Thread: R.M. & CO Fine India steel - id help

I have seen where Robert Macy's store was called R B Macy's Dry Goods, or known as the 'Haverhill Cheap Store'.
From this establishment Robert and Rowland together formed the first Macy's Parade in Haverhill on July 4th 1854.
4 years before Rowland left for New York.
I expect our modern 'Macy's' had a bit to do with that reproduction. The name RH Macy's and the star logo came about upon Rowland's move to NYC, I understand. Seems Rowland had a star tattooed on his hand back in his mariner days!

So, enough of that!

What I HAVE found, looking at silver, is the maker/seller of the silver scissors I pictured above. Richard Morton & Co.

" on 16th September 1773, possibly for the same reason as is postulated above in relation to John Winter. Apparently the previous partnership had ceased for a fortnight later the two marks

were entered by Richard Morton, Thomas Warris, John Winter, Samuel Roberts, John Elam, Thomas Settle, John Eyre and Nathaniel Smith. It is on record that this firm was not to produce silver candlesticks, that branch of the trade being reserved to John Winter. There may well have been covenants as to non-production of certain other items as all of the partners except Morton and Warris also comprised the partnership of Samuel Roberts & Co. who registered their mark on the same day.

The Assay Office day-books show that John Winter & Co. produced buckles as well as their main product of candlesticks, the latter being the sole output of their successors John Parsons & Co. Samuel Roberts & Co's main output was silver handles, but they too produced candlesticks. Richard Morton & Co. manufactured a wide range of products, but noticeably not candlesticks, buckles or silver handles.

John Elam was dead by 1780 and it appears that the partnership of Richar Morton & Co. ceased in that year as in July 1780 Richard Morton re-entered

on his own account; Warris and Settle went into partnership together; Roberts and Eyre did the same and Smith commenced the firm of Nathaniel Smith & Co.

Within a year Morton had taken other partners and in February 1781 entered

The names of the other partners and the duration of the partnership are not known. However, it seems likely that the partners were in fact Thomas Warris and Thomas Settle for an insurance policy was taken out in all three names, as silversmiths and plated manufacturers, in September 1780. We know that Morton was in partnership from 1798 with John Morton, Anthony Handley, Thomas Sykes and Thomas Settle, and that partnership continued after the retirement of Sykes in 1805. In February 1806 Handley withdrew, assigning his interest to Richard Morton who continued the firm with Job Morton and Thomas Settle. That partnership probably continued down to the death of Richard Morton in 1812, in which year Thomas Settle joined the partnership of Settle, Mosley & Settle. The fact that there was no mark registered after 1781 would suggest that the firm had a continuous existence. No silver output has been noted after 1802 and it may be that there was a change of emphasis in the partnership at about that time."

The R M & Co mark can be seen as scrolling down this page; http://homepage.eircom.net/~lawed/SILVERSMITHSPART1.htm

So. No silver was produced after 1802. Change in partnership? Perhaps the firm got into export?


Looking back in post #20, Neil had wondered this as well! His 'Robert' is my "Richard', however!

Quoting Neil;
"The other chap who is of some interest was Robert Morton, whose mark was indeed RM&Co as detailed in listings of his hallmarks - he was a silversmith and is famous for obtaining the first silver hallmark in Sheffield in 1773. His first mark was RM, later that year RM&Co was added. However, he seems to have been a silversmith, and he seems rather too early for that style of razor - maybe his company endured for a while, though."

Perhaps he had it all along? I miss that fellow!