The Blogging from A to Z Challenge is to post everyday (except Sunday) in the month of April 2020 starting with the letter A and going all the way to Z. My theme is...
Ancestor Occupations
GOLDSMITH
My 6x great grandfather James Tait was born in Edinburgh in 1679 (twin to Margaret) to John Tait and Helen Yorstoun whose father was a goldsmith.
When James was 15 years of age he became a goldsmith apprentice to his uncle George Yorstoun on 14 March 1694
Tait, James son of deceased John Tait, fermorer in Sauchton, apprentice to George Yorstoun, goldsmith (Burgess).... 14 Mar 1694
There is lots of good information about family and career in the Incorporation of Goldsmiths website database with a free registration.
James Tait was admitted as Burgess on 19 May 1704 and his freedom granted on 3 Jun 1704 . Now James can have his own apprentices... James had 10 of which four became *freemen...here is a partial list:
Andrew Aytoun (his 2nd) 22 Dec 1708
William Livingstone, 10 Mar 1714 to 1729
William Gilchrist*, 1718 to 1736
William Davie*, 1724 to 1740
Peter Gordon, 8 Feb 1727
Robert Gordon*, 21 July 1731
James Tait made the amorial badge for the Incorporation of Goldsmiths in 1725 and it is on display at the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. I got so see many of his pieces while I was there in 2018.
Before an apprentice can be finished he must make assay pieces that are judged and approved of by an Assay Master. James' assay masters were James and Edward Penman.
James was Assay Master for several apprentices including John Cumming, who began his apprenticeship with John Seaton in 1708 and was admitted to freedom on 30 Nov 1720.
On 24 may 1739 James placed an ad in the Caledonian Mercury newspaper to announce he moved his shop from under the Tolbooth to the next door on the north of the parliament House.
Each master goldsmith has a mark that gets stamped in his pieces. This is the mark used to stamp the items made by James Tait, and by his apprentices as assay master.
This sugar bowl was made by James Tait 1727-28 and bears the following marks:
T monogram in shaped punch (maker's mark James Taitte);
X in square (date letter for 1727–28);
EP in shaped punch (mark of assay master Edward Penman);
Three-towered castle, partial strike (Edinburgh town mark).
James Tait died 16 December 1753 and is buried 10 paces south of Ingles's headstone. His wife Katherine Lamount took over his shop for a short time.
Wow! It must be awesome to see something an ancestor made in an actual museum...
ReplyDeleteThe Multicolored Diary
It was a very emotional visit for me, after researching James for so long. Seeing his work, being where he lived and worked. It was amazing!
DeleteVery interesting- I also have Scottish goldsmiths in my tree, I found this biography on a silver collecting site, "This was the business of Peter George Wilson. Born on the 2nd April 1843 at New Keith, Banffshire. He served his time as apprentice to his father, a jeweller also named Peter Wilson, in the mid 1850's and he opened his first shop at 100, Church Street, Inverness in the mid 1860's, he moved later that same year to 8, Union Street, Inverness.
ReplyDeletePeter Wilson was a very canny man and never missed a trick where business was concerned. He cornered the market when gold was discovered in Scotland, paying over the odds for every ounce mined, but reaped the rewards when the end product was finished, as few could genuinely claim that their wares were made from real Scottish gold. In 1866 Peter Wilson had the very good fortune to be patronised by the Baron Rothschild and his party when they were touring the Highlands and when visiting Inverness they acquired several pieces from Wilson. Later, when the Rothschilds visited their friends, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Wilson's jewellery was much admired by them and in 1867 Wilson was summoned to appear at Balmoral with a selection of his jewellery and was favoured with several orders from the Queen and the Royal Family. It was an association that was to last several years and in the following year, 1867, Peter Wilson was granted the Royal Warrant.
Wow Jennifer, how cool to find that! I was right there! We spent 3-4 days in Inverness on our trip. Beautiful city!
DeleteBeing able to view the work of an ancestor brings them alive. What precious items.
ReplyDeleteI had seen them online, so when I went to Scotland I made a point to go to the museum and see them in person. So amazing!
DeleteHow wonderful to have such a talented ancestor and to actually see evidence of his skill on display in Scotland’s national museum. - and made nearly three centuries ago.
ReplyDeleteIt was a very emotional visit for me.
DeleteHow fantastic! It must have been such a thrill to have visited, and also to find more about the items he made. Have you any yourself? I’d imagine they’d be expensive, judging on the price you quoted even for the spoons.
ReplyDeleteYeah... no. I’ve always loved silver but didn’t want any. When I married it was still a thing to pick your silver pattern. I said no silver! It was my job as a kid to polish my moms silver and I hated that smelly job.
DeleteThere is an old book called The Silver Touch by Rosalind Laker that tells the story of Hester Bateman and her husband. It interested me partly because my parents sold some of her silver in their antique shop. At that time my father knew nothing of his ancestor or I’m sure he would have looked for some pieces.