Thread: 8/8 R. Sutcliffe Sheffield Razor

Originally Posted by Martin103

Seems improbable, that the one listed in Tweedale's would be from the same family since its Sutcliff and not Sutcliffe.. There are countless Sutcliffe's from Sheffield the only one I found with a reference to cutlery was the one from this book.
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You don't think these things are that old, do you, Martin?

No I don't, no way. 1840 + I think.

My intuition is that it's not a Sheffield manufacturer.

The stamp "Sheffield Razor" makes me think 'foreign' (read: not in Sheffield) retailer commissioning custom branded razors.

There was. Sheffield druggist named Robert Sutcliffe in the early 1830's, it that seems as long a shot as all the others.

The style can be pretty precisely dated. It was another very popular one in the 1832-1850ish range.

These three specimens of the style help triangulate the date.



William Hawcroft was in partnership with Samuel Pearson until 1845, so the Hawcroft version most likely post-dates the end of their company.

Greaves & Sons was dissolved in 1850, so the Greaves version can't have been made after that date.

Then there's the Wilton, which is another manufacturer with no Sheffield records. (And yes, it is W. G. Wilton, not Wilson)

Additionally, there were many Edward Leon & Co. razors in this style.



E.L. & Co are a real challenge to trace, but he seems to have been related to Abraham Leon, who operated a warehouse in Sheffield circa 1855.

It's also interesting that all of these razors had a Masonic etching on the blade face.

Imho, the face should be crocus and the tang glazed -- that's how the original would've been done to accommodate the etch.

A lovely restore though! Bravo!

Nice group Zak, the pins on the E.L. & Co are very interesting.

Originally Posted by Martin103

Nice group Zak, the pins on the E.L. & Co are very interesting.

Ah, those were temporary. It's the original washers, but held on with microfasteners.

I did wonder if R Sutcliffe was a retailer or comissioner of razors made in Sheffield and stamped with his name
Sutcliffe is a Yorkshire name but I can't find much about a maker in Sheffield with this name...
The tang stamp contained in a square with the corners shaped is distinctive, I have a Lund, Fleet St set out like that.

Originally Posted by 782sirbrian

I did wonder if R Sutcliffe was a retailer or comissioner of razors made in Sheffield and stamped with his name
Sutcliffe is a Yorkshire name but I can't find much about a maker in Sheffield with this name...
The tang stamp contained in a square with the corners shaped is distinctive, I have a Lund, Fleet St set out like that.

Indeed the sort of cartouche stamp does show up a lot on non-Sheffield razors, like Lund or the infuriatingly untraceable "W. Taylor / XQ SITE", but I've got several definitely Sheffield made razors that use it as well (to one degree or another):



The William Marsh (precursor to Marshes & Shepherd) & Fred Fenney are obvious, but even Ashton, Jackson, & Co were a Sheffield company despite branding theirs the "unique and inimitable American razor".

I have a suspicion Lund was just a London retailer and not the maker of my razor, I'm half thinking it was made by J&W Ragg of Sheffield. There was some Lund marked razors show up at the same Ragg razor auctions last year in Sheffield....

Originally Posted by 782sirbrian

I have a suspicion Lund was just a London retailer and not the maker of my razor, I'm half thinking it was made by J&W Ragg of Sheffield. There was some Lund marked razors show up at the same Ragg razor auctions last year in Sheffield....

Yes, Lund definitely had at least some of their razors made by the Raggs. It was common for the London outfits to commission their goods though. We're just lucky to have stuff like the Ragg family auction that lets us peek under the covers and see who.

Wow that is a gorgeous old razor! You did an amazing job, as always, on the restoration