New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-03-27
FROM GOLF'|
ENDLE|| CHI Ain

cinatiOn for those OF an imaginative turn
OF mind. II conjures up pictures or that
romantic mixture OF extravaganza and cis-
comfort. OF sUmptuOus and sIpshOd do
nestle appointments. associated with the
name Of Castle Rackrent. II this old plate
could speak. what stories il would tell OF
convivial gatherings in the past. when IL
was the custom for a host 10 lock the din
ing room door and fling the key out OF the
window. 50 that none OF the guests might
depart sober. Meantime pipers stationed
within hearing jerked forth "planxty" after
"planxty" a. the tOasts were drunk and
the orgy progressed.
A guild of gOldsmiths was established in
Dublin in the fifteenth century. but IL did
not obtain charter till 1897. when the same
standard as London silver was adopted. ana
the crowned harp was ordered as the stand
ard mark From 1898 TO 1870 three stamps
We're IN use. % the harp crowned. 20 the
date letter. CD the makers mark or in
itials. In 173O a fourth mark was added.
viz, the figure Of a woman in a sitting
position. with her left arm resting on a
harp. and her right hand stretched out and
holding an olive branch. called "Hibernia."
Strictly speaking. this was duty mark, 70
signify the new duty or sixpence an ounce.
These fo-Ir stamps we're increased 70 tve in
1901. when the sOvereign's head was added
% denote the raising Of duty 10 a shilling
"Hibernia ought then % have been a5Ol-
isEed But she had grown 10 be recognized
as an additional Dublin hall mark; hence,
her retention concurrently With that of the
sOvereigu5 head. and she was not with
drawn WITH the latter when the duty ceased
in lSe0. However. il is dificult q ascertain
the exact date OF much eighteenth century
plate owing 10 the erraticisu OF the Dublin
alphabetical cycles as regards both the let
tiers and the srape Of the shields containing
them. For example. the same large Roman
letters were used through three cycles last
INK rom ll46 % lSf5 Further. many arti-
c!es were permitted 10 issue from the
Dublin Assay ONCE bearing no date ietleT-
Cork, Limerick and IOughal also claimed
the privilege Of assay dlrln1 tne seven
teenth and stghteenth centuries. 4olshal
received authority by charter. but not the
others a gOidsmiths guild was formed
AT Cork in LOO, and the society adopted
as It's marks a nve-masted galleon. set
between two Othe-s each representing a
castle with a hagstah. which appeared IN
shields following the outline 0t the en-
OF tne next century Tor Ine marx slet-
ling when continued to be Used Up 10
the century's close. The makers initials
We're also present IN each case, out 40 Qale
letter was ever apparently used az Cork
The truth about this local irish plate
(which Is much rarer than Dublin and
solely local marking arose through the
irish roads being infested win robbers
thus rendering Do unsafe for plate TO be
sert 10 Dublin Tor assay. In 1883 an ASSAY
office ard Particular marks. viz. the harp
crowned with bar across the strinss.
We're granted % "a village called New
Geneva. near Waterford. in order % en-
Courage a colony 81 Swiss Protestant rctu-
gee. founded there 0y tGe assistance o.
tie Irish government The Gencvese were
mostly vatc.makers and gOldsmiths. How
ever. they demanded certain iyleges aud
lmmCuities which could not Re conc ded.
and after rema aiming sls wears and costing
The nation $4,000 they fed the settlement.
The early Irish siiversuiths were mag
nIfceDr craftsmen. aud tODN "a peculiar
pride In their work Both the Dublin and
COrh guilds were ~ the highest standing
cd integrity, So much so that many -
the leading families aunrentlced their
younger sons to those sOrleties. The earit-
est known pieces OF Irlsl silver comprise
church plate. taukards. civic uaccs. cam
die. tum1'er and loving Guns uu0ch bowls.
pap boats and trencher salts. CUDnois-
-eurs are. however. most enemored OF the
bell-shaped cuTs with harD-shaDed handles,
the rat-tailed spoons ard. above an the
famous potato rings. The latter FORM am
"a spiutely unique ornament BEING a cir~
cular stand or which was PLACED the WOOD
en- bowl coutaining the national vegetable
IN order o. prevent damage % the ma
hogauy. The cult OF the potato ring vas
q short lived fashion. lasting from about
lT0 90 1870.