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52-525: George Heriot (15 June 1563 – 12 February 1624) was a Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist. He is chiefly remembered today as the founder of George Heriot's School , a large independent school in Edinburgh; his name has also been given to Heriot-Watt University , as well as several streets (and a pub, the Jinglin' Geordie, after his nickname) in the same city. Heriot was the court goldsmith to Anne of Denmark ,

104-505: A noble metal —because it does not react with most elements. It usually is found in its native form, lasting indefinitely without oxidization and tarnishing. Gold has been worked by humans in all cultures where the metal is available, either indigenously or imported, and the history of these activities is extensive. Superbly made objects from the ancient cultures of Africa , Asia , Europe , India , North America , Mesoamerica , and South America grace museums and collections throughout

156-468: A Member of the Parliament of Scotland . On 14 January 1586 he was engaged to marry Christian Marjoribanks, the daughter of Simon Marjoribanks a burgess of the county of city of Edinburgh and a local merchant; the couple had two sons, who died in their youth. To mark the marriage, and the end of his apprenticeship , Heriot was given 1500 merks by his father to establish his own business, which he did in

208-676: A crystal chess board with crystal and topaz chessmen. He supplied jewels and pearls worth £2,880 to King James for New Year's Day gifts to the queen, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of York in January 1610. Prince Henry bought a diamond ring for £400. John Spilman made record drawings of the cut and settings of eleven diamonds which Anne of Denmark pawned in March 1615. In 1618 a German aristocrat, Benjamin Bouwinghausen von Walmerode (1571-1635), mentioned in

260-605: A further 14 years in July 1597 and effectively prevented other mills from making highly prized white paper (most rival concerns were engaged in producing inferior quality brown paper). Spilman is also reputed to have been responsible for introducing lime (linden; Tilia ) trees into the UK. In 1587, Elizabeth asked Spilman, her household goldsmith, to employ English and foreign ("stranger") diamond cutters, ruby cutters, agate cutters, clockmakers, goldsmiths, and wire workers. In January 1589 he

312-490: A gold miniature case set with her initials in diamonds, now held by the Fitzwilliam Museum , which the queen may have gifted to her lady-in-waiting Anne Livingstone , and a pair of earrings fashioned with the enamelled face of an African man, in a private collection. The earrings were itemised by Heriot in 1609 as "two pendants made as more's heads and all sett with diamonds price £70." They may reflect her fascination with

364-525: A jewel like a fleur de lys for a French woman, three dozen buttons each set with five diamonds for Anna of Denmark, with three dozen set with four diamonds and a ruby, and three dozen large buttons of "Spanish work" each with four rubies and a diamond. In the same month, Spilman and two other goldsmiths loaned jewels for the costumes The Masque of Blackness . The borrowed jewels were valued at £10,000, and Anne of Denmark's chamberlain, Robert Sidney , became liable for £40 for two lost diamonds. John Spilman

416-494: A large number of precious and imitation stones in collets so they could be sewn on the king's cloth-of-estate in the Abbey . The 133 stones for the cloth included; opals, amethysts, pseudo-amethysts, yellow stones, pseudo-topazes, pseudo-sapphires, pseudo-emeralds, pseudo-diamonds, pseudo-rubies, and other "made stones". Anne of Denmark was crowned with a "circlet" of gold set with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and pearls. Some of

468-585: A letter that he knew several courtiers in London including Thomas Murray and David Murray of Gorthy , and listed Spilman amongst the "lesser known" of his acquaintaince. In 1619 Spilman, with the other royal jewellers Abraham Harderet , George Heriot , and William Herrick, joined the funeral procession of Anna of Denmark in 1619. Spilman, who lived in the parish of St Martin's-in-the-Fields also lent money on jewels. In or before 1621 he hosted Andrew Sinclair as ambassador from Denmark. In 1624 Lionel Cranfield ,

520-411: A mill, lately set up near Dartfort by a high German, called Mr. Spilman, jeweller to the queen majesty. The works became a major source of local employment, with some 600 workers. Spilman secured a patent dated February 7th, 1589 giving him a monopoly in buying materials for making white paper and preventing anyone from setting up in competition without his permission. This monopoly was extended by

