Warranted 1796 Sword

[Ian Knight]

Hello Peter,
The only two references that I can find to a Tomlinson are in 'Swords and Sword Makers of England and Scotland' by Bezdek. There was a cutler named Samson Tomlinson working at Coleshill Street in Birmingham from 1803-1821. There is a further reference to Samsom Tomlinson in the same book:
William Bickley & Samson Tomlinson of Moor Street, Birmingham 1792-1800.

There is also another example of a British P1796 light cavalry sword by Tomlinson & Co. on the excellent 'Old Swords' web site.

Ian

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Ian,
Thank you for adding the references to Tomlinson. I didnt have Bezdek and forgot about Mark Cloke's site which truly is an outstanding resource. It would seem that the Tomlinson & Co. was contemporary, and what is most interesting is the warranted phrase. Up until this point I had thought only Gill used it, with the word 'warranted' sometimes added to Osborn's blades, but this sword truly adds dimension to the endurance of this conflict and its breadth.
Peter, it appears to have latched onto an important piece, and agree with your observations on the apparant dearth of information on Tomlinson. I had always thought that I was familiar with virtually all of the names that appear on these British swords, but apparantly Bezdek's work is far more comprehensive than I realized, and I should have checked Old Swords.

Thank you again Ian!

All very best regards,
Jim

[Ian Knight]

Hello Jim,
You are welcome. I can't contribute to most threads so it is nice when someone asks a question that I can help with.
Ian

[Richard]

Hi All,
This is a puzzle, I have never come across a Tomlinson before on a P1796 (or any other sword for that matter) but of course that doesn't really mean anything at all. However, I certainly do not consider Bezdek as an authorative source on anything (and for various reasons I regret my collaboration with him) so, upon checking the Birmingham trade directories between 1797 and 1821, I can say that there is no Tomlinson listed as a sword maker. As Ian says, there is a Samson Tomlinson listed and also a Tomlinson & Bickley but both of these are listed as "Factors", not "Sword Makers" (I'm not 100% sure what the trade of "factor" is). However, I guess the sword stands as it own evidence but this Tomlinson has certainly borrowed Gill's slogan "Warranted Never to Fail" and I am wondering if maybe he has also "borrowed" blades actually made by other people and proclaiming as his own. Anyway, below is the list of sword makers in Birmingham from Chapman's Directory of 1800 and later from the 1816-17 Commercial Directory. Interesting to note how the list has contracted in later years.

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Richard,
Thank you so much for entering in on this and for the information on this interesting anomaly, and it makes me feel better knowing that you had not seen this name either. I felt a bit awkward after my speculations, but now seeing that with your long standing experience with these swords had not revealed this 'maker' enforces my original thoughts.

From what I understand, a 'factor' is an agent in mercantile matters, and I had suggested perhaps this firm had assembled a stock of these swords and marketed them privately. I did not see mention of government proof stamps mentioned on these so marked swords. The warranted guarantee was most heavily used by Gill, who was the most outspoken proponent for British sword blades during these issues on sword quality. While I have seen 'warranted' alone with Osborn blades, I honestly was not aware of this guarantee used by the other makers involved.

Actually I was surprised when I saw that Thomas Gill was still placing this warranted never to fail in panels on the 1796 swords as I had only seen it on light cavalry sabres of 1788. It is interesting that the guarantee (as far as I know) did not appear on heavy cavalry officers blades.

I do not have any personal experience with Mr. Bezdek, although I do have his book on German swords, which seems fairly comprehensive as a simple compilation of data. The only reference I have had for makers was the venerable volumes of May & Annis ("Swords for Sea Service") which I do not have handy these days. I understand that there have been considerable revisions concerning many of the makers, such as Craven in particular.

Thank you again for the valuable input here Richard, its always great to have you here!!!!

All the best,
Jim

[pbleed]

Dear Friends,
I have read this evolving discussion with deep appreciation.
Thank you all!
I fret over the posting of images.I truly am well out of my element with 19th Century English blades so feared I was asking a silly question. Thank you all for your kind treatment and your deep expertise.
After I acquired this sword, I looked carefully at the panel. It certainly seems like a stereotypical rendering - - the sort of think a faker would come up with. And it is a rather simple etch so I began to fear that it could have been added later - even recently. The sword came to me with an "appraisal" written in the 1980's, tho, so the etching could not be 'brand new.'
Beyond that, while on an archeologcial junket to search for the 1720 Villasur battlefield (yes, Jim, that one) my colleague Doug Scott applied the logic of forensic tool mark analysis to the panel. He argues that the wear is consistent with age. I beleive that the first image I posted shows that there is serious wear on the lower ridge. He convinced me that the panel seems legit!
I will try to post an overall image this weekend.
Again, thanks for a wonderful read!
Peter

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Peter,
I am really glad you posted this, and the great thing is that the 'learning curve' applies to us all, and we get to learn together. As noted, I have not ever seen this name nor this particular type of panel on blades of this period, and it was reassuring that Richard had not either. He has outstanding expertise on regulation military swords, and the author of many impressive articles on them, so if he concurs I feel confident that we are on the same page.

I think this is likely contemporary with the M1796 issues or slightly after and using this 'guarantee' was intended to align with Gill's lead in the climate of the time. These were the first 'official' issue swords and during considerable competition for contracts, and from what I understand the regimental commanders puchased them from the Board of Ordnance, who had in turn received them in bulk orders from contractors.

What puzzles me is that these are essentially blank blades, as it does not seem that Tomlinson was a maker. Blanks would have come from Germany as if made in England they would have had a makers name on the back of the blade as was the practice. This panel is basically a 'marketing panel' and with a company name rather than makers, and certainly it would have been in poor form to place the 'guarantee' of Gill's ilk on a German blade. Yet this does seem of the period and I think the observations on the wear are quite viable, especially coming from professional context.

The use of this 'warranted' phraseology seems to have waned after the first decade of the 19th century, and it is not known on British blades after this pattern (as far as I know).

The British M1796 was a somewhat widely exported sword, and the blades were in use even more as these sabres were surplussed and entered many colonial regions. The blade form itself was even produced for Indian colonial use in the latter 19th century. What eliminates the plausibility of these later circumstances is the period that the 'warranted' phrase puts the context of this panel in, which is c.1800-1810.

Photos of the entire sabre will help, and further review is needed regarding the other examples known with this panel and name. Most firm names in these times were engraved in cursive script it seems and in cartouche on the scabbard throats of usually officers swords. Troopers swords of course were bulk purchase and not afforded this attention.

It truly is a fascinating example and good discussion, so I really look forward to further developments.

BTW, thank you for the note on the Villasur site!!! You know that got my attention !!!

All the very best,
JIm