Robert Hamilton (1772-1848) arrived in India and started work in Calcutta in 1808. He opened his Jewellery and Silversmithing shop at 5 Tank Square in 1808 under licence from the East Indian Company (1).

In 1811 the business moved to 7 Court House Street, where it remained until 1973 when it finally closed. Needing capital to expand the business Robert Hamilton took two partners, Henry and James Glazbrook  in 1811.  Robert Hamilton’s interest ceased in 1817, and he he dedicated part of his life in collecting painting, including works by Rubens, Vaelazquez and Holbein).

During the subsequent years the business had many partners including: Henry e James Glazbrook, James Middleton, George Thoerpe, Charles Galliards, Alexander Rogers II, Henry Augustus Woolaston, William, Joseph, john e George Farrell Remfry, Robert John Dring, Thomas William Brookes.

H&Co opened branches in other parts of India: Bombay (1833-36 and from 1868); Delhi, and Simla (1865 onwards).

                                                                                                                                                                                                 Trade  mark struck on an art deco style  brushes set  circa  1940.

                                                                                      Historical map of India                                                               In this period only Calcutta and Delhi branches were operating

A few bibliographic sources are available  to reconstruct the silver marks used at different time by Hamilton & Co. Jackson (1), in his famous book on British hallmarks of the beginning of XX century gives only a few information about Hamilton & Co.. Furthermore citations are reported as personal communication rather than write documents.

The more exhaustive description (at least covering the first half of XIX century)  is given by Wynyard Wilkinson (2), in his famous and very rare book (only 1,000 copies produced) devoted to British silversmiths operating in India..

Hamilton & Co. is probably the well known and celebrated British  silversmith operating in India (he is known as the Garrard of India). Among the main commissions received there is a vase for Rundell Bridge e Rundell in 1825. In 1844 Hamilton & Co. invents the Toffee pot, a coffee pot that can be also used as teapot. His silver works are always elegant with a few decoration (mainly plain design) and of great consistency as I can realized from the five items belonging to my collections (crafted between 1812 and 1970) and other items found on line.

The following table reports examples of marks both reported by Wynyard Wilkinson, and deriving from a deep (although not exhaustive) research in internet and other bibliographic sources. The reported marks included those found on the items belonging to my personal collection (link for description are reported in the last column).

REFERENCES

(1) Charles J. Jackson, 1964. English Goldsmiths and their marks - A history of the goldmsiths and plate workers of England, Scotland and Ireland. Second Edition. Dover Publications Inc., New York. 

(2) Wynyard R.T. Wilkinson, 1987. The Maker's of Indian Colonial Silver – a register of European Goldsmith, silversmith, Jewellers, watchmakers and clockmakers in India and their marks .R.T.W. Wilkinson ed., London.  

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