ENGLISH ELECTROPLATE SILVER MARKS AND HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH SILVER PLATE

WITH THE ADDITION OF OTHER BRITISH, SCOTTISH AND IRISH MAKERS

created by Giorgio B. owner of www.silvercollection.it ©

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The two common forms of plated silver are Sheffield plate and silverplate/electroplate.
Sheffield Plate is a cheaper substitute for sterling, produced by fusing sheets of silver to the top and bottom of a sheet of copper or base metal. This 'silver sandwich' was then worked into finished pieces. At first it was only put on one side and later was on top and bottom.
Modern electroplating was invented by Italian chemist Luigi V. Brugnatelli in 1805. Brugnatelli used his colleague Alessandro Volta's invention of five years earlier, the voltaic pile, to facilitate the first electrodeposition. Unfortunately, Brugnatelli's inventions were repressed by the French Academy of Sciences and did not become used in general industry for the following thirty years.
Silver plate or electroplate is formed when a thin layer of pure or sterling silver is deposited electrolytically on the surface of a base metal. By 1839, scientists in Britain and Russia had independently devised metal deposition processes similar to Brugnatelli's for the copper electroplating of printing press plates.
Soon after, John Wright of Birmingham, England, discovered that potassium cyanide was a suitable electrolyte for gold and silver electroplating.
Wright's associates, George Elkington and Henry Elkington were awarded the first patents for electroplating in 1840. These two then founded the electroplating industry in Birmingham England from where it spread around the world.
Common base metals include copper, brass, nickel silver - an alloy of copper, zinc and nickel - and Britannia metal - a tin alloy with 5-10% antimony.
Electroplated materials are often stamped EPNS for electroplated nickel or silver, or EPBM for electroplated Britannia metal.

	FREDERICK SIBRAY, J.F. HALL & Co Sheffield 1878-1918 at Fitzwalter Works, 111-115 St. Mary's Rd, Sheffield. Became 'Ltd' in 1897
	J.B.SILVESTER Birmingham
	ALBERT SKINNER & CO Sheffield 9 Eyre St: 1891-1893 217 Shoreham St.: 1894-1897
	SLACK BROTHERS Sheffield Active c. 1862 at Leicester Works, Sheffield
	SLACK & BARLOW SLACK & BARLOW SHEFFIELD LTD Sheffield Active in the 1930s at 14 Sycamore St, Sheffield. The firm became Slack & Barlow Sheffield Ltd using the trade mark SILVERPRIDE
	SLATER BROTHERS Sheffield Active at 94 Scotland St (1884-1888), Beehive Works, 159-165 Fitzwilliam St (1889-1904), 105 Arundel St. Sheffield (1904-1911). The firm succeeded in 1884 to J.Slater & Son
	N.SMITH & CO Waingate - Sheffield (Old Sheffield plate - mark entered 1784)
	R.& W. SORLEY Glasgow a partnership of William Sorley and William Steele. Active at Kingsborough Terrace and 89 Hyndland Rd., Glasgow
	SOUTHERN & RICHARDSON Sheffield Active in Don Cutlery Works at Doncaster St, Sheffield (1863-1890)
	SPEAR & JACKSON Sheffield A partnership founded in 1830 by Alexander Spear and Sam Jackson. In 1985 the firm was bought by Neill Tools and renamed Spear & Jackson plc in 1995
	SPURRIER & CO London and Birmingham The firm of Arthur Ewell Spurrier is recorded at 35 Coleman Street London in 1883. The showrooms of Spurrier & Co are listed in 1885. In 1890 the firm was active in its works at 14 George Street, Birmingham. A.E. Spurrier was succeeded in the business by John Walter Spurrier active in 1914 as Walter Spurrier & Co.

	WILLIAM SPURRIER WILLIAM SPURRIER & CO Birmingham In an 1858 advertisement William Spurrier is described as manufacturer of "Electro Silver Plate & Britannia Metal, 5 Newhall Street, Birmingham"
	EBENEZER STACEY & SONS Sheffield Active since 1857. Ebenezer's firm succeeded to the firm of John Vickers (inventor of Britannia metal). The business was taken over by Hodges Brothers in 1923.
	J.B. STAGG & SONS Birmingham
	STEPHENSON & SONS Manchester & Sheffield c. 1910. The firm used the trade mark Palatine Plate
	R. STEVENSON & CO Sheffield Active at 27-29 Carver St, Sheffield (1894-1900)
	ROBERT STEWART Glasgow (possibly)
	STOWER & WRAGG Sheffield (possibly) Eyre Street, Sheffield. Active 1934 - 1967. Entered in 1931 a sterling silver hallmark in Sheffield Assay Office
	HENRY STRAFORD HENRY STRAFORD LTD Sheffield Active as William & Henry Stratford at 10 Surrey St (1855-1857) and 1 New Church St (1858-1878). Henry Stratford continued the activity solely at 92 Harwood St, Sheffield (1878-1930). From 1900 the firm became Henry Stratford Ltd
	RICHARD FORD STURGES Birmingham Active at Broad Street, Birmingham
	STURGES, BLADON & MIDDLETON Birmingham Active at Regent Place, Birmingham. The firm was a Listed Exhibitor at the 1947 British Industries Fair, where it was described as manufacturer of Knighthood Old English Pewterware, Tea and Coffee Sets, Trays, Tankards, Condiment Sets, Casserole Dishes, Fruit and Cake Baskets
	WILLIAM SUCKLING WILLIAM SUCKLING & SON SUCKLING LTD Birmingham Founded by William Suckling in 1895, the company specialized in a very large range of silver-plated holloware marketed under the trade names REGIS PLATE and KINGSWAY PLATE. The firm went out of business in 1965.
	SUTHERLAND & HORNE Edinburgh (possibly) The firm was established in 1820 and was active at 10A South St, Andrew St, Edinburgh as manufacturing and wholesale jewellers, watchmakers and silversmiths. The firm was incorporated into Henry Tatton & Son (Henry and Edward Tatton), c. 1930

E.P.N.S. (Electroplated Nickel Silver) and EPBM (Electroplated Britannia Metal) are the most common names attributed to silver plate items. But many other names are used for silver plate:
EPWM - Electroplate on White Metal, EPC - Electroplate on Copper, Argentium Argentine Plate, Argentum, Ascetic B. B. S. Ltd, Ashberry, Austrian Silver, Brazilian Silver D&A Trademark of Daniel and Arter, Buxbridge - Trademark name of JT&Co., Electrum, Encore TT&Co Trademark of T. Turner, Exquisite, HH&S , I.XL Geo. Wostenholm & Son, Insignia Plate, JB&S EP A1, JD&S = John Dixon & Sons, K & TL , M&W Mappin and Webb, N.S. New Silver, Nevada Silver D&A Trademark of Daniel and Arter, Norwegian Silver; Trademark of WG&S, Pelican Silver JGNS, Potosi Silver N&S WP, RN&S EP Neill, Silverite = Trademark of W P & Co , Sonora Silver = Trademark of Walker and Hall, Spur Silver = Trademark of E B & Co for Edwin Blyde & Co, Stainless N. S., Stainless Nickel, Stainless Nickel Silver, Venetian Silver - Trademark of Deykin & Sons, WF&SS EP

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