European blade in an African context

[Jim McDougall]

This is most interesting! and I hope the solution might be found in discussion here before concerns over the subject matter defrays same.
It would seem that the assessment of a cake knife or similar domestic cutlery would be right, and that it has European origin ending up repurposed in African context.

While the 'running wolf' is of course well known on German blades, in the 17th century German bladesmiths were brought to England first at Hounslow in early years of the century, later opening a factory at Shotley Bridge in northern England.

It has been held that the German smiths in England used the running wolf defiantly toward their former overlords in Solingen. However, it is now believed that the running wolf marks were actually blades from Solingen but mounted with the German makers in England.

At some point, believed in Shotley Bridge, makers were developing their own mark, and eventually the 'bushy tailed fox' became a kind of English version of the German running wolf. However it became well known in Birmingham with Samuel Harvey nearly 50 years after the possible beginnings of it in Shotley.

What I'm getting to is that in one reference (which I must find but do not recall at the moment) there is a notation to the 'RUNNING HORSE' of Shotley Bridge. Whether this was a reference to an assumption of the identity of the 'bushy tail fox' I cannot say.

However, a running horse is mentioned in what I believe was reputable context, and Shotley with all the intrigue and troubles it encountered, like many blade making centers, also produced cutlery through the 18th c.and somewhat into 19th.

I would say that this might be a clue on this, and the English were of course well known in western Africa, in the early 18th century on, with the ports engaged in trade including slaving.....Whydah comes to mind.

I would note here that the spatulate blade resembles 'serving knives' used in tableware trousse from 16th-17th c. (Wallace Coll. , Mann, 1962, Pl. 145,147 , p.430 A884). and these were typically made in Germany. The use continued well through the 17th c. (examples found in English context one dated 1618). As German makers were in England, as noted, and as their work expanded into cutlery, the plausibility suggested seems reasonable.

[Jim McDougall]

I found an entry on in "History of Manufacture of British Swords" by Harvey Withers, where he states that the Shotley Bridge makers '..impressed a running horse mark" in imitation of the running wolf.
The attached image is from a Revolutionary war period infantry sword found online, which is contemporary for the 'bushy tail fox' swords by Samuel Harvey.

It is interesting to see that the horse mark is really not the same, and suggests that at some point Shotley may well have been making cutlery in the 18th c.
At the same time, this marking, which seems similar even if not the same, and may be misinterpreted as a horse rather than BTF.

It does appear that Shotley, actually Oley, was providing blades to Birmingham in the 18th c. about the time of Harvey, but Harvey was known for the BTF (= bushy tail fox) with his initials SH on the body (though some are blank, some have only H).
While makers in Birmingham were producing munitions grade blades, it would seem that Shotley had become more diversified by then, and perhaps these serving knives were among their products.