III
LONDON MARKS
1558 to 1577
(Twenty letters are used, omitting J.)
The earlier letters of this alphabet were impressed with a stamp following the outline of the shape of the letter. Later a shield was used. The type of this date letter is Black Letter Small. Similar type was used from 1678 to 1696, and the shields are the same shape. This type was again used in the reign of Victoria from 1856 to 1875, but the shield is different.
1578 to 1597
(Twenty letters are used, omitting J; and the U is of the same form as the V, which was followed in succeeding alphabets till the year 1735.)