Charles James Jackson
Sir Charles James Jackson | |
---|---|
Born | Monmouth, Wales | 2 May 1849
Died | 23 April 1923 London, England | (aged 73)
Resting place | Putney Vale Cemetery |
Nationality | British |
Occupations |
|
Known for | Authority on gold and silver plate |
Sir Charles James Jackson (2 May 1849 – 23 April 1923) was a British businessman, collector, barrister, newspaper executive, politician, and writer, who was an authority on antique gold and silver plate.
Biography
Jackson was born in Monmouth, the son of James Edward Jackson and his wife, Mary Ann Bass. The Jackson family owned a building company in Monmouth, but in 1860 removed to Cardiff. There, they established a successful business, designing and constructing buildings and investing in commercial property. Charles Jackson described himself as an architect. In 1879 he stood as an independent candidate for Roath ward on Cardiff Borough Council, but was not elected. However, in 1882 he was elected as the Conservative councillor for the Cardiff East ward.[1]
He stood down from the council in 1887, to complete his training as a
Jackson's investments in the newspaper, and his property holdings, made him a wealthy man, and allowed him to indulge his passion for silver. He gradually built up a large collection, especially of silver spoons, and made extensive studies of silver held by museums and in church and municipal collections. In 1890, he read a paper to the Society of Antiquaries on the history of the spoon, and Queen Victoria allowed her silver-gilt Coronation spoon to be displayed at the meeting. He was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1891.[1]
He wrote authoritatively on the history of gold and silver objects. His first book was English Goldsmiths and their Marks, first published in 1905 and later republished several times in updated versions, most recently in 1989 as Jackson's Silver and Gold Marks of England, Scotland and Ireland. The book contains details of each assay office in the country, with their various marks.[2] He also wrote An Illustrated History of English Plate, Ecclesiastical and Secular, published in 1911.[1] His two books are described as "the foundation of modern silver scholarship".[3]
He was influential in establishing the
"...of outstanding aesthetic quality. Rare items include an early 14th-century acorn-top spoon, which is one of the first hallmarked pieces of English silver, and a complete set of 'apostle' spoons (twelve apostles and the 'Master') from 1638. The most important item is probably a two-handled cup in the auricular style
Sir Charles Jackson was knighted in 1919, for services to the
Jackson was married twice, firstly to Agnes Catherine Martin and then to Ada Elizabeth Williams. With his second wife he had three children: Daphne, Vivian, and
References
- ^ a b c d e f David Lewis Jones, Charles James Jackson, Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Accessed 21 May 2012
- ^ Review of English Goldsmiths and their Marks at AntiqueSilverSpoons.co.uk Archived 8 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 21 May 2012
- ^ a b c National Museum of Wales, A unique collection of silver saved from the hammer, 19 February 2007. Accessed 21 May 2012
- ISBN 978-0-85955-311-7.
- ^ ‘Derek, please, not so fast’, Ferdinand Mount, London Review of Books, 7 February 2008
- Secondary sources
- Courtauld, Simon (2007). As I Was Going to St Ives: A Life of Derek Jackson. Norwich, U.K.: Michael Russell. ISBN 978-0-85955-311-7.
- A unique collection of silver saved from the hammer. National Museum of Wales. 19 February 2007. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- Review of English Goldsmiths and their Marks. Archived from the original on 8 November 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
- English Goldsmiths and their Marks. 1989 [1905].
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ignored (help) - Jones, David Lewis. "Charles James Jackson". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 21 May 2012.