Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

rockman0 said:
Harry, this is my first flush joint and I really like it! :thumbsup: being this is an early example my guess is there's a good chance the person who made this one was from Scotland. Thanks Harry!
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There's a thread on Square and Clean joints somewhere :thumbsup: Rob, why do you think it was made by someone from Scotland?
 
rockman0 said:
I know Wikipedia can be wrong but their definition of Scotia led me in that direction and of course it's possible I didn't take time to thoroughly read and understand their meaning of Scotia. What's your perception Jack ?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotia
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Wikipedia is often wrong, but that's irrelevant here, if the knife had a fleur-de-lys mark, it wouldn't mean that it was made by a Frenchman! The owner of the company was an Irishman, and the knife was probably made by a series of outworkers (cutlers). While one of them may have been born in Scotland, because of the way the apprentice system worked, the chances are that they were all born in Sheffield. Again, that is irrelevant though, since even if every single one of them had been Scottish, they would have had no input in terms of the mark McClory registered with the Company of Cutlers. Many words were registered as trademarks by Sheffield cutlers, some of the oldest ones don't even make sense, they included foreign names and misleading place names, as well as words seemingly chosen at random. Perhaps Mr McClory had Scottish heritage (his name is Scottish), or a Scottish wife, or just liked the name, but he was actually an Irishman, and he almost certainly didn't make the knife himself :thumbsup:

Edit - I note that, according to one of the references cited by Wikipedia, the words Scotia and Scot were first applied to the Irish. I'd want to check further than another internet page before stating that for definite though ;)
 
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rockman0 said:
Thanks Jack! Interesting information, as always I appreciate the education :thumbsup:
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My pleasure Rob :thumbsup:

Edit - Rob, would it be possible to photograph the tang stamp and/or to interprete what it says?
 
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I’m keeping my medium stag at hand today! Hope all you Guardians have a great day! :D

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I've enjoyed reading the discussion (and seeing the pics) of Rob's intriguing knife! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup::cool:

Jack Black said:
I think it's always important to separate established facts from guesswork, something we all have to consider. It's easy to make the wrong leap of judgement, particularly when we don't have original sources, as is sometimes the case :thumbsup:
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Excellent points, Jack, :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup: but sometimes wrong leaps of judgment are the only exercise I get! :D

Cracker Jack is on his final day of pocket priority.
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- GT
 
JohnDF said:
I like it when questions lead us down different paths and further our knowledge, might just be the teacher in me.
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Me too :) I spend a lot of time reading cutlery history books, but I am always careful to check references, because sometimes the author is just citing a previous book they wrote, or another questionable source. Or authors make a guess or a leap of logic, neither of which are acceptable in my opinion. I spent two years researching an article on Barlow knives, and found that almost everything that had previously been published about their history was rubbish. Still a lot of work to do there too, as is there is with the Lambsfoot. I think this thread has explored the history of the pattern more than anywhere previously, and while it might be nice to think, for example, that the pattern goes back to the Dark Ages, we have seen no evidence for that, and all the evidence is that it is a fairly recent pattern. We can't always answer all the questions about knife history, but when we don't know, it's important to keep searching, rather than to rely on guesswork :thumbsup:

Half/Stop said:
I’m keeping my medium stag at hand today! Hope all you Guardians have a great day! :D

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Very nice Ron :) :thumbsup:
 
5K Qs said:
I've enjoyed reading the discussion (and seeing the pics) of Rob's intriguing knife! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup::cool:


Excellent points, Jack, :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup: but sometimes wrong leaps of judgment are the only exercise I get! :D

Cracker Jack is on his final day of pocket priority.
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- GT
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LOL! :D Thanks GT, I have certainly made plenty of ERRORS of judgement - sometimes I've even gotten some exercise out of that! :eek: :D :thumbsup:

Another great pic of Cracker Jack my friend :thumbsup:
 
Jack Black said:
Me too :) I spend a lot of time reading cutlery history books, but I am always careful to check references, because sometimes the author is just citing a previous book they wrote, or another questionable source. Or authors make a guess or a leap of logic, neither of which are acceptable in my opinion. I spent two years researching an article on Barlow knives, and found that almost everything that had previously been published about their history was rubbish. Still a lot of work to do there too, as is there is with the Lambsfoot. I think this thread has explored the history of the pattern more than anywhere previously, and while it might be nice to think, for example, that the pattern goes back to the Dark Ages, we have seen no evidence for that, and all the evidence is that it is a fairly recent pattern. We can't always answer all the questions about knife history, but when we don't know, it's important to keep searching, rather than to rely on guesswork :thumbsup:
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That's refreshing in a time where the internet meme is seen as useful communication.
I thank you for your time and energy in digging up the history and passing it along. My love of knives is more of a hobby and an interest, not so much a passion. But it's very enjoyable for me to see people poor themselves into their passions with integrity. Keep up the noble work.
 
rockman0 said:
A few size/weight pictures
O4bvRqI.jpg

nZ6R8c4.jpg

HkxYFnu.jpg

5Mr1ASg.jpg

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Thanks for the comparison pics Rob, massively interesting my friend? Could you possibly take a photo of the tang stamp, it might help in dating your knife :thumbsup:

JohnDF said:
That's refreshing in a time where the internet meme is seen as useful communication.
I thank you for your time and energy in digging up the history and passing it along. My love of knives is more of a hobby and an interest, not so much a passion. But it's very enjoyable for me to see people poor themselves into their passions with integrity. Keep up the noble work.
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I love a puzzle John, even where it already seems to have an answer ;) :thumbsup:
 
rockman0 said:
Here you go Jack. I need a real camera, my cell doesn't do well up close. The stamp is badly worn but you can see the Mc the bottom of the capital C and bottom of the L. England is nowhere on the knife. Just Sheffield.
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Thanks Rob, I was hoping it might have the name of one of the works or an address. Certainly a lovely old Lambsfoot to add to your collection though my friend :) :thumbsup:
 
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