Thread: Barrel trade marks from Wigan and Salford

Nice, Andy! It definitely looks to be restorable. Apparantly, Mr Hall had a pile of boxes made for selling razors from many makers with his stamp on them. My box looks identical to yours and so does the box of VVTI's razor in this thread, which was made by Brookes and Crookes, I believe as he states it has a bell on the backside of the tang: http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...sor-8-8-a.html Anything on the back tang on yours? It might be a clue to the maker!

Hi Tom, thanks for your speedy reply. No marks at all on the rear of the tang, just a bit of corrosion....

I've just added a new thread about another recently acquired razor & box, sadly neither from Wigan

Cheers,

Andy

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

Tom - the corporate or trade mark on your razor is most probably that of John Petty & Sons from Sheffield.

Attachment 105693

John Petty was first a pen blade grinder in Solly Street in 1841, then a grocer in Gargen Street in 1851 then started making blades again at the Perth Works in Garden Street by 1868. He is most noted as a knife and cutlery maker, but he also made razors, some of which were stamped 'magnetic' - he died in 1887 at which time his son John Thomas Petty took over the company. It looks like the son changed the corporate mark in 1888:

Attachment 105694

So your razor must predate this change of mark.

As far as J.M. Hall goes there are two likely looking suspects! The first is John Matthew Hall, born in Sheffield in 1836 but relocating to Wigan. His occupation is listed as carrier and ironmonger in the 1901 census and his address was 26 Church Street, Wigan.

The other suspect - and the most likely one to my mind - is John Malkin Hall, also born in 1836 in Sheffield, but relocating to Wigan. His occupation was listed as cutler, grinder and ironmonger in the 1881 census and his address was 25 Millgate, Wigan. So at least we know he was a bona-fide cutler, even though in this instance the razors were made by Petty. Millgate is just a short distance from Library Street:

Attachment 105695

I found a few matches for T. Smith, but nothing worth noting - too tenuous! Like you, I suspect he was either an ironmonger/hardware shop/hairdresser or similar who bought razors from Petty with his name stamped on the tang.

Regards,
Neil

Hello again Neil.

I've just been through the J M Hall documents in my collection which were all obtained from the same source and found some interesting information.

As well as the J M Hall invoice for 17 Market Place, Wigan, I have an invoice from Pendlebury & Co which is made out to "J M Hall Church St" and dated 1898, so this would seem to indicate J M Hall is John Matthew Hall:-



Other documents refer to an Elizabeth Hall, including payments to Wigan Council for private works at Eccleston St and Dicconson Terrace for dates up to 1915

However...the 1881 Worrall's Wigan and District Directory refers to John Malkin Hall at 25 Millgate Wigan:-

Worrall's Wigan and District Directory, 1881 :: wiganworld

I think this raises more questions than answers, but interesting none the less.

Kind regards,

Andy

Hello again Tom.

I e-mailed the vendor of the invoice I didn't win and he has kindly given permission for me to upload the image here:-



It is from William Gregory and Sons to J.M Hall and dated 1896.

It's nice that it fits in with what Neil said about the likely origin of the Barrel mark......I just wish I'd won the auction !!

Kind regards,

Andy