HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH SILVER
MAKER'S MARK IDENTIFICATION

WITH THE ADDITION OF SCOTTISH, IRISH, CHANNEL ISLANDS AND COLONIES SILVERMITHS
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BRITISH SILVERSMITHS - ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF MARKS: BA-BZ
ALPHABETICAL LISTING
OF SILVERSMITHS' NAMES		 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
  [B] = BIRMINGHAM    [C] = Chester   [D] = DUBLIN  [E] = EDIMBURGH  [EX] = EXETER  [G] = GLASGOW    [L] = LONDON  [N] = NEWSCASTLE   
[S] = SHEFFIELD   [Y] = YORK
(lower-case letter denote smaller ones but they may be capital letters)
CLICK ON THE YELLOW NAME FOR MAKER'S MARK IMAGE and ON THE GREEN NAME FOR INFORMATION
B&C (Beddoes & Co [ B ] )20th c./1st half
B&C (Brown & Clark [ B ] ) 19th c./2nd half
B & C into octagons (Brookes & Crookes [ S ] ) 19th c./2nd half/20th c./1st half
B&Co (Barking & Co [ B ] )20th c./1st half
B & Co (Broadway and Co [B][L][S]) 20th c.
B&D (Boodle & Dunthorne [ B ][ S ][ L ] )20th c.
B & G (Birch & Gaydon [L]) 20th c./1st half
B&P (Bent & Parker [ B ] ) 19th c./2nd half
B&S (Betts & Son [ B ] ) 19th c./1st half
B&S into an indented rectangle (Brook & Son [ E ][ S ] ) 20th c./1st half
B&S (Bach & Smith [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
B&T (Barrett & Thompson [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
B&W into a lozenge (Burtons & Waters [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
B.A into a rectangle (B. Ainsworth [ C]) 20th c./1st half
BALL&Co into a rectangle (Ball & Co - Ball Brothers [B ][ C ]) end 19th c.
.BB. (Benjamin Brewood II [ L ] ) 18th c./2nd half
B.B (Barker Brothers [B]) from 1871/20th c.
B.brs inro an oval (Briddon Brothers -possibly-[S]) 20th c./1st half
B.B over SLd into a shield (in relief or engraved) (Barker Bros Ltd, now Barker Ellis Co LTD [B][C][S]) from 1871/20th c.
BC (Bernard Cuzner [ B ] )

BC under a crown (Benjamin Godfrey [ L ] ) 18th c./1st half
BC over &N (James Barber, George Cattle II & William North [Y ] ) 19th c./1st half
B.D (Burrage Davenport [ L ] ) 18th c./2nd half
BD (Benjamin Davis [ L ] ) 19th c./1st half
BD (not identified [ S ] ) 2007
B.D.G into a rectangle (Benjamin De Gorter [ L]) beginning 20th c.
BE over SCo into a shield (Barker Ellis Silver Company [ B ][ S ] ) 20th c./2nd half
BF into two conjoined circles (Benjamin Finnigan [ L]) 19th c./2nd half
B.G into an oval (Bert Gordon [ B ] ) 20th c.
B.G (Benjamin Cartwright II [ L ] )18th c./2nd half
B.G.&Co into an oval (Britton, Gould & Co [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
BG over & over Co Ld into a quatrefoil (Boardman, Glossop & Co Ltd [B][S]) mid 20th c.
B.G Ltd (Birmingham Guild of Handicraft Ltd [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
B G H Ltd into a lozenge (Birmingham Guild of Handicraft Ltd [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
B over GH over Ld (Birmingham Guild of Handicraft [B])
B.H.J (Barnet Henry Joseph [ B ][ L ] ) end 19th c.
B.H.M (Berthold Hermann Muller [ L ] ) 20th c./1st half
BI into an oval (Bernard Inge [ C ]) 20th c./1st half
B.I (Bernard Instone [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
B.I&S.A (Birmingham Jewellers & Silversmiths Association [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
B.J.K&Co (B J Keyzor & Co [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
Bl Bs (Bendall Brothers -Gordon, Henry & David Bendall- [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
B.Ld (Bishton's Ltd [ B ][ S ] ) mid 20th c.
BM (Benjamin May [ B ] ) 18th c./2nd half
BM (Birmingham Mint [ B ][ S ] ) 20th c./2nd half
BM (Berthold Muller [ L ][ C ] ) end 19th c./beginning 20th c.
BM & Co into a lozenge (Barr, Moering & Co [ L ]) beginning 20th c.
BM Co (Birmingham Medal Co [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
B.M.L (Boaz Moses Landeck [ C ] ) 20th c./1st half
BMW (Barry Witmond [ L ] ) 20th c./2nd half
B.M (Benjamin Mountigue [ L ] ) 18th c./2nd half
BN over JN into a square (Benjamin Norton & Joseph Norton [ L ]) 19th c./1st half
BofCLd into a rectangle (Browns of Chester Ltd [ C ]) 20th c./1st half
B.P into an oval (not identified [ B ]) 1953
BP into a rectangle (Benjamin Preston [ L ]) entered 1825
BP&CW (Birmingham Plate & Cutlery Ltd [ B ] ) mid 20th
B P D C into four squares (Boots Pure Drug Company [ B ][ C ] ) 20th c./1st half
B P over D C into a shield (Boots Pure Drug Company [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
bros A ltd (Adie Brothers Ltd [B] [C])20th c.
BRS into three conjoined circles (Bernard Rintel Simmons [ C ]) 20th c./1st half
BS (Benjamin Smith [ L ] ) 19th c./1st half
Bs into shield (Bravingtons Ltd [ B ][ L ][ S ] ) 20th c./1st half

