ENGLISH ELECTROPLATE SILVER

MARKS AND HALLMARKS OF SHEFFIELD AND BIRMINGHAM SILVER PLATE MAKERS
WITH THE ADDITION OF OTHER BRITISH, SCOTTISH AND IRISH MANUFACTURERS



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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 on silver, or EPBM for electroplated Britannia metal.

THE DIRECTORY OF BRITISH ELECTROPLATED SILVER MAKERS: Mar-Mz

SILVERPLATE MANUFACTURERS: MARKS' IMAGE & HISTORY
Aa/Az    Ba/Bd    Be/Bn    Bo/Bz    Ca/Cn    Co/Cz    Da/Dh    Di/Dz    Ea/Eo    Ep/Ez    Fa/Fh    Fi/Fz    Ga/Gn    Go/Gz    Ha/Hh    Hi/Hz    Ia/Jz    Ka/Kz    La/Lz    Ma/Maq    Mar/Mz    Na/Nz    Oa/Oz    Pa/Pg    Ph/Pz    Qa/Rz    Sa/Sh    Si/Sz    Ta/Uz    Va/Vz    Wa/Wh    Wi/Wz    Ya/Yz    Za/Zz    unk.#1    unk.#2    unk.#3    unk.#4   

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF SILVERPLATE MARKS
AA/AZ    BA/BZ    CA/CZ    DA/DZ    EA/EZ    FA/FZ    GA/GZ    HA/HZ    IA/IZ    JA/JM    JN/KZ    LA/LZ    MA/OZ    PA/QZ    RA/RZ    SA/SZ    TA/UZ    VA/VZ    WA/ZZ   

|THE STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SILVERPLATE MARKS|    |UK FIGURAL TRADE MARKS|    |UK TRADE NAME DIRECTORY|    |ALPHABETIC SYMBOLS|    |SILVERPLATE PSEUDO HALLMARKS|    |DATING UK PATENT MARKS|    |OLD SHEFFIELD PLATE|    |ELKINGTON DATE LETTERS|    |WALKER & HALL DATE LETTERS|    |MAPPIN & WEBB DATE LETTERS|    |EPNS - EPBM|    |BRITANNIA METAL|    |UNIDENTIFIED SILVERPLATE MARKS|
A. Marks & Co - Manchester A. Marks & Co - Manchester A. Marks & Co - Manchester
A. MARKS & CO
Manchester
Wholesale and jeweller active at 18 - 20 Thomas Street, Manchester (1900). Possible connection with A&G Marks, claiming "Cutlery and Electroplate by the best makers"
Marples & Co - Sheffield Marples & Co - Sheffield Marples & Co - Sheffield
MARPLES & CO
Sheffield
Active at Napier St, Sheffield (1900-1907). In 1908 the firm became Marples, Wingfield & Wilkins.
A Marples & Co. (Marples Alfred), cutlery manufacturers, were active at 92 - 96, Mary Street, Sheffield (1901-1925). The business, using the BEEHIVE trademark bought c. 1904 by
Slater Brothers, was incorporated by Gregory Bros., Balmoral Works, 37 Matilda Street, Sheffield
Gregory Bros. incorporating Marples & Co: ancient advertisement
William Marples - Sheffield William Marples - Sheffield: IRISH HARP trade mark William Marples & Sons - Sheffield: Shamrock 3 Leaf Clover trade mark William Marples & Sons - Sheffield William Marples & Sons - Sheffield William Marples & Sons - Sheffield (possibly) William Marples & Sons - Sheffield (possibly) William Marples & Sons - Sheffield (possibly) William Marples - Sheffield (possibly) William Marples & Sons - Sheffield William Marples & Sons - Sheffield
WILLIAM MARPLES
WILLIAM MARPLES & SONS
WILLIAM MARPLES & SONS LTD
Sheffield
The business was founded by William Marples in 1828. Active from 1856 at
Hibernia Works, 25/27 Westfield Terrace, Sheffield. In 1860 Edwin Henry and William Kent, William's sons, became partners in William Marples and Sons. In 1962 the business was purchased by W. Ridgeway and Sons and C. and J. Hampton, after having been in the Marples family until that time. The "Shamrock 3 Leaf Clover" trademark replaced the "Irish Harp" in 1862.




