I came across a mention of the Edinburgh silversmith William Ged whilst reading ‘The Letters of Thomas Percy, John Callander, David Head and Others to Mr George Paton’ published in 1830. A letter from one John Nichols esq. to George Paton, made mention of a receipt from William Ged to Patrick Anderson for a silver-hilted sword, the account was as follows:
‘William Ged
Acct. Mr Pat. Anderson to Will. Ged
5th Sep 1717 By ane siller hilted suord weighting 8 ounces
4 drops att 5 shilling 4d per ounce 2-04-0
Making 0-15-0
By ane gilt handle 0-15-0
By ane blad with hougs skinn, scabert and slip 0-07-0
4-01-0
By ane pair of buckles 1 oz 1dr 5-8
Making and pendices 3-0
4- 9-8
Then received the contents of the above accompt, and discharges the same by me.
William Ged’
Patrick Anderson was the ‘Comptroller of the Stamps’ in Edinburgh. He was the son of James Anderson, the editor of ‘Diplomata Scotiae’.
Jacksons’ has first mention of William Ged in 1706. He was born in Fife and was apprenticed to Robert Inglis in 1696, he became a Freeman in 1706. He is perhaps best known to those interested in silver, as the maker of a massive monteith, belonging to the Royal Company of Archers (the Queen’s Bodyguard for Scotland), it is inscribed with the date 20th June 1720 and is accompanied with an appropriately massive punch ladle. However he is probably more well known as the inventor of the ‘Stereo-typing’ printing process that he patented in 1725. If he made his fortune from this system then it was lost, for he died in poverty in 1749.
William’s nephew, Dougal, is even more well known to collectors of silver. Jacksons’ has first mention of him in 1734. He was born at Fife in 1701 apprenticed to William Aytoun (b.1691-d.1754 and a former apprentice of William Ged) in 1718. He became a Freeman in 1734 and between 1738 and 1745 he was in partnership with his famous cousin, Ebenezer Oliphant, the maker of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s travelling canteen in 1740. Dougal Ged will go down in silver history because of a dispute between the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh and the Assayer Archibald Ure in 1740, that lasted for four years until the impasse was halted by the appointment of Hugh Gordon as Assayer in 1744. While the dispute was ongoing, Dougal Ged and Edward Lothian were appointed Assayers on a ‘Pro Tem’ basis, and it is his mark ‘GED’ in full that appears on silver assayed by him at Edinburgh at this period.
Dougal’s wife was Cecilia Stewart, daughter of Dougal Stewart of Blairhill, he was one of the Senators of the College of Justice.
Dougal Ged sold his business and retired as a silversmith in 1763. It was probably at this date he took up the position as a Town-Guard Officer. Resplendent in his new uniform, Dougal strutted around Edinburgh full of his own self importance. I came across this anecdote from ‘The Works of Robert Fergusson’ published 1851.
“ Dougal himself had been a silversmith, but by his own conceit, his red coat as a Town-Guard Officer, made him completely military. Seeing a lady without a beau at the door of the Assembly Room, he offered his services ‘if the arm of an old soldier could be of any use’ ‘hoot awa Dougal’ said the lady, accepting, however, his assistance; ‘an auld tinker you mean’,”.
Trev.