cutlers to his/her/their majesties...

I have a question that I hope can be answered:

Which manufacturers were on the "Cutlers to his/her/their majesties" list?

I have several and all are excellent! Not that being on the list would necessarily raise one above those who are not, Sheffield manufacturers were pretty much all great though some better others ofcourse. I'm guessing the "who you know" card came to play in getting that list at least for some.
I just have an interest in those ones. Don't really know why. Were they the higher price items back in the day? Did having that designation give them marketability in spades?
Anyway, thanks for the info!
M

Indeed, the Royal Warrant was an excellent advertisement on most any items, from cutlery, to furniture, etc.
His, Her, Their, is often used to date a particular razor here. Not knowing this well, perhaps to do a forum search on the subject will get some good info.

Such as this thread; http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...esty-date.html

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

Indeed, the Royal Warrant was an excellent advertisement on most any items, from cutlery, to furniture, etc.
His, Her, Their, is often used to date a particular razor here. Not knowing this well, perhaps to do a forum search on the subject will get some good info.

Such as this thread; http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...esty-date.html

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Thanks for the reply, I did a search and came up with a number of threads. Just wondering if someone had compiled a list or not.. if not I'll be glad to do the research and share, but I can imagine there must be more than a few "Cutlers to ... majesty" enthusiasts..
I'll check it out :)

Manah has a blog entry about titled "Cutler to Her Majesty" that might interest you. Also on his website, strazors.com, he has histories of many of the major razor companies. The Jospeh Rogers history has information about how they received their Royal Warrant and all of the warrants they held.

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Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

Manah has a blog entry about titled "Cutler to Her Majesty" that might interest you. Also on his website, strazors.com, he has histories of many of the major razor companies. The Jospeh Rogers history has information about how they received their Royal Warrant and all of the warrants they held.

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Just spent a while reading that one thanks for the info! I'm making a list. Just posted it on that thread. An old thread!
Anyway a lot of good info on there but nobody had started making a list, it was just posts of which ones they had and some other totally off subject stuff. But it was more than enough to start a good list! :)
I wonder how many royal warrants were granted...? Perhaps my list will be small.. though there was one very obscure manufacturer that lends to the idea that there were more that we don't know...Royal Warrant Holders


*Austria-Hungary
-J A Henckels

*England
"Their majesties" Victoria and Albert
"His majesty" Edward the V||
But sometimes George the V
-Joseph Rodgers & Sons
-Mappin & Webb
-Harrison Bros. & Howson
-Thomas Turner & Sons
-Hillards & Edinburgh
-Wade & Butcher?
-William Parker?
-Frederick Reynolds?

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

Indeed, the Royal Warrant was an excellent advertisement on most any items, from cutlery, to furniture, etc.
His, Her, Their, is often used to date a particular razor here. Not knowing this well, perhaps to do a forum search on the subject will get some good info.

Such as this thread; http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...esty-date.html

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Tom is so right. I have read it a few times & I have been to the links on this thread & to the links provided on those threads as well. These different slogans were used as selling points for the particular maker of the straight razor that had these inscriptions on their tangs in those days & it made a difference to many buyers who had a personal preference for the type of straight razor they bought then & the quality of it as well. Joseph Rodgers & Sons, Wade & Butcher plus several other makers used royalty stamps on their razors. They aren't as plentiful as the many others out there but the Sheffield makers mainly used it plus I think I have seen some others use it as well. I'm sure Neil commented on many also as he was very informative on many makers.

I have not seen a Frederick Reynolds with a royal warrant, but I have a few Joseph Elliots both with and without the warrant. Other than the WR or VR or GR it all needs more research for me to fully understand who was were when.

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Originally Posted by RezDog

I have not seen a Frederick Reynolds with a royal warrant, but I have a few Joseph Elliots both with and without the warrant. Other than the WR or VR or GR it all needs more research for me to fully understand who was were when.

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About the WR VR and GR it is not yet for sure in my mind as to whether or not it denotes a Royal Warrant because there were those who used crowns and letters that may not have been the list. Someone on the other thread was saying something of the sort.. I forgot to put Joseph Elliot on the list, just opened up the SR Vault, now I'm thinking i need check them all for markings... I don't know for sure either.
Hopefully I will soon though. Right now there's two threads going.. this one I started and another started years ago titled "God shave the queen" both have people posting.. I'm not sure which to just post on so I'll duplicate what i just wrote on that one hehe :D
Well,
I searched and searched and could not find the archive. Will keep searching. In the meantime I've written to the Highgrove Royal Warrant Holders Association and I'll find a couple other associations and clubs and committees and send them the same email!!! Hah!
Leave no stone un-turned and don't forget to chuck it through the window of the first nay-sayer! Lol :)

Yes, those who displayed the reign of the current monarch were not necessarily with a Royal Warrant, it seems.
For a while it was still to advertise, IMO.

