The latter date is the most likely , meaning next year in 2019, they will be 400 years old exactly. Unfortunately, the practice of dating silver with a punchmark was not around until nearer the end of the 17th Century.
The silversmith was Gibert Kirkwoode but there is a punchmark of Edinburgh Deacon James Denniston. They’re made of solid silver and being quite plain in appearance, they reflect fashion and tastes of the puritan era. They’re in remarkably fine condition and are actually the second oldest known communion cups in this country! The cups are stored safely away from Blantyre and are only brought out by Blantyre Old Parish Church for very special occasions.
From “Blantyre Explained” by Paul Veverka
Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said,