This information has been supplied with many thanks to Michael Baggott. Michael's web-site can be found here

William Welch II was a fairly prolific maker but William Parsons work is much rarer. William Parsons was an apprentice of Richard Ferris and there is one very brief mention of him in partnership with William Welch II in 1801. William Parsons had some of his own work assayed in 1806 and his latest mention is in 1809.

Tongs by William Welch II and William Parsons are very rarely seen, so this pair is a great pleasure to be able to publish. The maker's mark is a little indistinct as the original mark (probabaly Francis Parsons) is overstruck.