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Old 6th June 2021, 06:24 PM   #8
Jim McDougall
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
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Im glad to be of some help Colin, and most interesting dilemma here.
With the running animal mark, obviously the most common case for such a mark is the famed running wolf of Passau (later Solingen).
The fame of this mark for quality brought imitation of course, and when German makers were in England the 'bushy tail fox' evolved as sort of an English version.

In looking at the mark on the example here, there seemed to be some resemblance of a 'horse', and over the years of study on the mysterious Shotley Bridge sword making enterprise of the late 17th century, it is believed the bushy tail fox mark evolved.
This later transmitted to Birmingham, where Samuel Harvey used it, but placing his initials SH in it.
There seems to be some apocryphal notion that Shotley Bridge used a 'running horse' mark in imitation of the Passau wolf as placed by one author, but as there is no evidence to this, it seems to be a 'Rorschach' issue.
I checked with Staffan Kinman ("European Makers of Edged Weapons, Their Marks"(2015) and he is not aware of any 'running horse' mark, but noted this seems to be a 'fox'.

As previously noted, in many cases in England, much as in Germany, blade makers and cutlers often also made tableware and serving items.
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