572-485: A partnership to work for King James I and Anne of Denmark . Spilman wrote to Sir Robert Cecil that "Herrick and I are joined together in the works for his Majesty, and agree like friends." He asked Cecil to ask Sir George Home , Keeper of the Privy Purse, to speed up their payment. They also worked with Arnold Lulls . They made jewels for the coronations, refashioned the armille , ampulla , and sceptre, and mounted

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624-410: A ring enamelled like crayfish with a large diamond. The Earl of Nottingham and other lords inspected their invoice and recommended it should be reduced by £74-13s-1d. They also made a jewel for the king's hat in the shape of the letter "I". This included two great rubies and a great and a lesser diamond. One of the diamonds was taken from an old jewel belonging to Anna of Denmark. The remainder of

676-549: A skill level that was lost and remained beyond the skills of those who followed, even to modern times. Researchers attempting to uncover the chemical techniques used by ancient artisans have remarked that their findings confirm that "the high level of competence reached by the artists and craftsmen of these ancient periods who produced objects of an artistic quality that could not be bettered in ancient times and has not yet been reached in modern ones." In medieval Europe goldsmiths were organized into guilds and usually were one of

728-577: A small booth near St. Giles' Cathedral , on the site of the entrance of the Signet Library . He was elected a burgess of the county of city of Edinburgh in January 1588, at the age of twenty-four, and in May that year was admitted to membership of the Edinburgh Incorporation of Goldsmiths. By October 1593, he had been elected Deacon of Goldsmiths. Heriot owned a house on Fishmarket Close off

780-528: A sum of money which Queen Elizabeth sent to Scotland, for jewels delivered to Anna of Denmark. Heriot's financial involvement with the court grew stronger over the years; he was appointed jeweller to James VI in 1601, and became involved in a governmental plan to replace the circulating currency of Scotland. By 1603, he held the right to farm the customs . In 1603, at the Union of the Crowns James VI inherited

832-495: A tablet locket with two pictures to the Earl of Hertford for his embassy. In July 1606 Spilman and William Herrick supplied pearls for the King's embroiderer William Broderick at the time of the visit of Christian IV of Denmark , the brother of Anna of Denmark. The pearls were intended for the king's saddle and the furniture of his horse, and the panes of the kings hose or stockings. Spilman

884-407: Is malleable , ductile , rare, and it is the only solid metallic element with a yellow color . It may easily be melted, fused, and cast without the problems of oxides and gas that are problematic with other metals such as bronzes , for example. It is fairly easy to "pressure weld", wherein, similarly to clay, two small pieces may be pounded together to make one larger piece. Gold is classified as

936-437: Is a term mostly reserved for a person who deals in jewellery (buys and sells) and not to be confused with a goldsmith, silversmith, gemologist, diamond cutter, and diamond setters. A 'jobbing jeweller' is the term for a jeweller who undertakes a small basic amount of jewellery repair and alteration. John Spilman Sir John Spilman (also spelt Spielman ) (died 1626) was a Lindau , German -born entrepreneur who founded

988-677: Is depicted holding a model of the school. George Heriot features as one of the two ghosts in Robert Fergusson 's poem The Ghaists: A Kirk-Yard Ecologue (1773). He appears as a character in the novel The Fortunes of Nigel by Sir Walter Scott (1822). He is the protagonist in Jean Findlay’s historical novel The Queen’s Lender (2022). Goldsmith Goldsmiths must be skilled in forming metal through filing , soldering , sawing , forging , casting , and polishing . The trade has very often included jewelry -making skills, as well as

1040-598: The Earl of Northumberland for £21, and in September 1600 a jewel which Northumberland gave to the queen with a petticoat provided by Audrey Walsingham , together worth £200. In October 1600 Spilman, Leonard Bushe and Hugh Kayle appraised and sold a quantity of old jewels from the Tower of London on the orders of Queen Elizabeth. These included pearls that had been embroidered on the Queen's gowns. Spilman and William Herrick formed

