Visit Historic London

Our first stop is Goldsmiths Hall, the home of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London. The Hall was built in Foster Lane, the heart of the City’s goldsmiths area, shortly after the Company received its first royal charter in 1327.

The Company has powers, duties and privileges granted by monarchs since the Middle Ages giving it the right to enforce good standards within the trade and supervise regulation over provincial goldsmiths. The term ‘Goldsmith’ refers to a worker in both gold and/or silver.

The main roles of the Company are:
– To protect consumers through the Assay Office and test the coinage of the realm
– To support the trade through apprenticeships, training, education and promotion
– To fund and support the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity
– To contribute to life, work, education and culture in the City of London;
– To secure the long-term future of the Company and its activities.

Assay Office
The London Assay Office carries out many essential duties in order to enforce the legal requirements imposed by the Royal Charters:

1. Silver Standard. In 1158 Henry II declared the alloy of silver 92.5% and base metal 7.5% to be the legal standard required of British coinage and silver artefacts. This was named “Sterling Silver” and has continued in use until today with the exception of 1696-1720 when the higher Britannia Standard of 95.8% silver and 4.2% base metal was obligatory.

2. Hallmarking. All items sold within the UK with elements of gold, silver, platinum or palladium are legally required to be hallmarked by the assay office.
The hallmarks required are:
– Leopard’s Head – the distinctive mark of the London Assay Office
– Date Letter – this alphabetical mark changes annually and identifies the year of manufacture (although no longer a legal requirement in hallmarking, the London Assay Office continues to apply this as standard)
– Lion Passant – this was introduced in 1544 and indicates that the metal is of sterling standard. When the finer Britannia standard is used the “Britannia” and Lion’s Head Erased marks replace the Leopard’s Head and Lion Passant. Since the year 2000 the purity mark has been replaced by “925” and “958”.
– Maker’s Mark. Goldsmiths and silversmiths are required to have their unique mark struck on all their wares. From 1697 onwards Goldsmiths Hall has preserved a complete record of maker’s marks.

3. Royal Mint. An annual examination of coins manufactured by the Royal Mint, known as the Trial of the Pyx, is carried out.

4. The Antique Plate Committee, now the Goldsmiths’ Hallmarking Authentication Committee (GHAC), meets every month to check silver items suspected of having contravened the Hallmarking Act.

Apprentices and Charity
The system of apprenticeships started in medieval times. An apprentice learnt his trade by working for a master silversmith for a fixed term, usually 7 years, before obtaining his freedom. Apprentices often began at age 12 and frequently lived at their master’s house, given room and board, but earned no money. The Goldsmiths Company kept a record of all indentures on stipulation that each apprentice should be able to read and write.

The Company continues to play an important role in funding apprenticeships and assisting with the technical training of aspiring craftsmen. It has also created The Goldsmiths’ Centre, a unique community in the heart of Clerkenwell, providing training and workspace to goldsmiths, silversmiths and allied crafts.

In keeping with the original objectives of the medieval craft guilds, The Company supports a wide range of charitable areas and pursues a number of educational projects.

The 1681 Destruction of the Silver Makers Record
A fire at Goldsmiths Hall destroyed all records of workmen’s marks when the south west wing of the building were burned down. Until recently, the only way of matching a name to an early silver maker’s mark was from old records such as the inventories of noble houses and other institutions.

An important initiative in identifying the lost makers’ names is the study by Dr David Mitchell, supported by Goldsmiths Hall, which was published in his 2017 “Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London”. This reference work attributes names to 540 previously unidentified marks.

Goldsmiths Hall
This is one of London’s hidden architectural treasures. It has a splendid frontage with tall Corinthian columns and rich decoration, and the interior is laid out with sumptuous rooms available for venue hire.

The Goldsmiths Company owns a historic collection of silver dating from the 15th century to 1990 and includes internationally renowned masterpieces, including work by Paul de Lamerie and several fine pre-1600 examples.

The Hall is not open to the public except during the annual Goldsmiths’ Fair and other promotional events for contemporary jewellers and silversmiths. A number of Open Days are held during the year when guided tours of the Hall are arranged.

A short walk from Goldsmiths Hall, past St Pauls Cathedral, and down towards the river bank takes us to the attractive building which houses the His Majesty’s College of Arms, the oldest active heraldic institution in Europe. Silver and armorials have been linked together since heraldry evolved during the mid-12th century. The precious silver metal is soft and easily worked, and the sparkling background reflects the intricately engraved detail adding extra depth. It’s no surprise that historically silverwares have always been regarded as a perfect medium to display wealth and power.

Traditionally, as silver was viewed as a form of currency, the additional expense of armorial engraving would only be undertaken when a piece was specifically intended as a family heirloom or to be given to a church/institution. Accordingly, it was normal practice for goldsmiths to produce new pieces with blank shields which could be hand engraved later with a coat of arms.

There was a heightened interest in heraldry during the Tudor and early Stuart periods (1500-1625) as new families rose to power and wished to show off the family’s distinguished lineage. John Guillim’s monumental work “A Display of Heraldry” was published in 1610, an immensely popular work which was reprinted many times and continued the popularity for heraldic silver engraving, but it was not until the Restoration in 1666 that the production of high value silverwares resumed and the beautiful and elaborate armorial engravings that we admire so much today started to appear.

Heraldry
Heraldry evolved during the mid-12th century, when fighting men became unrecognisable inside their suits of armour to both friend and foe alike, and the practice soon emerged of decorating the armour and shield with a design that was unique to that particular person. Heraldry grew into a science with its own unique language and system of laws to regulate and record it accurately which has continued to the present day by the heralds of the College of Arms. New coats of arms have been granted since the fifteenth century to individuals and corporate bodies by the senior heralds.

From medieval times, heralds were part of the royal household and from 1420 the royal heralds had a common seal and acted in some ways like a corporation. In 1555 Queen Mary granted the charter under which they now operate together with a building just a 3 minute walk from St Pauls Cathedral. The original building was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666 but thanks to the College’s close proximity to the River Thames the world famous library archive was evacuated by river barge into safe keeping. The present College stands on the same site and dates from the 1670s.

Function of the College of Arms
His Majesty’s College of Arms, or Herald’s College, is the official heraldic authority for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the Sovereign and have the power to act on behalf of the Crown in all matters of heraldry. Their work includes the granting of new coats of arms, genealogical research and the recording of pedigrees. The College maintains meticulous registers of all heraldic activities, Royal Licences, changes of name, and flags. Besides having ceremonial duties, it advises on all matters relating to the peerage and baronetage, precedence and honours.

The College comprises thirteen officers, or heralds, plus seven officers extraordinary who take part in ceremonial occasions (such as the recent funeral of Queen Elizabeth II) but are not part of the College. The entire corporation is overseen by the Earl Marshal, a hereditary office always held by the Duke of Norfolk.

Armorial identification
The Heralds offer a specialist armorial identification service. Pieces can either be brought to the College in person or an illustration can be sent to enquiries@college-of-arms.gov.uk. The Heralds will then be able to quote a fee for trying to identify the arms.