William Comyns was a celebrated London silversmith active from the late 19^th century. The firm was established in London around 1858 when William Comyns purchased the business of Robert Tagg, an outworker of Rundell, Bridge & Co. After William Comyns entered his first mark in 1859, the firm expanded and gradually took up more premises, first on Beak Street, off Regent Street, and later in the area of Soho. In 1885 the name of the firm was changed to William Comyns & Sons when William Comyns’ two sons, Charles Harling Comyns and Richard Harling Comyns, joined the business and began to work in partnership with him.

After William Comyns’ death in 1916, the firm continued to be run by the family. The business became William Comyns & Sons Ltd. in 1930, with Richard Comyns (1854 – 1953) appointed as permanent governing director. The mark RC, standing for Richard Comyns, continued to be used after Richard’s death and until 1993 when the business was liquidated and acquired as a subsidiary by Royal Selangor of Kuala Lumpur, the largest pewter manufacturer in the world.

The objects created by the firm are frequently Rococo in influence and ornately decorated with embossed features. The pieces manufactured at the start of the 20th century are often decorated/ often feature elegant and fine Art Nouveau-style details. The firm produced large amounts of decorative silver items which were very popular and sold by many leading retailers of the time, including Tiffany & Co. and The Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company. To this day, items stamped with the ‘WC’ hallmark used by the firm remain highly collectable. Some items designed by the firm now formpart of the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.