1092-473: The English Civil War . The hospital opened in due course in 1659, with thirty pupils; its finances grew, and it took in other pupils in addition to the orphans for whom it was intended. In the 1880s, it began to charge fees; however, to this day it serves its charitable object, providing free education to a sizeable number of children of widows or widowers. A statue of Heriot stands within the quadrangle of

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1144-555: The Lord Treasurer , appointed Philip Jacobson as a goldsmith to the king, noting that George Heriot was dead and Spilman and William Herrick rarely did any work. Spilman died in 1626 and is commemorated in Holy Trinity Church, Dartford . His first wife Elizabeth Mengel, daughter of a Nuremberg merchant, died in 1607 aged 55. He had several children by his second wife Katherine who survived until about 1644. Anne Spilman

1196-609: The Middle Ages , goldsmithing normally included silversmithing as well, but the brass workers and workers in other base metals normally were members of a separate guild, since the trades were not allowed to overlap. Many jewelers also were goldsmiths. The Sunar caste is one of the oldest communities in goldsmithing in India, whose superb gold artworks were displayed at The Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. In India, ' Daivadnya Brahmins ', Vishwakarma (Viswabrahmins, Acharis) ' Sunar ' are

1248-545: The Royal Mile . From early in the 1590s, Heriot had been selling items to Anne of Denmark , the Queen Consort, and on 17 July 1597, he was officially appointed the goldsmith to the Queen. The queen had previously employed a German jeweller Jacob Kroger . The role of a goldsmith in the early modern period extended beyond simply the making and trading of jewellery and precious metals; in effect, he had now become her banker. Over

1300-523: The "models" or designs. Heriot had a town house in the Strand and a country estate at Roehampton , and considerable property in Edinburgh. Heriot died in London in February 1624 and was buried at St. Martin-in-the-Fields , where the sermon was given by Walter Balcanquhall . Heriot is believed to have had at least four children by his first wife, including two sons who may have been drowned at sea, although

1352-482: The English and Irish thrones, and ruled these kingdoms as King James I. He moved to London. Heriot, along with much of his court, followed suit. In November he was appointed a jeweller to the king, with an annual salary of £150. The English goldsmiths John Spilman and William Herrick were given similar appointments. The salary was a small amount in comparison to Heriot's sales and loans, and by 1609 Queen Anne's debt to him

1404-464: The Queen. James VI owed Heriot £6,720 for jewelry and precious stones in March 1599 and gave him a jewel as a pledge for payment, which included 74 diamonds and a larger diamond set in gold. In June 1599 James instructed his exchequer officers to repay from his tax receipts a loan advanced on the security of some of the queen's jewels. In August 1599 Heriot was paid £400 Sterling from the English annuity ,

1456-444: The estate, some £23,625, was left to the county of city of Edinburgh, to establish a hospital for the free education of the "puir, faitherless bairns" of deceased Edinburgh burgesses. Heriot's Hospital was begun in 1628, and duly constructed outside the city walls of Edinburgh, immediately to the south of Edinburgh Castle , adjacent to Greyfriars Kirk . It was completed just in time to be occupied by Oliver Cromwell 's forces during

1508-402: The exact details of their death are unknown. He had no other legitimate children – his second marriage was childless – but in his will left money to provide for two natural daughters Elizabeth Band (born 1613) then aged ten and Margaret Scott (born 1619) then aged four. There were additional bequests to his stepmother and his half-siblings, as well as his nieces and nephews. However, the residue of

1560-642: The first commercially successful paper -mill in England , establishing a factory on the River Darenth in Dartford , Kent in 1588. Spilman was also jeweller to Queen Elizabeth I , and was knighted by King James I . In 1588 Spilman was granted a Crown lease on two mills in the Manor of Bignores at Dartford (the mills were previously leased to local landowner William Vaughan who died in 1580). Spilman repaired and altered

