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Hurst Street S.M.A.G.

E

Eve Magee

New Member
I have a silver brooch inscribed on the back Hurst St and S.M.A.G. or it could be S.M.A.C. Does anyone know what this stands for? I think it is hallmarked 1890.
 

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Welcome to the Forum.
Are you able to photograph the brooch and post it on here so members can see the inscription for themselves?
 
Thanks - it looks, to me, like a C at the end.
We like a challenge on here so I am sure members will try to help.
 
Could the A.C. be Angling Club or Athletic Club? Hurst St certainly seems to give it a Birmingham connection.

Maurice :cool:
 
Wonder what the date letter next to the hallmark is as that might help us date the brooch.
Just spotted date in post 1 of 1890
 
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In the 1891 Census I've searched the whole of Hurst Street, which is numbered consecutively, and all in the Parish of St Jude, and whilst there are half a dozen pubs, none incorporate the letters S & M in their names. Lots of courts of houses and a People's Hall. So unless it was an organisation which met in the People's Hall, or an unnamed lock-up business, I'm stumped as my subscription to Midlands Historical Data & the trade directories has expired.

Chris, would it be likely the Small Heath Angling Club met in the People's Hall? And the second letter is definitely an M.

I think we need access to a trade directory.......

Maurice :cool:
 
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The People's Hall looks unlikely too, unless its use changed by 1890. From Wiki:-

The Unitarian Association for the Midland Counties (later the Birmingham Unitarian Domestic Mission Society) built a chapel known as the Hurst Street Domestic Mission on Hurst Street in 1844. It had schoolrooms beneath the chapel, and additional schoolrooms behind the chapel were added later. Its large central room became known as the People's Hall, where free lectures were held. The school's efforts to educate the city's poorest children were praised by the Inspector of Schools in the 1850s

Maurice :cool:
 
I wondered if it was church connected but thought that might say "St" not just S.
Wonder if Eve knows a thing about the recipient - J Johnson.
 
sospiri said:
In the 1891 Census I've searched the whole of Hurst Street, which is numbered consecutively, and all in the Parish of St Jude, and whilst there are half a dozen pubs, none incorporate the letters S & M in their names. Lots of courts of houses and a People's Hall. So unless it was an organisation which met in the People's Hall, or an unnamed lock-up business, I'm stumped as my subscription to Midlands Historical Data & the trade directories has expired.

Chris, would it be likely the Small Heath Angling Club met in the People's Hall? And the second letter is definitely an M.

I think we need access to a trade directory.......

Maurice :cool:
Click to expand...
Sorry, I read it as a H.
 
Hi,

If the date letter is an 'h', then it would to be from 1882.
A 'chamfered corner' box was used as well as the more commonly illustrated
oval box for the letter in some years.

Is it a coincidence that the script initials on the enamelled side appear to be 'JJ'
and the engraved name is J. Johnson?

Incidentally I have seen a note on a hallmark webpage stating that the mark
is placed vertically on silver, and horizontally on platinum and gold, so is it
platinum?!

Kind regards
Dave
 
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it looks to pretty to be worn by a man but i could be wrong...eve is this a family heirloom ...does the name J.johnson mean anything to you...

lyn
 
Well, I don't know a lot about hall marks, but they confirm a Birmingham assay mark, an upper case "D" could be 1852,1928,1953,1978. My guess would be 1928 as there is not a sovereign mark. Does that help the folk with Kelly's and censii or what ever the plural of census is!
 
I found this reference to SMAC in Hinckley. It seems that it refers to an Athletic Club, Athletics Championship or Athletics Classes. OR Cyclists

Don't know about the SM perhaps Senior Mens?
 

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Eve Magee said:
Thank you all for helping. Here is a photo of the hallmark. I'm sorry but I don't know anything about J. Johnson.
Click to expand...
I think the Silversmith/Silvermaker is a T. Wooley of Birmingham which would coincide with the letter being
a " D " making the year 1928-29.
 
Which would make trade directories or newspapers the only likely line of equiry, Chris. Unless, by any remote chance they are still trading.

EDIT: Newspaper searches on the following terms between 1926 and 1930 drew a blank:-

SMAC - nothing
Hurst St - there was a Hurst Street Mission with a cricket fixture, but no Johnson among the team, otherwise nothing
Wooley or Woolley with or without the word silversmith drew a blank

I don't currently have a subscription to search trade directories.

Maurice :cool:
 
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