Thread: Agres "Cast Steel"

well ive been through my sources of info and have come up with nothing !! I hate to ask but im asking !! any help on history of this mark or name please inform me still have to clean it up a bit and I think the textured scales are pretty neat , but other then a few drops of glue ,some neatsfoot , and a oiling of the blade nothing is going to change except hitting the hones as it is pretty nice condition already !
razor is marked ANGRES on one side of tang and CAST STEEL upside down on the other , here she is !!
ENJOY & THANKS !!

There is an Angres, France.

Maybe search for razor makers from Angres France.

My guess is William Birks & Son, mark LANGRES from the 1774 directory. That mark does not appear in the 1787 Gales & Martin (though Birks still do), I'm not sure but that might put an endpoint to the date.

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

My guess is William Birks & Son, mark LANGRES from the 1774 directory. That mark does not appear in the 1787 Gales & Martin (though Birks still do), I'm not sure but that might put an endpoint to the date.

That's really cool. Great score gooser!

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

My guess is William Birks & Son, mark LANGRES from the 1774 directory. That mark does not appear in the 1787 Gales & Martin (though Birks still do), I'm not sure but that might put an endpoint to the date.

thanks again (as usual) I can honestly say I searched the 1787 G&M beter never even glanced at the 1774 , and everything in searches came up as something to do with France but nothing about any cutlers , this razor is super smooth so I assume it may have been buffed or sanded at one point years ago , if so that would make sense for the "L" being gone as well as the first part of the "A" ,and also most of the letters in "CAST STEEL" being gone ..

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

My guess is William Birks & Son, mark LANGRES from the 1774 directory. That mark does not appear in the 1787 Gales & Martin (though Birks still do), I'm not sure but that might put an endpoint to the date.

Well, there are a couple of William's

Sketchley's 1774


Bailey's 1781: William Birks and SON: Silver handle knife and fork, RAZOR, and penknife manufacturers

Title: Counterpart of lease
Reference: YWD 1039/2
Description: The Trustees of Charles Howard, Earl of Surrey,
and Henry Howard formerly of Sheffield but now of Glossop,
to William Birks and John Birks of Sheffield, razor smiths.
A piece of land in Norfolk Street, Sheffield (part of the "Coach and Six" land)
and buildings on it, for 99 years at £4 a year
Date: 29 May, 1783
(Father William died in March, so this is William Jr., see further)

Gales & Martin 1787


The Universal British Directory 1791 - '98:
BIRKS WILLIAM and JOHN, cutlers and razor makers

William Birks (F(Freedom)1748, Master Cutler in 1766, died in 1783) had 2 son's,
William (F1774 & F1783, Master Cutler 1795) and John (F1786) and were razor smith's.

So, William Birks and son (1774, 1781) is: William and William Jr.,
and William and John (>1783 , father died) is: William Jr. and John

OR: "pipe" was from William Jr. (F1774) and "LANGRES" was from father William Birks (F1748)
OR: "pipe" was from father William Birks (F1748, and had the mark since then),
"LANGRES" was from William Jr. (F1774) and he took de "pipe" mark as its own
after the death of his father (F1783)
(the other symbol with the 2 ampersands would be from John Birks)

I think that the second possibility is more plausible, first, it would make sense since
father William Birks died in 1783 (March), and William Jr. took his second Freedom (1783),
it would correlate beautifully with the fact that he took his father's mark and used it from then for his own.
Secondly, IMHO, the "LANGRES" - razors I've seen so far, seem to be made after the 1775's, this would fit
with the fact that "LANGRES" was a mark of William Jr. (F1774)

If that is the case, this razor could be made in a very narrow period of 1774 - 1783!

Could be wrong of course...

I think this is also from father William Birks, confirming above statements:

Originally Posted by Scareface

There is an Angres, France.

Maybe search for razor makers from Angres France.

that was actually my first search/guess ... but very possible that ScienceGuy has the mark .. very cool if so !!
thanks !

He's got a great resource.

I can't find anything for the last 2 hrs.

Originally Posted by Scareface

He's got a great resource.

I can't find anything for the last 2 hrs.

2 hr's ?? ive been looking for as long as it took to get here from Sweden ...lol