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Old 22nd November 2017, 08:31 PM   #2
Jim McDougall
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
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Interesting to see a British blade in one of these, though they are certainly known in this context. Actually this appears to be the 'fox' mark used in England as opposed to the 'running wolf' mark famed in German blades.

The 'fox' was used in England originally in the Shotley Bridge works near Durham in the north in the late 17th c., and in response to the German wolf used earlier in the century with German smiths at Hounslow outside of London.

In this case, the blade appears 18th century, and may be one applied in Birmingham c.1750s. Usually these bushy tail fox marks have the initials SH for Samuel Harvey, but it is known that another maker, Dawes, also used the fox but probably these were blank.

There was notable trade by England with Morocco in the 17th century, and there are instances of English merchants wearing 'nimcha'. Whether this might be one such example, or a blade which ended up in the Moroccan context would be hard to say, but the connection is clear.

** see currently running thread on Shotley Bridge for more on these marks.
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