| Description | From the sixteenth century onwards, the city authorities acquired by gift, bequest, purchase and exchange a remarkably fine collection of civic plate. Today, the collection contains no pieces earlier than the Civil War, for in 1643 and 1645 large quantities of plate were melted down to pay the king's troops and for the city's defence. From 1670 onwards, indentures were made annually between the newly elected mayor and the treasurers of the city recording the plate's transfer to the mayor for his year of office. Most of the lists of plate are signed and sealed by the mayor. Lists of plate may also be found in the Pentice Cartulary (CHB/2) and in the series known as sheriffs' plate inventories (SIP). |