1612-418: The following years, he lent her significant amounts of money, often secured on jewellery he himself had sold her. Anne's love of jewellery was "legendary", and by the late 1590s both she and the king were taking out significant loans to support their spending. This ensured Heriot's position would remain lucrative; it had been estimated that between 1593 and 1603 he may have done as much as £50,000 of business with

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1664-478: The form of a woman upon a pillar or case holding a clock with diverse motions" worth £2,739 brought from the Tower of London . On 4 January 1605 Spilman requested payment for a chain of pearls and six diamond rings delivered to George Home, now Lord Berwick, as keeper of the royal wardrobe, a tablet or locket of gold set with diamonds given by the Lord Chancellor to Anna of Denmark to send to Denmark worth £700,

1716-552: The gems incorporated in the circlet were obtained by dismantling Elizabeth's jewels. They made insignia of the Order of the Garter and Georges, some to be sent to the Duke of Württemberg . On the instructions of Mary Radcliffe they had mended some old pieces from the collection of Queen Elizabeth, including; a branch of tree with a half moon; a gold feather jewel set with rubies, emeralds, and pearls;

1768-544: The goldsmith castes. The printmaking technique of engraving developed among goldsmiths in Germany around 1430, who had long used the technique on their metal pieces. The notable engravers of the fifteenth century were either goldsmiths, such as Master E. S. , or the sons of goldsmiths, such as Martin Schongauer and Albrecht Dürer . A goldsmith might have a wide array of skills and knowledge at their disposal. Gold , being

1820-480: The keeping of Mary Radcliffe, former gentlewoman to Queen Elizabeth, to the Countess of Suffolk . Other pieces of Elizabeth's jewellery were delivered by Thomas Knyvet . He had kept them at Westminster Palace on the instructions of Queen Elizabeth, and James and his courtiers sent some to Spilman and Herrick for valuation, with an ivory coffer, and a "great rich glass set with diamonds rubies emeralds and pearls, made in

1872-447: The king's favourite, the Earl of Somerset , which was returned to him in 1615 when the Earl was disgraced. Heriot, with the other royal jewellers Abraham Harderet , William Herrick and John Spilman , joined the funeral procession of Anna of Denmark in 1619. Heriot swore an oath that he had delivered jewels worth £63,000 to the Queen which were not found among her possessions. He had kept

1924-424: The metals used to create the alloy, the color can change. The goldsmith will use a variety of tools and machinery, including the rolling mill , the drawplate , and perhaps, swage blocks and other forming tools to make the metal into shapes needed to build the intended piece. Then parts are fabricated through a wide variety of processes and assembled by soldering . It is a testament to the history and evolution of

1976-417: The mills, at an estimated cost of £1,500, and financed the employment of skilled German paper-makers to produce good quality white paper. One of the first works published using Spilman's paper was a poem by Thomas Churchyard dedicated to Sir Walter Raleigh thus: A sparke of friendship, and warm good will ; with a poem concerning the commodity of sundry sciences ; especially concerning paper, and

2028-408: The most malleable metal of all, offers unique opportunities for the worker. In today's world a wide variety of other metals, especially platinum alloys, also may be used frequently. 24 karat is pure gold and historically, was known as fine gold . Because it is so soft, however, 24 karat gold is rarely used. It is usually alloyed to make it stronger and to create different colors. Depending on

2080-426: The most important and wealthiest of the guilds in a city. The guild kept records of members and the marks they used on their products. These records, when they survive, are very useful to historians. Goldsmiths often acted as bankers , since they dealt in gold and had sufficient security for the safe storage of valuable items, though they were usually restrained from lending at interest, which was regarded as usury . In

2132-497: The queen's jewel was broken up by Nicasius Russell in 1609 to make gold plate. The "I" or "J" jewel was delivered to Charles I of England in November 1625. On 12 January 1604 Spilman and Herrick were asked to assess and make an inventory of jewels that had belonged to Queen Elizabeth. James had already given many pieces to the queen, Princess Elizabeth , and Arbella Stuart and others. The remaining jewels had been transferred from