B S into circles (Benoni Stephens [ L ] ) 19th c./1st half
BS into an oval (Bruce Stevenson [ S ] ) 20th c./2nd half
B.S (Ben Stephenson [ L ] ) 18th c./2nd half
B.S into shield (Barrowclift Silvercraft [ B ] ) 20th c./2nd half
B.(S) (Bishtons Ltd [ B ] ) 20th c./2nd half
BS&Co (B Street & Co [ B ] ) 20th c./1st half
BS over BS (Benjamin Smith I & Benjamin Smith II [ L ] ) 19th c./1st half
BS over IS (Benjamin Smith I & James Smith [ L ] ) 19th c./1st half
BT (Benjamin Taitt [ D ] )18th c./2nd half
B.T.G. into an oval (Benjamin Thomas Greening [ C ][ L ]) end 19th c./20th c./1st half
Bu into a square (Nathaniel Bullen [ C ]) end 17th c./beginning 18th c.
BW (Benjamin West [ L ] )18th c./1st half
B WMJS RD into a shield (Walter, John, Michael, Stanley Barnard & Robert Dubock, [ L ]) entered 1896
HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH SILVER - MAKER'S MARK IDENTIFICATION
ALPHABETICAL LISTING
OF SILVERSMITHS' NAMES		 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
THE DIRECTORY OF CAPE SILVERSMITHS A - C D - I J - M N - T U - Z
THE DIRECTORY OF CHANNEL ISLANDS SILVERSMITHS A - F G - H I - P Q - Z unidentified makers
BRITISH TOWN MARKS AND DATE LETTERS
London town marks Birmingham town marks Dublin town marks Edinburgh town marks Sheffield town marks Exeter town marks
London Birmingham Dublin Edinburgh Sheffield Chester
The hallmarking of British silver is based on a combination of marks that makes possible the identification of the origin and the age of each piece.
The marks are:

Town mark, corresponding to the mark of the assay office that has verified the piece
London town mark Sheffield town mark Birmingham town mark Newcastle town mark Dublin town mark Edimburgh town mark Glasgow town mark

Lion's passant guardant or Britannia or lion's head erased certifiying the silver's quality
lion passant: 1598-1820 lion passant: after 1820 Britannia and lion's head erased: from 1697 to 1718
Maker's mark, identifying the silversmith presenting the piece to the assay office

Date letter, in cycles of twenty letters of the alphabet of different shape identifies the year in which the piece was verified by the assay office
London date letter 'a'
A further mark was used in the period 1784 - 1890:
Sovereign head ('duty mark'), certifying the payment of duty
Sovereign head: duty mark from 1784 to 1890
work in progress on this page - your help, corrections and suggestions will be greatly appreciated -