I always assumed this was just a marketing gimmick. huh.

I saw this and post #28 might answer your question....a bit :hmmm:
LINK: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...ures-Cutlers-t

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Originally Posted by RezDog

I have not seen a Frederick Reynolds with a royal warrant, but I have a few Joseph Elliots both with and without the warrant. Other than the WR or VR or GR it all needs more research for me to fully understand who was were when.

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Can you please upload some pictures of them?

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Originally Posted by scag315

I always assumed this was just a marketing gimmick. huh.

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As good as it was to be able to proclaim 'Cutlers To' it was surely not without much politics and fancy freebies, etc to secure one.
I don't think anyone who used it in an unauthorized way did it for long?
I expect it was quite difficult to secure one. It seems I read once of Rodgers presenting the King with a finely detailed miniature multi-bladed knife which was mishandled during inspection and disappeared in the carpet. Took a long while to find it. Must have been tiny!

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

As good as it was to be able to proclaim 'Cutlers To' it was surely not without much politics and fancy freebies, etc to secure one.
I don't think anyone who used it in an unauthorized way did it for long?
I expect it was quite difficult to secure one. It seems I read once of Rodgers presenting the King with a finely detailed miniature multi-bladed knife which was mishandled during inspection and disappeared in the carpet. Took a long while to find it. Must have been tiny!

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From what I've been reading you're definitely right about that, though it was great for marketing, it was not simply a marketing gimmick. The companies had a number of standards, and though politics were most definitely involved, the companies with a Royal Warrant were top notch.
On another site someone mentioned Marshes & Sheppard. Can anyone verify that they had a RW? Symbol or words?

Razors weren't the only things given a royal warrant. Truefitt & Hill has a royal warrant. In 1887 in the United Kingdom it was made illegal to falsely claim to have a royal warrant. I think any razor able to claim a royal warrant would have increased its sales significantly since everyone would think that if it was good enough for the royal family it is good enough for them. They would have to make sure that their quality control was top notch otherwise they would have kept the warrant. Many countries gave out royal warrants.

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Originally Posted by MikeT

From what I've been reading you're definitely right about that, though it was great for marketing, it was not simply a marketing gimmick. The companies had a number of standards, and though politics were most definitely involved, the companies with a Royal Warrant were top notch.
On another site someone mentioned Marshes & Sheppard. Can anyone verify that they had a RW? Symbol or words?

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No, they're nice razors, but don't have royal warrant - it's just the usual lack of knowledge being compensated with making stuff up.

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Originally Posted by JSmith1983

Razors weren't the only things given a royal warrant. Truefitt & Hill has a royal warrant.

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Well, the royals are well known for not producing anything themselves, so the clever people who supplied them with goods after the industrial revolution brought mass production figured out they can use that fact in marketing. Previously a royal warrant was meaningless - initially you either worked for the court full time or you didn't and then when you worked for the court part time the rest of your customers knew that fully well. Mass production is what makes the customers far removed and clueless about the manufacturing, so marketing becomes rather important. In some ways it is a gimmick as the only common thing between what the royals and the hoi polloi get is the pocket where the profits end up.

BTW, the fragrance house with most royal warrants is Yardley. These days you can buy many of their products at walmart and dollar general.
If you have spare six- or seven-digit sum you can actually get close to the royal offerings and have a bespoke fragrance designed. But since a large part of the cost is exclusivity you will never get a fragrance that the queen uses regardless of anything.

The royal warrants go back, way back with many products and countries both public and private with or without official declaration. English hierarchy at the latter part of the 1800s wanted it to be more exclusive and so began enforcing laws regarding royal warrants.. I think there are many reasons for this one of which is simple cronyism, capitalistic strategy.
The idea that the king is shaving with the same razor as me.. I'm sure sold many razors. Same goes for other products, but your right, it is most likely far from truth.
As far as quality.... well I can't say for sure, but my blades with royal warrants are better than others I have without, but also equal to many without... but never less than those without. If that makes sense. Anyway IMHO. :)

Yeah, I have read through a bunch of old threads. Seems it got out of hand and was reigned in. (pun intended)
I even saw that old Packwood was claiming to be Cutler to His Majesty! That was in the 1820 era.
:rofl2:

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

Yeah, I have read through a bunch of old threads. Seems it got out of hand and was reigned in. (pun intended)
I even saw that old Packwood was claiming to be Cutler to His Majesty! That was in the 1820 era.
:rofl2:

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LMAO puns always get me... like "dad jokes" my dad always made the dry joke puns, didn't get them until i became a dad, now LMAO every time.
Packwoods. I know little of them. Are they good, bad, highly sought after?

They could be all the above! Do a forum search! So much info here!

There are only a handful of royal cutlers. I'm probably missing a couple but off the top of my head - Joseph Rodgers, Thomas Turner, Harrison Brothers & Howson.