Collection: Gibraltar

Following its capture by Anglo-Dutch forces in 1704 and its permanent cession to Great Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, Gibraltar became a vital British military stronghold and crown colony.

Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this unique garrison environment supported a small, highly specialised community of local silversmiths. Because Gibraltar lacked an official assay office, these craftsmen did not stamp traditional British hallmarks; instead, notable makers like Henry Cowper in the late 1700s and John and Charles Catton in the early 1800s struck their own maker's marks most commonly alongside a distinct locally used "key" symbol. They catered to British naval officers, merchants, and the local elite until mid-19th century industrialisation and cheap British imports largely brought an end to local production.