unknown manufacture?

I have in my possession what appears to be a very old steel backed back saw. the saw is in somewhat very tarnished condition but it is sharp and in regular use. The back of the saw is stamped W(G could be C)RL(C could be G)ORY & SONS the stamp being very unclear. what is clear are the words HOWARD ST SHEFFIELD. I have searched the list of British saw makers and found three with the Howard street address they are listed at 515 George Ibbotson, 696 - 699 Pagin of which there are a number including J Pagin & SONS, and at 736 Penstone, Wheatcroft & Singleton. As none of these manufacturers names seem to fit the unclear letters that is the manufacturers name on the saw. the only clear section of the stamp is the & SONS and the Howard Street address, were there other manufacturers on this street who's name may be close to the letters I have stamped on the saw? the handle is a closed handle fixed with split nuts, sadly at some time in the distant past the medallion in the saw handle has gone missing and been replaced with a domed nut fixing. Can any one help with this saws identification.

 

Hi,

I have just lost the reply by pressing the wrong button so I'll start again. Why does the "Control" key have to be just above the caps key?

I am completely out of my depth here and the only solution that I have has nothing to do with Howard Street. I am also hopeless at crosswords but here goes:-

W G R L C O R Y

W C R E G O R Y

If your "L" could become an "E" you would get W Gregory and Sons of Bolsover Street (Sheffield) and Manchester (HSMOB P. 29), but this does not help with Howard Street.

Anyone else any ideas??

Fred

 

Thanks Fred, just done the same thing clicked the wrong button. However I have posted photos of the saw after enlarging the stamp and i must say it does look like W GREGORY & SONS, but as mentioned earlier HOWARD STREET and SHEFFIELD are the clearest part of the stamp. Shame the medallion is missing.

 

Hi,

I have solved the problem of Howard Street. I still cannot cut and paste from Historical Directories but this is what it says:-

Gregory William and Sons Manufacturer of table and butchers knives and electroplated ware Howard Street.

This was in Whites Directory of Sheffield and Rotherham 1901. (P. 501). By the 1910 directory, they were still doing pretty much the same thing, but it looks like they had been taken over by (or merged with) John Petty and Sons. (P. 524). But by that time they were no-longer at Howard Street.

They are also in Trademarks on Base metal (at Howard street) (P.90), again doing much the same things with a reference of 1892. They also have two trade marks:- a crossed saw and hatchet with "all" on the left hand side and "right" on the right side and W.G. - the letters being separtated by the image of a gavel.

But no mention of saw making. The lack of lamb's tongue on the saw but the split nuts, would be about right for the latter end of this date range.

I wouldn't bother too much about the medallion. By the looks of the firm saws were not their forte and so it may well be that they used a generic "Warranted Superior" medallion. They can occasionally be picked upon Ebay for not enormous amounts of money.

Fred

 

Thanks Fred, your reply is much appreciated. however I have another conundrum within my tool kit which I will be posting soon
regards