A bowie knife by Sauerland

[Matt Easton]

Hi all,
I picked up this bowie knife recently. It is big, with a 12.5 inch blade (17.5 inch overall) and the hilt is a kind of pistol grip design, with a groove for the little finger and a weighted pommel for balance. I can not find any info on the maker, though I have found other 19th century knives that sold in auction marked to the same maker and Sauerland and Hatch were apparently Birmingham outfitters in the mid-19th century and there may be a connection.

Is anybody here able to tell me anything more about the design or the maker? I've never seen a bowie with a hilt like this before, but it is lovely to hold.

Thanks,
Matt

[Norman McCormick]

Hi Matt,
Not sure about anything re this knife but the hilt, to my mind, has vague similarities to some Balkan weapons with an indent for a finger grip. The attached photo is of a large knife from the Trabzon area of Turkey and shows quite clearly this type of indent so yours maybe made for export to this part of the world.
Regards,
Norman.

P.S. You should try posting the knife in the Ethno section.

[thinreadline]

Matt I have seen similar hilted machetes by this maker made for the S American market ..... I dont think it is the case with yours but sometimes these machetes have had their blades reshaped to bowies to enhance their value .

[Norman McCormick]

Hi,
South America does seem more plausible.
Regards,
Norman.

[Matt Easton]

Many thanks - Googling this maker does turn up another knife - this example is described by the dealer as probably being for the South American market - it has a similar hilt ferule/bolster, though the pommel is entirely different:



Very interesting to hear that there are machete with the same style hilt as mine.

[thinreadline]

Originally Posted by Matt Easton

Many thanks - Googling this maker does turn up another knife - this example is described by the dealer as probably being for the South American market - it has a similar hilt ferule/bolster, though the pommel is entirely different:



Very interesting to hear that there are machete with the same style hilt as mine.

Yes I had one a few years ago but sold it. I have emailed the guy in case he still has it ... however the chances are slim as he is a dealer and probably sold it .. still , if we can trace it , it would be interesting .

[M ELEY]

A number of years ago, I had a bowie knife with a more traditional pattern, but S. American decoration (scenes from the Pampas, a gaucho on horseback, etc) by a distinguished English bowie maker. Turns out that many Brit and German patterns were exported to the continent for resale. This pattern is similar to a facon, I think? Search the Ethno side for the various patterns of S. Amer side knives besides the standard generic 'gaucho knife' pattern. Nice piece, BTW.

[thinreadline]

The dealer I sold it to has just replied to me as follows :
''Hi ,
Yes indeed I did have a knife with a similar hilt. I think it is representative of a snake and used to be commonly found on the class of machete (narrow blade, relatively short) that is referred to as a "Plantation Knife" - strong market in Brazil for cutting sugar cane, possibly dealing with snakes, and no doubt featuring in slave rebellions! Although usually rounded points, I have come across a few with clipped points Bowie style. I think yours may have been clipped after its birth, but probably during its working life.
Sauerland sounds Kraut. Big in South America!''

[Matt Easton]

Fantastic! Many thanks - This was the lead I needed - apparently it is a typical style of hilt used in Brazil and called a Sorocaba. So I guess mine is, as stated, made in England for the Brazilian market, but for some reason never left England:

[thinreadline]

Excellent Matt ... solved !

[Norman McCormick]

Originally Posted by thinreadline

Excellent Matt ... solved !

Yep, nice to see a positive result even though some numpty went totally in the wrong direction.
Regards,
Norman.