Posted 8 years ago
Frizzen
(2 items)
I have never tried to really clean any old tool I bought so missed some of the most important info on my pruner. Turns out the maker was from Sheffield, all I could really read was the "d" on the end until I cleaned it this morning.
Tried to find the maker again but still no luck. Just not looking in the right place I suppose. Appreciate any more info if you come up with something on this pruner.
Thanks
Frizzen
Definitely Robert Sorby. Look carefully at the architecture of the “R” and “B” in Robt and compare to the worn letters in the last name, e.g. the odd downward slant of the top of the lower bulge in the “B”. This company which is still in business in Sheffield, England, making high quality woodworking tools, goes back to the 17th Century. There are other Sorbys, John and Henry (possibly sons), working in the 19th Century. The stamp that made your mark is a factory-produced stamp, as opposed to a hand-cut stamp. This dates the stamp to post-1840. The trademark “Robert Sorby” with the maltese cross, was used well into the 19th Century along with other stamps (e.g.”Robert Sorby & Sons”) so it’s difficult to be more precise about the date.
http://www.robert-sorby.co.uk/media/.../robert_sorby_history_of_booklet.pdf
Takes you to some history
Thanks so much for the information. I did some more searching this evening and found more interesting info now that I know what I am looking for! I found about a half dozen staghorn handled pruners that are very similar to mine in both appearance and condition. They ranged in price from $75–$220. Another very interesting site I ran across surprised me a little. I'll have to follow up on this bit of trivia ...
"1. JOSEPH HAYWOOD – He was born in Sheffield around 1822 and died at his home in June 1888. In 1828 his father was in business with his uncle: Haywood, Hinchcliffe & co manufacturers of saws, files and knives Charles St. with George Willis Hinchcliffe – well known for their saws. They later moved to Eyre St in 1833.
In 1838 he was apprenticed to Robert Sorby and co, merchants and edge tool manufacturers. These were a prominent and very long established firm in Sheffield, and date from 1600s to the present day..." My surname happens to be HAYWOOD!
Thanks again. Perhaps someday I'll be able to return the favor.