years.

[Twelve pence in the pound weight allowed for wast & remedy besides ye 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 wth two {sic} much soder, & seize all unmarked Plate exposed to sa{illeg}le. & cause any other suspected plate to be assayed.