Newcastle 1797, Mark of Sarah Crawford, widow of James. Appears to be over stamped and underneath is a mark with a T which (with the help of Phil’s site) I’m guessing is probably Thomas Watson of The Side in Newcastle. Assume he was helping out a widow as I guess she didn’t actually make anything as her mark only lasted until 1799. Does my guess seem right?
Also why did the Newcastle assay office for most of their existence also use a London mark? Spoon is 9 5 inches and 55 grams. Many thanks
If you can see a T (I can’t see it in your picture) then Thomas Watson seems a very good candidate. However I don’t think there is any element of “helping out”; although widows who took over their husbands’ businesses probably didn’t make anything themselves their workmen would have continued the manufacturing process.
The crowned leopard’s head, although used by London, was not mandated for London’s exclusive use; Chester and Exeter also used a crowned leopard’s head.
Ah ok, thank you Phil. So it seems the crowned leopard isn’t a London mark but a fineness mark and London doesn’t have a mark, but because there is no other mark for London it becomes by default the London mark. So I suppose after the lion passant became the sterling standard mark, some assay offices stuck with the crowned leopard out of tradition?
