Historic Hallmarking at Sheffield Assay Office
Published: 20th October 2022
We were delighted to welcome Andrew Marsden and designer silversmith Grant Macdonald to Sheffield Assay Office to witness the assay and marking of Andrew's Shrieval Chain and Badge of Office. It was an honour to hallmark this special piece before it was presented to Andrew at Stationers’ Hall, London on the 20th of September.
The Badge was designed and made by London Goldsmith Grant Macdonald and reflects Andrew’s geographic origins.
At the centre of the badge are Andrew’s existing armorial bearings, derived from those of the medieval Marsden family when they resided in the settlements called Marsden in Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. The principal element of the arms are the erased Unicorn’s heads - the heraldic symbol of purity, intelligence, bravery, and power.
Atop the arms, the crest consists of a Unicorn rampant wearing a necklet of red and white roses holding a pair of dividers measuring a terrestrial globe, reflecting Andrew’s love of travel.
Andrew’s badge is in the form of The Tudor Rose, the name given to the combined heraldic emblems of the York and Lancastrian families who fought each other for control of the English throne during the 'The Wars of the Roses'. When Henry VII married Elizabeth of York in 1486, the Tudor Rose was adopted as the national emblem of England, a symbol of peace and unity.
Encircling his arms, Andrew’s badge displays those of his four Livery Companies – the Marketors, the World Traders, the Stationers, and the Glaziers – and of the 15 strong Financial Services Group of Livery Companies, of which he was a long-time Chair. The clasp, linking the badge to the Arms of the City of London, carries the emblem of the Aldgate Ward Club of which he was President, and his career ‘alma mater’, Unilever. The triple strands of chain, the symbol of a Sheriff, then reach up to the Tudor Rose shoulder pieces.
The Assay Mark of Sheffield is the Tudor Rose so it seemed fitting to have the piece assayed and hallmarked in Sheffield, where Andrew grew up.. Andrew’s Latin motto, translated literally, is “May you be honoured while alive and longed for when you are dead"… the shorter English version is ‘Live Respected, Die Regretted’.
Andrew said; "May I thank the Sheffield Assay Office Ashley for arranging the hallmarking of my Shrieval badge, Danny Smith and Colette Bishop did a great job and represented the Assay Office with distinction. The day was very special for Marian and I. For a Sheffield boy to have the mark of his home City applied to his personal badge was a wonderful feeling, especially as it is the same shape as my badge itself, with the addition of the Platinum Jubilee commemorative hallmark a real bonus.
There is little doubt that this is the first time in 550 years that the Tudor Rose hallmark has been applied to the personal badge of a Sheriff of London!"
Our Assay Master, Ashley Carson also spoke of the momentous occasion, saying; "It is a great honour for Sheffield to have hallmarked it. Also thank you to Grant McDonald for allowing a Sheffield Hallmark to be applied to his piece."
The Sheffield Assay Office was established in 1773, under an Act of Parliament and today the company assays and hallmarks the precious metals - silver, gold, platinum and palladium. Sheffield Assay Office is one of only four UK assay offices who all work to uphold the Hallmarking Act of 1973 and continue to ensure consumer protection for customers purchasing precious metals.
To find out more about the whole range of services offered by Sheffield Assay Office, such as our hallmarking and analytical services, please email us at info@assayoffice.co.uk or complete the contact form on our website at http://www.assayoffice.co.uk/contact-us,
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