Marples, Wingfield & Wilkins - Sheffield Marples, Wingfield & Wilkins - Sheffield Marples, Wingfield & Wilkins - Sheffield Marples, Wingfield & Wilkins - Sheffield (possibly) Marples, Wingfield & Wilkins - Sheffield Marples, Wingfield & Wilkins - Sheffield
MARPLES WINGFILED & WILKINS
Sheffield
Active at Sykes Works, 148 Eyre St, (1908-1933), Portland Works, 75-77 Hill St, Sheffield (1934-1953). The firm succeeded to Marples & Co and ceased electroplating c. 1940. The trade mark
RELIABLE was used also by Bramwell & Co
Marshall & Snelgrove - London
MARSHALL & SNELGROVE
London
A department Store founded in 1837 by James Marshall. In 1848, when John Snelgrove became a partner, the firm's name changed to Marshall & Snelgrove
Marshes & Sheperd - Sheffield
MARSHES & SHEPERD
Sheffield
Marsh Bros traced its history to 1631. Between 1780 and 1815 the firm traded at Park Hill, where James Marsh (1761-1841) built up the business. He brought his sons (William and John) into the company, besides a son-in-law, Thomas Shepherd (1806-1845). The firm was known as James Marsh & Co or Marshes & Shepherd. By 1819, the firm operated at Castle Hill, but as trade grew it moved in 1822 to Porter Street. In 1828, the company moved to Ponds Work, Forge Lane. By the end of the 1840s, it also had steel making capacity at Columbia Works, which had been vacated by John Brown. The firm (which became Marsh Bros & Co in 1850) had permanent representatives in Philadelphia and New York, and these were often Marsh family members. In the heyday of the American trade, Marsh Bros also had connections in New Orleans and Boston. The company displayed at the Great Exhibition (1851) and the New York Exhibition (1853). It won a medal at the International Exhibition (1862). The decline in the cutlery business after the 1880s (caused partly by American tariffs) prompted the Marsh family directors to ponder the future direction of their business. In the 1890s, knife production (apart from razors) was abandoned and Marsh Bros decided to concentrate on making tools steels and engineers tools. It continued to do so until the 1960s.
MARTINOID a trade mark of Martin Hall & Co Sheffield MARTINOID a trade mark of Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield (unusual lozenge) Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Ltd - Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Ltd - Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code S Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co Sheffield Martin Hall & Co EPGS Sheffield Martin Hall & Co - Sheffield
MARTIN HALL & CO
MARTIN HALL & CO LTD
Sheffield
The origin of the firm in the partnership established in 1820 in Sheffield by Henry Wilkinson and John Roberts who traded as Wilkinson & Roberts.The firm's cronology is: John Roberts (1836), Roberts & Hall ( 1846), Martin Hall & Co (1854), Martin Hall & Co Ltd (1866-1936). Martin Hall & Co was one of the best known British manufacturers and participated to many international exhibitions including the Crystal Palace 1851 Great Exhibition. They had also a line of production in electroplate and in a patented white metal called
"Martinoid".
The letter into a hexagon is, possibly, a date code (unknown, but the presence of the "crown" signifies before 1895). The "date code" hypothesis is confirmed by the "clipped crown" (with "A") as an emergency solution adopted when the use of the crown has been forbidden (1895).
Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code A Martin Hall & Co - Sheffield: date code B Martin Hall & Co - Sheffield: date code C Martin Hall & Co - Sheffield: date code O Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code R Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code S Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code T Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code U Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code V Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code W Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code X Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code V Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code S Martin Hall & Co Sheffield: date code S

A 1858 advertisement of Martin Hall & Co Sheffield A 1858 advertisement of Martin Hall & Co Sheffield

MARTIN HALL & CO HISTORY AND MARKS


Martin & Naylor - Fargate, Sheffield Martin & Naylor - Fargate, Sheffield
MARTIN & NAYLOR
Fargate, Sheffield
In 1852 amalgamated with Roberts & Hall and henceforth became known as Martin, Hall & Co.




