The Hallmarking Archive 

This archival database brings together much of the known information on goldsmiths of Edinburgh from the twelfth century to the twenty-first century. Most of its entries relate to Edinburgh gold and silversmiths from the sixteenth century to the present day. It contains all the information from The Incorporation of Goldsmiths surviving registration documentation up to 1986. It also contains details of all those who registered a maker’s mark with the Edinburgh Assay Office in the twentieth and twenty-first century but have since let their registration lapse. These records are as recent as 2015. There are over eight thousand biographies and numerous illustrations of makers’ marks and objects. The archive is now administered by The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust.

Royal Charter of The Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh, granted by James VII in 1687

About the Archive

This database will enable you to match marks on pieces of silver or gold with the maker of that item and provide biographical information on that maker. You can search by makers’ mark, by the name of the maker, and specifically for a keyword appearing in the records. Results are listed in order of relevance. 

The Hallmarking Archive also now includes information on Glasgow goldsmiths from the surviving records of the Glasgow Assay Office (1819-1964) and brief biographies of many provincial Scottish gold and silversmiths. 

Our records are incomplete, and we can only access what has survived the centuries. Due to the fragility of many of the documents, we keep handling them to a minimum. That is why we created the database: to make our records as accessible as possible. We are in the process of scanning and transcribing many of our remaining records.

We do not give valuations on specific items. Please note that The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust does not currently employ an archivist. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The creation of the Hallmarking Archive would not have been possible were it not for the research and transcription of the records by Henry Steuart Fothringham, whose help on this project has been invaluable. He has been responsible for many of the biographies and has attributed marks to many of the early makers whose details were absent from the surviving records. Our thanks go to the National Museums of Scotland who have allowed us to use photographs taken from the Silver, Made in Scotland exhibition in 2008, and from their archives. Thanks also to the auctioneers Woolley & Wallis who have kindly given us many examples of provincial Scottish marks from recent sales and to Lyon & Turnbull who have similarly allowed us to use many of their images. All other contributors to the database are thanked on the page where their image or information appears. 

COPYRIGHT 

Unless otherwise noted, all images used on the Hallmarking Archive database are copyright The Incorporation of Goldsmiths and are not to be coped under any circumstance. Our thanks go to those organisations and individuals who have allowed us to use their images. Their copyright is asserted where their images appear, and their images are similarly not to be used outwith this site. 

DISCLAIMER 

The Incorporation of Goldsmiths takes no responsibility for the incorrect identification of marks from the limited information available on this website and database. This information is intended as a guide and is available for research only, not for commercial purposes.