Brum and its silver anchor
QUESTION Why was the anchor adopted as the hallmark for silver made in Birmingham, which is nowhere near the sea?
This hallmark was derived from the sign of the famous London pub, the Crown and Anchor, in the strand. it’s an interesting tale about how it was adopted for silver items made in Birmingham.
hallmarking began in 1300 when a statute of Edward i instituted the assaying (testing) and marking of precious metals to protect the public against fraud and traders against unfair competition.
in the 1700s, innovations in the manufacturing processes and the use of machines in silver production in Birmingham and sheffield resulted in a call for new assay offices in these cities.
The prime mover was manufacturer Matthew Boulton, who had established the soho foundry in handsworth, Birmingham, in 1762, producing buckles, buttons, silver plate and silverware.
By the 1770s, he employed more than 700 workers and his customers included royalty. his foundry was at the cutting edge of technology and work practice, introducing factory-line systems, interchangeable parts and stock control.
The need to provide a power source for his factory led Boulton to finance James Watt’s steam engine, a key invention of the industrial Revolution.
Boulton became increasingly exasperated that he was forced to send his goods 70 miles to the Chester Assay Office for hallmarking. he complained that the travel expense, the threat of highwaymen and the careless handling of his goods at Chester were affecting business.
however, his real concern was that the Chester silversmiths were stealing his best-selling designs.
William Legge, second earl of Dartmouth, who was a neighbour and confidant of Boulton, advised him to petition for an Act of Parliament authorising an assay office in Birmingham.
Boulton was approached by sheffield’s Company of Cutlers and agreed to press for their petition, too. Despite opposition from the Goldsmiths’ Company in
London, Boulton’s lobbying was a success and the Assay Bill gained Royal Assent on May 28, 1773.
During his long stay in London, Boulton lived at the Crown and Anchor, where much of his business was carried out.
Precisely how the crown and anchor symbols were allocated as hallmarks is unknown. Perhaps it was the toss of a coin that determined Birmingham, in the centre of England and miles from the sea, should adopt the anchor while sheffield took the crown (which was changed to a rose after the hallmarking Act of 1973).
Birmingham’s first assay office was opened above the King’s head inn on New street in August 1773.
The assay marks are not the Crown and Anchor’s only claim to fame. it was dubbed the ‘Gate of Pandemonium’ because of its association with radical politics. it burned down in 1857.
Max Fry, Wolverhampton, W. Mids.
QUESTION To maximise photosynthesis, would it be better to plant more evergreens than deciduous trees?
TREEs should be selected for planting based on how they fit into the ecology of a particular place.
With more than 60,000 species of trees, it’s necessary to make generalisations. Evergreen and deciduous trees have certain advantages and disadvantages, depending on climate, topography and soil conditions. in some parts of the world, evergreen and deciduous trees grow in distinct areas separate from each other. in others, they grow together.
Which type grows where is linked to how physical conditions have a bearing on photosynthetic capacity, hardiness, predation, nutrients and tolerance to drought. Deciduous plants grow well in places with distinct annual variations in temperature and rainfall.
Deciduous leaves are generally better at absorbing carbon because they are wide, flat and soft. But they are shed each autumn, losing a significant amount of carbon in the process.
Evergreens dominate where there are small fluctuations in temperature and ample annual rainfall.
Thus broadleaf evergreens dominate in the tropics and evergreen conifers/pines are found in more northerly regions.
Evergreen leaves have a lower carbongaining capacity than deciduous ones because they are longer lived and must contain more defensive compounds for the trees to survive. This is offset by the increased surface area of leaves, particularly in the case of needles.
Dr Ken Warren, Glasgow.
QUESTION When, due to cowardice, someone fails to do something they should, why are they said to have ‘bottled it’?
FuRThER to the previous answer on the use of bottle in Cockney rhyming slang, the term Aris has the same meaning. This is an abbreviation of Aristotle, which is rhyming slang for bottle.
This makes it an example of the rhyme being two steps away from the original word and hence more difficult to interpret for those not familiar with the slang.
One of the original purposes of Cockney rhyming slang was to disguise what was being said between two people wanting to keep their meaning private.
Robert Carr, St Albans, Herts.
ThE full Cockney rhyme from where the term ‘bottled it’ comes is: To sit on your Aris (Aristotle); Aristotle (bottle); bottle (glass); gla(r)ss (a***).
Maurice Egginton, Wythall, Worcs.
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