A pair of early Scottish provincial silver beaker shaped communion cups, William Scott of Banff, mid 17th century

The Church of St. Ninian's and Forglen: Donated to the Church of Forglen by Dame Agnes Falconer Lady Banff, 1692 

Thomas Burns, Old Scottish Communion Plate, R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh, 1892, p.103

Ian Finlay, Scottish Gold and Silver Work, revised by Henry Fothringham, The Strong Oak Press, Stevenage, 1991

William Scott is the first recorded silversmith working in Banff (Jackson's p.591). The Scott family came to Banff from Aberdeen and the father and son, both William, are therefore designated elder and younger in the records. Burns notes that "William Scott (elder) was also a goldsmith in Aberdeen, where he was admitted a burgess in 1666; filled the office of deacon of hammermen in 1673, 1678, and 1685." (p.577) He also mentions on the following page that "Both William Scott (elder) and William Scott (younger) also carried on business in Elgin, as well as in Aberdeen and Banff."

The hallmarks on these communion cups are VS ABC (see detail). Another pair of beaker shaped communion cups bearing the same marks were dedicated to the church of Cullen sometime after 1676. The mark ABC is considered to be a town mark by both Burns and Finlay, although a debate exists as to which town it refers to. As Finlay notes "Forglen and Alvah both have beakers by Scott. Cullen also has a pair of cups with Scott's mark together with the town mark ABC, which Brook assumes to be a Banff mark. It is a strange variant of the BAF which is usually a little later, and Commander How's theory that it may be the town mark of Aberchirder at least fits in with the practice of the district". The practice referred to is the one used in places such as Aberdeen and Banff where the town mark is derived from the first two letters of the town name, or the first two and the fifth (ie: ABD and BAF) rather than the city's arms.

A silver quaich with the same hallmarks as these cups sold at Bonhams, Edinburgh, 18 August 2007, lot 126, for £17,000 (plus buyers premium). In the catalogue note Henry S. Fothringham suggests that the hallmark ABC derives from Scott misinterpreting the principle of date letter punches for each year and ordering a single punch incorporating the first three leters of the alphabet instead.

The initials on the underside of the beakers are those of John Dunbar, minister (MR) of the parish from 1676-1716 (see detail). The arms on the body of the cup are those of Falconer. "The Honorable Agnes Falconer, only daughter of Alexander, first Lord Halkerstoun, married George, second Lord Banff, who succeeded 1663 and died 1668 (see family tree). Her son George, 3rd Lord Banff, was a Roman Catholic and so continued till 1705 when he renounced and took his seat in the Scots Parliament. Of the £20,000 distributed at the time of the Union his share came to the sum of £11.2.0. He perished at the burning of the House of Inchdruer in November 1713." (Burns, p.301).

It seems probable that the beakers are earlier than the inscription date of 1692 on the evidence of their form which relates closely to the early 17^th century Dutch shape. Additionally, if the arms were those of Dame Agnes, whose husband died in 1668 it might be supposed they would have been in a lozenge-shaped cartouche. Finally the cresting is not that of a baron, which would be expected after 1646 when Dame Agnes's father, Alexander Falconer was elevated to the title.