Silver
Silver in the Channel Islands by Frederick Cohen and Nicholas du Quesne Bird
There is a long history of silver making in the Channel Islands. In 1969 Richard Mayne published the definitive work on the subject Old Channel Islands Silver: Its Makers and Marks, followed by Channel Island Silver, but they have now been superseded by an updated and more comprehensive book Silver in the Channel Islands by Frederick Cohen and Nicholas du Quesne Bird, published by the Jersey Museums Service in 1996.
Jerripedia has been given permission by the authors to reproduce the work in full here, providing by far the most comprehensive on-line guide to Channel Island silver pieces and their makers.
Introduction
The purpose of this text is to detail the history of Channel Island silver and to place its development within the context of the tremendous economic and sociological change that took place in the islands in the years 1600-1900.
Much new information has come to light since the publication of Richard Mayne’s excellent work Channel Islands Silver. The authors have included much of this, including the biographies of nearly one hundred and fifty makers who either worked or had associations with the Channel Islands. In addition the authors have related wherever possible the stylistic development of local pieces to contemporary trends in England and on the continent.
It is hoped that this work will further increase interest in local silver, a subject that so uniquely reflects the changing circumstances of the Channel Islands over the centuries.
A history of the Channel Islands relating to the development of silver making
Pre-Civil War | Post-Civil War | |||
Economic history and legislative control | Population and Social system |