Joshua Maxfield & Sons - Sheffield & London Joshua Maxfield & Sons - Sheffield & London Joshua Maxfield & Sons - Sheffield & London Joshua Maxfield & Sons - Sheffield & London Maxfield & Sons - Sheffield & London Maxfield & Sons Joshua Maxfield & Sons Joshua Maxfield & Sons - Sheffield & London Maxfield & Sons - Sheffield & London Maxfield & Sons - Sheffield & London J. & J. Maxfield - Sheffield Maxfield & Sons - Sheffield & London
MAXFIELD & SONS
J & J MAXFIELD
MAXFIELD & SONS (Silversmiths) LTD
Sheffield & London
Maxfield & Sons, founded c1855, was active at the end of the 19th century in its factory Enterprise Works, Arundel Street, Sheffield and its London showrooms at 47 Beak St, Regent Street with Joshua Maxfield as senior partner. In 1901 Maxfield & Sons and the associated businesses of J.& J. Maxfield and
W.Mammatt & Sons were converted into a single liability company under the style of J. & J. Maxfield Ltd and in 1908 was reformed as Maxfield & Sons (Silversmiths) Ltd.
The firm used a facing left "BEAVER" figural trademark.
A similar trademark was used from the associated business W.Mammatt & Sons and by John Sherwood & Sons of Birmingham and Fairfax & Roberts (an Australian silver retailer active in Sydney in the 1920s)
John McClory & Sons Ltd - Sheffield: SCOTIA SILVER trademark John McClory & Sons - Sheffield: SCOTIA trademark John McClory & Sons Ltd: SCOTIA SILVER trademark
JOHN McCLORY & SONS
JOHN McCLORY & SONS LTD
Sheffield
John McClory (1821-1867) started the business in 1861. His sons John (1853-1913) and William Vincent (1854-1913?), were trading c. 1880 as John McClory & Sons, Eldon Works, Eldon Street, Sheffield (table and pocket cutlery manufacturers and general merchants). In about 1892, they moved to Continental Works, Headford and Warner Streets and became 'Ltd' in 1898. John Lewis McClory (1881-1935), son of John McClory, became chairman assisted by Henry Elliott and later by George Henry Street (1873-1929). The firm used the trademarks
SCOTIA and SCOTIA SILVER
James McEwan & Co Ltd - Melbourne and London James McEwan & Co Ltd - Melbourne and London
JAMES McEWAN & CO LTD
Melbourne and London
The original partnership was founded in 1852 in Melbourne by James McEwan and John Houston (active at 79, 81, 319 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne). James McEwan & Company Limited traded as a private company until 1887 when it was incorporated as a public company and floated on the London Stock Exchange. The company suffered severe financial hardship and the London branch went in
voluntary liquidation on March 7, 1902. The activity continued in Australia until 1982.
Samuel Mearbeck, Sheffield and William Fitchew, London
MEARBECK SAMUEL
Sheffield
Silversmith and Old Sheffield Plate maker active at Angel Street, Sheffield c. 1812. His mark is accompanied by that of William Fitchew, 400 Oxford Street, London (possibly his merchant retailer).
Miller & Sons - London
MILLER & SONS
London
possibly a retailer active at 179 Piccadilly, London




