he caused to be made to fit him. In 1582 a certain Hew Vans, whose name would suggest a Flemish or Dutch origin, Dalmascar or damascener at Edinburgh, was "ordained" not to buy sword blades to sell again, as the business of a dalmascar was the decoration of iron and steel. In 1581 another dalmascar was admitted. Up to that time Hew Vans had been the only one, and his essay was "a pair gairdes dalmash'd and gilt with lief gold." Two years later Robert Lyal, gairdmaker, was admitted, his essay being "a pair skellit gairds and ane pair ribbit gairds." In 1590 the armourer's essay was "a great hit sword." In 1600 it was changed to "an mounted braid sword sufficiently wrought," in 1616 it was "an mounted sword and scabbard," and in 1653 "an mounted sword with a new scabbard and an Highland gaurd."[1] The late Lord Archibald Campbell once told me that Islay in Scotland was famous for its armourers, but on what authority I do not know.
I will close this survey of the places where armour and weapons were made by mentioning two manufactories of sword blades that are known to have existed in England in the XVIIth century. One was at Shotley Mill in Northumberland, and was started by Germans,[2] no doubt from Solingen. The only piece I can identify as having been made there is a plug bayonet, formerly in my possession, inscribed SHOTLAV. BRIDG., the punch mark being a half moon with a face. The second factory was at Hounslow. A good many blades exist bearing the inscription me fecit Hunsloe, or Hounslo, or Honslo, and Mr. Seymour Lucas possessed one inscribed IOHANN KINDT HVNSLAWE 1634, and Mr. Fenton owns one with IOHAN KINNDT HOVNSLOE 1635. Now a Johannes Keindt or Kind is known to have been working at Solingen in 1620,[3] and is probably the bladesmith who started the Hounslow sword manufactory. Mr. Waring Faulder possessed a blade mounted in a chased basket hilt of the time of Charles I, inscribed IOANNES HOPPIE FECIT. GRENEWICH ANO 1634.[4] The Hoppe family is known to have worked at Solingen from 1580 to 1780,[5] so this bladesmith, who dates his blade in the same year as one of Johann Kindt's, probably came with him to England when the Hounslow factory was being started.
It would appear that a certain Benjamin Stone, blade-maker of Hounslow Heath, was the owner of this manufactory, for in 1636 he stated that he had at his own charge of £6,000 perfected the art of blade-making and that he could produce "as good as any that were made in the Christian world."[6] Part of this expense was, no doubt, due to his having brought over Solingen masters to teach their method of making blades.
- ↑ Hammer-men of Edinburgh, Archaeologia Scotica, vol. i, p. 170.
- ↑ A History of Northumberland, issued under the direction of the Northumberland County History Committee, 1906.
- ↑ Rudolf Cronau, op. cit.
- ↑ Egerton Castle, Schools and Masters of Fence, Pl. IV, No. 21.
- ↑ Rudolf Cronau, op. cit.
- ↑ Charles ffoulkes, The Armourer's Craft, p. 60.
