Shotley Bridge swordmakers

[Peter Hudson]

From a museum in Hawick in the Scottish Borders which will be an absolute must to visit when it opens in the new year. The Curator is Mr Brian Moffat an expert in all things Border Reivers...and a member of this Forum. Illustrated here are Swords of Shotley Bridge thus indicating probable strong links as Jacobite swords entering the Culloden sphere pre 1746.

Regards,
Peter Hudson.

[urbanspaceman]

The above sword was forged in Shotley Bridge by Adam Oligh for John Holles.
Although a staunch royalist, Holles was a devoted Protestant and supported Danby when he held York for Prince William during the Glorious Revolution in 1688.
His father-in-law had left all the Newcastle estates to Holles but not the title until 1694 when he became Duke of Newcastle.
Whether the swords were made for his militia in 1688 or after 1694 is not known, but regardless they were Shotley Bridge blades; I personally think the latter.
Lord Gort of Hamsterly Hall (adjacent to Shotley Bridge) collected several swords made in the village: the smuggled blades with the Passau Wolf remain in storage at the Laing Art Gallery (see image) but that back-sword (along with another) with only the script ,stayed with the descendants of Lord Gort who was, incidentally, younger brother of WW1 Victoria Cross hero Viscount Gort (John Vereker).

[urbanspaceman]

Here is a Holles back-sword from the Laing.

[Peter Hudson]

I see that Thomas Bewick has much work at the Laing. He was apprenticed to shotley sword makers and much involved in illustrations and engraving/ decorationon blades etc.

I have no proof at all that he was instrumental at bringing the emblem of the Running Fox ...we sometimes call the Bushytail Fox to the swords of Shotley Bridge ...except that he was probably the finest illustrator of wild animals in this country and was the source of many vast works on the subject.

Bewick also pointed to the fact that many retired sailors and soldiers took their knicknames from those various wild animals ...like Hawk, Wolf, Raven, Fox etc...

He wrote: A History of British Birds, A Conspiracy of Ravens: A Compendium of Collective Nouns for Birds, Uit de Hooglanden - Zes Schotse Fantastische Vertellingen, Memorial Edition of Thomas Bewick's Works: A Memoir of Thomas Bewick, Written by Himself. a New Ed., Prefaced and Annotated by Austin Dobson, My Life, The Fox at the Manger, Memorial Edition of Thomas Bewick's Works: A History of British Birds: Water Birds

My favourite is Memorial Edition of Thomas Bewick's Works: A Memoir of Thomas Bewick, Written by Himself. Chapter iv
states that he etched sword blades for W and N Oley at Shotley Bridge.

Regards Peter Hudson.

[Brian Moffatt]

I once owned a longcase clock with a dial painted with birds by Bewick... but at the time I didn't realise it...
The backplate of the movement was cast with the name Beilby.. (more famous for glass enamelling.... and Bewick turned out to be his dial painter.

I swapped it with a friend for a Japanese bronze eagle... then found out about the Bewick connection ... I phoned him immediately but he had swopped it again.. and who knows where it ended up.

With regard to Holles and the Jacobites.... It is strongly suspected that Shotley was supplying the Jacobites...?

And... now this is now't more than speculation... but the easy way to cover up such a practice was simply to overproduce on a contract.. and pass the overrun on to whoever it suites...And for instance... the Governor of Tynemouth Castle was suspected of supporting the "Cause."
That practice still goes on today... "a little bit left over from a job."
Nothing changes...

[Peter Hudson]

Originally Posted by Brian Moffatt

I once owned a longcase clock with a dial painted with birds by Bewick... but at the time I didn't realise it...
The backplate of the movement was cast with the name Beilby.. (more famous for glass enamelling.... and Bewick turned out to be his dial painter.

I swapped it with a friend for a Japanese bronze eagle... then found out about the Bewick connection ... I phoned him immediately but he had swopped it again.. and who knows where it ended up.

With regard to Holles and the Jacobites.... It is strongly suspected that Shotley was supplying the Jacobites...?

