ENGLISH ELECTROPLATE SILVER MARKS AND HALLMARKS OF SHEFFIELD AND BIRMINGHAM SILVER PLATE MAKERS

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.

	JOHN WIGFALL & CO Sheffield Active 1889-1911 at Auckland Works, 37 Eldon St, Sheffield. Under the style of John Wigfall and Company Limited it was a subsidiary of Joseph Elliot & Sons (Sheffield) Ltd. The firm was established in 1843 and was known as manufacturer of table cutlery of all kinds, shoe, bread and butchers' knives, glaziers', farriers', palette and pruning knives, table and butchers' steels, pen, pocket and sporting knives, razors, scissors, electro-plate spoons and forks, fish carvers etc. The firm used the trademark BONAFIDE.
	HENRY WILKINSON & CO HENRY WILKINSON & CO LTD Sheffield The founder of the firm was J. Winter in 1760c. In 1829 the firm was active as Henry Wilkinson & Co and in 1872 was converted into a limited liability company under the style Henry Wilkinson & Co Ltd. In 1892 the firm was acquired by Walker & Hall. The firm used the trade mark SILBO HENRY WILKINSON HISTORY AND INFORMATION PAGE
	THOMAS WILKINSON THOMAS WILKINSON & CO THOMAS WILKINSON & SONS Birmingham Founded by Thomas Wilkinson in 1832. Active at Pelican Works with the trade mark 'Pelican Ware'. In 1840 the firm was active at High Street, Sheffield advertising as "By Special Appointment to Her Majesty". In 1932 the grandsons Arthur William and Francis Isaac sold the business to A.L. Davenport Ltd. Francis Isaac Wilkinson founded in 1934 F.I. Wilkinson & Sons Ltd.
	WILLIAMS & BROOKE Sheffield Succeeded to William Williams & Co. Active at 2 Howard Lane, Sheffield (1892-1898)
	Arnold E. WILLIAMS Birmingham Active at 84 Vyse Street, Birmingham. The firm partecipated as electroplater to the 1929 and 1947 British Industries Fairs
	WILLIAMS (BIRMINGHAM) LTD Birmingham Tenby Street, Birmingham. Formerly W. Williams & Co, converted into a limited liability company in 1902 at Hockley Street, Birmingham. In 1912 the factory is listed at King Edward's Road, Birmingham.
	JAMES & JOSHIA WILLIAMS WILLIAMS & CO Bristol Active from 1853 at 14 Small St and 18 St. Augustine's St, Bristol. From 1881 the firm changed to Williams & Co.
	HENRY WILLIAMSON LTD London A business established in 1865 by Henry Williamson. The firm was converted into H. Williamson Ltd in 1892 absorbing in 1895 Errington Watch Co. ACME was a trade mark

	MARK WILLIS MARK WILLIS & SON Sheffield Active at Exchange Works, 56 Fargate (1872-1881)and Tudor Place (1882-1885). In 1886 the firm changed its style in Mark Willis & Son at 207 Rockingham St. Converted into a limited liability company in 1904. Out of business in 1918
	FREDERICK WILSON & CO Sheffield Formerly Wilson & Davis. Active at Hatton Works, 32 Eyre St. (1882-1887) and 9-13 Cavendish St. (1888-1910). The firm became Travis Wilson & Co Ltd in 1916. The firm entered a similar mark (F.W) for sterling silver at Sheffield (1882) and London (1886) Assay Offices
	WILSON & DAVIS London and Sheffield A partnership of Frederick Wilson and William (Pittman) Davis at Hatton Works, Eyre St, Sheffield and at 10 Hatton Garden, London (1870-1883). The partnership was dissolved in 1883 and the firm continued its activity under the style Frederick Wilson & Co
	WILSON & GILL London Business established in 1892 by Samuel Wilson and Robert Valentine Gill at 134 Regent Street, London. Later the firm was transformed into Wilson & Gill Ltd and into Wilson & Gill (1971) Ltd.
	WILSON & SHARP Edinburgh Active in Edinburgh since 1901 and managed by Robert Wilson and Andrew Sharp. The firm was registered as Jewellers & Silversmiths (1921-c.1961), as Goldsmiths & Silversmiths (1939) and became Wilson & Sharp Ltd (c.1935)
	SAMUEL SIMS WING S S WING & CO S S WING & CO LTD Sheffield Active at 145 and 117 Eldon St, Sheffield (1889-1910). Changed to SS Wing & Co in 1897 and to SS Wing & Co Ltd in 1900
	WINGFIELD, ROWBOTHAM & CO Sheffield Active at Suffolk Rd and 82 Tenter St, Sheffield (1889-1929) trading also as Wade, Wingfield & Rowbotham. The firm used the trade mark ALBA
	W.T. WISEMAN & CO Birmingham (possibly) c. 1910
	GEORGE WISH Sheffield George Wish was active in Sheffield (Denmark Works, Norfolk Lane) until 1877 trading with William Henry Sampson under the style Sampson & Wish. After the dissolution of the partnership with Sampson he continued the business at the same address moving in 1893 its Denmark Works to Burgess Street. In 1914 the business was converted into a limited liability company under the style of George Wish & Co Ltd.
	W.M. a generic mark for White Metal used together or inside maker's mark
	JOSEPH WOLSTENHOLME Sheffield Active at Broad Street Park since 1824. Started electroplating in 1850. From 1857 the firm was managed by W.F. Wolstenholme (Joseph's son)
	WOLSTENHOLME & BIGGIN Sheffield Active at Matilda Works, 117 Matilda St, Sheffield (1876-1881). Succeeded to Wolstenholme, Maclaurin & Co
	HORACE WOODWARD & CO HORACE WOODWARD & CO LTD Birmingham The firm was established in mid 19th century by George Cartwright and Joseph Hirons under the style Cartwright & Hirons. In 1853 they were joined by Horace Woodward and the style changed to Cartwright, Hirons & Woodward. In 1859 the firm became Cartwright & Woodward and in 1865 the business was continued by Horace Woodward under the style Horace Woodward & Co. In 1893 the firm was converted into a limited liability company under the style Horace Woodward & Co Ltd. The company was acquired by Adie Brothers Ltd in 1919. HORACE WOODWARD HISTORY AND INFORMATION PAGE
	WOOLEY & CO Birmingham c. 1890
	THOMAS WOOLLEY Birmingham
	B.WORTH & SONS Sheffield active 1899-1916

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, Austrian Silver, Brazilian Silver, Buxbridge, Electrum, Encore, Exquisite, Insignia Plate, Nevada Silver, Norwegian Silver, Pelican Silver, Potosi Silver, Silverite, Sonora Silver, Spur Silver, Stainless Nickel, Stainless Nickel Silver, Venetian Silver, W.M White Metal,....