Hey Jim.
All hollow bladed colichemardes have a groove, which means they come from SB as there was only ever one machine until, possibly, the Oleys and Moles moving to Birmingham left it behind in SB and built a new one. This is highly likely as it would be a simple task for them in Birmingham.
I am still convinced they were supplying Gill… if not actually working for him, but this is an area I need to search. I've asked Mark Cloke a few times for some help but have had no response. Somebody elevated Gill's forging to Solingen standards – and higher, and I've always wondered who.
Here's that Naval smallsword; I've seen others.
PS, the hilt is almost certainly from Matthew Boulton's Soho factory.
