I married at the age of 50 and my son Marcus was born shortly thereafter. To commemorate his birth I bought him a typical silver Georgian mug. The mug bears London 1807 hallmark, maker S. Godbehere & Co. This mark (SG over EW over IB) was entered in London Assay Office on 15.3.1800 and identifies the partnership of Samuel Godbehere with Edward Wigan and James Bult, active at 86 Cheapside, London (but entering this mark he signed as Goodbehere). Samuel Godbehere entered his first mark as plateworker in 1784. In 1786 he entered a new mark in partnership with Edward Wigan. After that entered in 1800 for the partnership with Wigan and Bult, he entered a new mark in 1818 in partnership with James Bult only.

The interesting thing is that my son is the third male child to whom the mug has been dedicated over a period of almost 200 years. The first was James Jackson Barns, born in 21st May in 1809. The second was M D A de Clermont, born in 16th May in 1909. The third was my son Marcus Alan Yates, born in 21st May 1998 in Capetown

The exterior of the mug has a beautifully chased coat of arms on it (possibly that of Barns family) and I had the Yates crest added in Cape Town by Max Raysman, then over 90 years old, and probably the last true engraver on the African continent.