Frank Mills & Co - Sheffield Frank Mills - Sheffield Frank Mills & Co - Sheffield
FRANK MILLS & CO
FRANK MILLS & CO LTD
Sheffield
Hanover Works. 63 Division Street: 1894-1906. The firm used the trade mark TRIMILS
John Moreton & Co Ltd - Sheffield, London Wolverhampton
JOHN MORETON & CO
JOHN MORETON & CO LTD
Sheffield, London and Wolverhampton
Active at 96 Carver St, Sheffield. The firm used the trade marks EMPRESS, ENCORE and symbol BUTTERFLY (ENCORE trade mark was used also by Thomas Turner & Co)
Richard Morton & Co - Birmingham (possibly)
RICHARD MORTON & CO
Birmingham (possibly)
OSP maker, active c. 1797
Mosley & Co - Sheffield Robert Fead Mosley & S - Sheffield Robert Fead Mosley - Sheffield R.F. Mosley & Co Ltd - Sheffield Robert Fead Mosley - Sheffield Mosley & Co- Sheffield Mosley & Co Ltd - Sheffield
ROBERT FEAD MOSLEY
R.F. MOSLEY & CO
R.F. MOSLEY & S
MOSLEY & CO LTD
Sheffield
A manufacturing scissor and table knife business founded in 1864 at 214 Brook Hill, Sheffield by Robert Frederick Mosley ( 1841 - 1921). Later, Mosley entered in partnership with Henry Lawton working under the style R.F. Mosley & Co. The partnership was dissolved on June 25, 1873 and the business was continued solely by Robert Fead Mosley.
By 1871 the firm had moved his business to a shared works in Portland Lane just off West Street, this was called Portland Works and consisted of small units or parts of floors used as temporary manufactories and for smaller businesses unable to keep a whole premises.
In 1876 the firm obtained permission for new works on the south side of Sheffield in Randall Street. The new "Portland Works" were occupied c. 1879.
Sheffield directories list the firm as "Mosley R. F. table cutlery, spring-knife and scissors manufacturer, Randall street" (1884) and "Mosley R. F. & Co. mfrs. of pen and pocket and table cutlery, scissors, &c. Randall street" (1889 and 1895).
"R. F. Mosley & Co., Limited", was incorporated on 2nd January 1897 (Company No 50743. Claus 83). Its first directors were Robert Fead Mosley (Md), Arthur Lawton, Henry Hobson Mosley (second son of Robert Fead Mosley) and Samuel Lawton. The composition of the management demonstrates that Mosley and Lawton families maintained some link after the dissolution of the partnership and Arthur and Samuel Lawton were probably relatives of the old partner. In 1907 also Albert Oswald Mosley (1880-1950, younger son of R.F. Mosley) entered in the company as director maintaining this role until 1935.
21st Sep 1935 old "R. F. Mosley & Co Limited" fully wound up, shares paid out, and assets, goodwill, premises, customers, stock and machinery transferred to the new Company of R. F. Mosley & Co Ltd.
The new firm continued activity under the direction of Robert Clive Mosley (son of Albert Oswald Mosley) until the final Sheffield directory entry in 1968.
Most of the information is obtained by "A Short History of R. F. Mosley and Company Ltd" by Jeff W. Warner
ROBERT FEAD MOSLEY: HISTORY & MARKS




William James Myatt  & Co Ltd - Birmingham: MANCO trademark William James Myatt  & Co - Birmingham William James Myatt  & Co Ltd - Birmingham William James Myatt  & Co Ltd - Birmingham William James Myatt  & Co - Birmingham
WILLIAM JAMES MYATT & CO
WILLIAM JAMES MYATT & CO LTD
Birmingham & Sheffield
The firm, established in 1895, was active at Argent Works, Graham St, Sheffield and Frederick St, Birmingham (became Ltd in 1899). In 1929 and 1947 the firm was present at the British Industries Fair. The firm used the trade mark
MANCO ELECTROPLATE

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,....





WORLDWIDE DIRECTORY OF SILVERPLATE MANUFACTURERS: HISTORY & MARKS
Rogers & Bro. - Waterbury CT hallmarkUSA & Canada     Mappin & Webb hallmarkWalker & Hall hallmarkUK Electroplate     Devices of Old Sheffiel PlateOld Sheffield Plate     Herrmann factory silver plate markContinental/Europe

BRITISH TOWN MARKS AND DATE LETTERS

STERLING SILVER OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND IRELAND
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF MAKER'S MARKS
AA/AE    AF/AZ    BA/BZ    CA/CH    CI/CZ    DA/DZ    EA/EZ    FA/FZ    GA/GZ    HA/HG    HH/HZ    IA/IG    IH/IZ    JA/JC    JD/JI    JJ/JP    JQ/JS    JT/JZ    KA/LZ    MA/MZ    NA/PA    PB/PZ    QA/RJ    RK/RZ    SA/SG    SH/SZ    TA/TH    TI/TZ    UA/WB    WC/WF    WG/WL    WM/WS    WT/ZZ   

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