Affabel Partridge was a London goldsmith who served

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

. He is thought to have marked his work with a hallmark of a bird.

Career

Partridge was an apprentice of Richard Crompton. He worked at the sign of the Black Bull in Cheapside. On 25 July 1554 ( her wedding day),

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous ...

ordered some of the jewels in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

to be delivered to her goldsmith "Affabel Partriche". With Robert Brandon, he became a goldsmith to Elizabeth I on her accession. They were joined by Hugh Keall in 1577. Brandon and Partridge supplied hundreds of pieces of plate which Elizabeth distributed as New Year's Day gifts, and as gifts on other occasions. They also repaired tableware. In September 1560 Partridge and Brandon received 4000 ounces of silver plate scrapped from the

Jewel House The Jewel House is a vault housing the British Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, Crown Jewels in the Waterloo Block (formerly a barracks) at the Tower of London. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 and refurbished in 2012. Regalia ...

as unfit to serve at the queen's table, to be melted down and made into new objects. Partridge established himself on

Cheapside Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, England, which forms part of the A40 road, A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St Martin's Le Grand with Poultry, London, Poultry. Near its eas ...

at the "Sign of the Black Bull". On 25 July 1560, Partridge was employed to repair and reset old jewels from the

into a "better fashion" for Queen Elizabeth to wear from time to time, meet and suitable for her occasional use. The pieces for refashioning were "fifty tablets of sundry fashion tied upon a string whereof diverse have

pomander A pomander, from French language, French ''pomme d'ambre'', i.e., apple of amber, is a ball made for perfumes, such as ambergris (hence the name), musk, or civet (perfumery), civet. The pomander was worn or carried in a case as a protection agai ...

s within them", and broken nether and upper habiliments (the jewelled bands which were worn at the forehead of a

French hood French hood is the English name for a type of elite woman's headgear that was popular in Western Europe in roughly the first half of the 16th century. The French hood is characterized by a rounded shape, contrasted with the angular "English" or ...

), with

aglet An aglet ( ) or aiglet is a small sheath, often made of plastic or metal, attached at each end of a shoelace, a cord, or a drawstring. An aglet keeps the fibers of the lace or cord from unraveling; its firmness and narrow profile make it eas ...

s and their laces and pins. Partridge was to pay attention to the enamelling. The aged

Marquess of Winchester Marquess of Winchester is a title in the Peerage of England that was created in 1551 for the prominent statesman William Paulet, 1st Earl of Wiltshire. It is the oldest of six surviving English marquessates; therefore its holder is considered th ...

was ordered to deliver the jewels to the goldsmith. Partridge and Brandon were permitted to collect base money for refining at the royal mint in October 1560. Partridge sued Edward Baeshe of

West Coker West Coker is a large village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south west of Yeovil. History The name Coker comes from Coker Water ("crooked stream" from the Celtic ''Kukro''). Artifacts from early settlement in the parish inclu ...

for the value of a garter set with rubies and pearls in 1565. Baeshe had paid for a gold flower set with diamonds and pearls. "Aphabelle Partridge" subscribed to a general lottery in 1568, and wrote this verse: :If hawk do soar and partridge springs, :Then shall we see what luck he brings, :But if he soar and partridge flit, :Then hawk shall lose and partridge hit. In 1576 Partridge supplied three gilt salts with "a cover of the French making". "Affabell Partrydge" signed the vestry minutes of

Stepney Stepney is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. Stepney is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name was applied to ...

parish twice in 1583 and probably died in that year. Partridge lent money to a goldbeater Robert Mabbe, a son of the goldsmith

John Mabbe John Mabbe or Mab was the name of two English goldsmiths working in Tudor London. The senior John Mabbe (who died in 1582 and was buried at St Matthew Friday Street) was a son of John Mabbe of Clayton and his wife Joan Goble of Sussex. John Mabbe, ...

, taking as security a share of the Tabard Inn, Southwark. Partridge and Brandon were succeeded as royal goldsmiths by Richard Martin and Hugh Kayle.

Family

He is said to have married (1) Anne Fildus, (2) Margery Gilbard. His third wife was Denise or Dionise, the widow of John Owtred who held land in

Havering The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities include Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham, Lo ...

. His children included: * Thomas Partridge * Ellen Partridge, who married Thomas Berthellet, perhaps the Thomas Bartlett who Partridge owed money to in 1578. * Mary Partridge, daughter of Margery, who married Thomas Wadnall, their daughter Jane (died 1616) married Robert Mabbe * Dionyssus Partridge, who married the goldsmith Stephen Mabbe, a son of the goldsmith

who served

. * Stephen Partridge, a goldsmith, who christened his daughter "Dennis" in March 1590 at

St Peter upon Cornhill St Peter upon Cornhill is an Anglican church on the corner of Cornhill and Gracechurch Street in the City of London of medieval, or possibly Roman origin. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and rebuilt to the designs of Sir C ...

.''A Register of Saint Peeters Cornhill'' (London, 1877), p. 34.

External links

Reliquary or salt cellar with the hallmark of Affabel Partridge, 1551, V&A

Cup with the hallmark of Affabel Partridge, 1568/9, V&A

Salt with the hallmark of Affabel Partridge, 1572/3, RCT

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Partridge, Affabel English goldsmiths 16th-century English people Material culture of royal courts