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2184-514: The representation of African people in the theatre, as in her Masque of Blackness . After his wife Christian Marjoribanks died, George Heriot returned to Edinburgh in 1609 to marry Alison Primrose, the daughter of James Primrose of Carington, the clerk to the Scottish Privy Council. The marriage was short-lived, as Alison died in 1612, and childless. Heriot supplied a chain with 60 pieces each set with three small diamonds worth £250 to

2236-466: The school, above the pend on the north entrance tower. This is by Robert Mylne the King's Master Mason. It bears a Latin inscription which translates as: "This statue shows my body, this building shows my soul". George Heriot is one of the carved figures on the Scott Monument on Princes Street . His figure, which stands on the lower tier of the south-west buttress, was carved by Peter Slater . He

2288-452: The time of his death, and he left the bulk of his estate to found a hospital to care for "faitherless bairns" (orphaned children) in his home city. Heriot was born in Gladsmuir , ( East Lothian ), on 15 June 1563, the eldest son of George Heriot and Elizabeth Balderstone, and one of ten children. His father was a well-established goldsmith from an old Haddingtonshire family, who served as

2340-399: The trade that those skills have reached an extremely high level of attainment and skill over time. A fine goldsmith can and will work to a tolerance approaching that of precision machinery, but largely using only his eyes and hand tools. Quite often the goldsmith's job involves the making of mountings for gemstones , in which case they often are referred to as jewelers . 'Jeweller', however,

2392-458: The very similar skills of the silversmith . Traditionally, these skills had been passed along through apprenticeships ; more recently jewelry arts schools, specializing in teaching goldsmithing and a multitude of skills falling under the jewelry arts umbrella, are available. Many universities and junior colleges also offer goldsmithing, silversmithing, and metal arts fabrication as a part of their fine arts curriculum. Compared to other metals, gold

2444-411: The wife of King James VI of Scotland , as well as to the king himself; he became very wealthy from this position, and wealthier still as a result of lending this money back to the king and the rest of his court. He moved to London along with the court in 1603, at the time of the Union of Crowns , and remained in London until he died in 1624. He had married twice but had no recognised children surviving at

2496-472: The world. The Copper Age Varna culture ( Bulgaria ) from the 5th millennium BC is credited with the earliest found instances of gold metallurgy. The associated Varna Necropolis treasure contains the oldest golden jewellery in the world with an approximate age of over 6,000 years. Some pieces date back thousands of years and were made using many techniques that still are used by modern goldsmiths. Techniques developed by some of those goldsmiths achieved

2548-403: Was knighted by James I in 1605, probably in relation to his work as court goldsmith and jeweller rather than his paper-making exploits. At the same time, he was also granted the Manor of Bexley , which he subsequently sold to William Camden. In 1605 he supplied a number of "gold tablets", cases for miniature portraits of the King and Queen, set with rubies and diamonds. In May 1605 he supplied

2600-414: Was ordered to make gold buttons for the queen from two old gold collars which were formed of S-shaped pieces and knots of gold, with enamelled gold roses. In 1593 Richard Butler, captain of one of Walter Raleigh's ships, said Spilman dealt in jewels at court, was about 38 and had a long chestnut beard and a scar on his forehead. He thought he was Flemish. In 1598 he sold a jewel called the "Rainbow" to

2652-427: Was tasked with setting and re-setting the "Portugal diamond" for the queen, placing it in a gold bodkin in 1607. In December 1607 Spilman, Herrick, and the goldsmith John Williams were asked to polish and amend some pieces that Queen Elizabeth had mortgaged, and King James gave Anna of Denmark a cup made of unicorn horn, a gold ewer, a salt with a branch from which serpent's tongues and sapphires were suspended, and

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2704-499: Was £18,000, from which he drew a sizeable interest. Surviving bills for jewellery supplied to Anna of Denmark mostly date from 1605 to 1615, totalling around £40,000. Her servants Margaret Hartsyde and Dorothy Silking often dealt with him on her behalf. She often wore a miniature portrait of Isabella Clara Eugenia and Heriot mended its locket case twice. Heriot also supplied jewels to Prince Henry . Surviving pieces made for Anne of Denmark which can be attrbuted to Heriot include

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