And... now this is now't more than speculation... but the easy way to cover up such a practice was simply to overproduce on a contract.. and pass the overrun on to whoever it suites...And for instance... the Governor of Tynemouth Castle was suspected of supporting the "Cause."
That practice still goes on today... "a little bit left over from a job."
Nothing changes...

Dear Brian, Indeed the Beilby/ Bewick stable created a great number of works on wildlife including portfolios on Birds and other animals . The subject that I looked at was the book on Quadrupeds which included The Fox. Of course this rang a very loud bell since the Running Fox interested me as the emblem on Shotley Bridge Sword blades.

I think there must have been swords squeaking out and into Jacobite hands
as Shotley Bridge was well placed to do so; secretly across the Derwent and on up to Scotland ...

Regards, Peter Hudson.

[urbanspaceman]

As attractive as it is to associate Thomas Bewick with Oley's Bushy Tailed Fox, I'm afraid the first known incarnation (see lower pic) dates to the end of the 1600s; and the ubiquitous stylised version (which is certainly worthy of Bewick) begins in the 1740s when Bewick hadn't been born. His association with the Oleys was in 1767.

There is no question that the Jacobites were supplied by the SB endeavour. I have even begun to wonder if Harmon Mohll was not already smuggling in blades before Oley and his team arrived; it would certainly cement the desirability in everyone's imagination as to the suitability of the Derwent River location, but this is just my fanciful conjecture.
The 48 bundles of blades seized in 1703 when Mohll was arrested at the mouth of the Tyne were definitely destined for Jacobites... probably Blackett. Queen Anne confiscated them after Mohll was released.
Incidentally, Queen Anne herself was a Jacobite and wanted the crown to pass to the Old Pretender (who would have been James III) on her death.

[Brian Moffatt]

Originally Posted by Peter Hudson

Dear Brian, Indeed the Beilby/ Bewick stable created a great number of works on wildlife including portfolios on Birds and other animals . The subject that I looked at was the book on Quadrupeds which included The Fox. Of course this rang a very loud bell since the Running Fox interested me as the emblem on Shotley Bridge Sword blades.

I think there must have been swords squeaking out and into Jacobite hands
as Shotley Bridge was well placed to do so; secretly across the Derwent and on up to Scotland ...

Regards, Peter Hudson.

Hello Peter,
I've added new photo's of the "Gort" halberd to my posting.. the inscription is now more visible but still just as enigmatic.
I'll get round to the other two eventually... but pressure of work means that they will have to stay on the back burner for a while, since getting the Museum up and running has to take priority if we are to get it off the ground by early next year...

My own take on all of the the Shotley business, would be to find out a great deal more about Mr Bertram his products, and his connections....

If anyone comes across a certain Gilbert Charlton MacDonald at Shotley Bridge post 1745.. I would be much obliged if they could let me know... since he is a Great Great whatever of mine on my Mothers side...
I saw him described as a "Shingler" at Shotley Bridge years back but lost the reference in the depths of an old computer and and simply cannot find it again!
Shinglers, I believe, pounded the "Iron" to remove slag inclusions....
His presence at Shotley is a long story way outside the scope of this forum, but it does involve the '45 and escape from hanging ...Etc!
The "Charlton" was picked up from the Charltons of Hesleyside....
Cheers,
Brian.

[urbanspaceman]

[QUOTE=Peter Hudson;285862]
My favourite is Memorial Edition of Thomas Bewick's Works: A Memoir of Thomas Bewick, Written by Himself. Chapter iv
states that he etched sword blades for W and N Oley at Shotley Bridge.

Hi Peter. I also have that book... my only Bewick book.
It was Bewick's first job as an apprentice to the Beilbys; they were the company/family who presented the Oleys with the infamous glass that was on display in the entrance of Wilkinson Sword's factory up here, then the MD took it to the Joicey Museum to accompany the permanent exhibition of the SB enterprise AND DROPPED IT!
Bewick was etching and engraving in the same year as the glass was presented i.e. 1767.
I think the Beilbys meant the glass to celebrate a century of sword production and got the date wrong.
I also suspect there was a hiatus in the Wilsons' bloodline, as they did all the engraving and etching (and hilting) both before and after. Actually, they were doing all that work for Bertram's output before the Germans arrived in 1687.