Wharnies are my favorite

I thought some of you might enjoy this piece :)

Rick Wortley and his wife, Mary, were sitting in the backyard of their little house in Cumberland, Maine, mulling a problem that was, well, un-American. Rick, 34, had recently gotten word that his father's second cousin had died back in England and that he, a Yankee-to-the-bone construction foreman, had become the fifth Earl of Wharncliffe. The question was, what was this earl thing anyway—an unexpected lark, a windfall or simply a royal pain?

Mary, 36, a sprightly sort, clearly came down on the lark side of the issue. She reworded the message on the couple's telephone answering machine to say she was sorry but "the earl" was not at home at the moment. A free-lance graphic designer, she was also talking about putting "countess" on her business card. But their two sons, Reed, 7, and Chris, 3, seem unimpressed. "Dad still has the same smelly breath," says Reed, who can now call himself the Viscount Carlton.

Raised in Cheshire, Conn., the son of an industrial sales representative, Rick had of course known about his connection to British nobility, but it had always seemed somewhat remote. Then, earlier this month a British reporter called with news that the fourth Earl of Wharncliffe had died at age 52, and since he had no immediate male heir, the title would pass to Rick.

As Rick quickly learned, the late earl was not universally mourned in his home village of Wortley in Yorkshire. A colorful ne'er-do-well who was variously employed as a stock car racer, rock 'n' roll drummer, truck driver, sailor, salesman, mechanic and bar-keep, the earl was most notoriously known and feared as a world-class whiskey drinker and drunk driver. He was convicted several times, and in 1979 while driving intoxicated yet again, he killed a woman in a head-on crash. Given up for dead, Wharncliffe recovered sufficiently to serve a six-month prison term, though his injuries ultimately led to the recent attack of pneumonia that claimed his life.

If the family tradition thus seemed less than illustrious, Rick still might have nursed some fleeting hope of inherited riches, before a phone call from the late earl's widow instructed him otherwise. While Aline, the dowager Countess of Wharncliffe, 49, assured him that he was most definitely to the manor heired, she made it clear that there was, alas, no manor involved. Wortley Hall, the Wharncliffe's 70-room family seat, had been sold in 1947 and serves today as a labor union vacation retreat. The dowager Countess told Rick that her husband had left a smaller home and a 5,000-acre estate to her, and noted that a trust fund attached to the title would bring Rick a bit of pin money each year.

"I thought it very important to put the record straight," says Aline, who has one daughter but no sons who might claim the title. "Richard said he was very proud of the family name, so I feel sure he'll accept the title. How he'll use it in the States I don't know, but I feel that he is the fifth earl and [Mary] is the fifth countess."

According to Mary, the Wortleys' neighbors find the whole thing just as funny as she does. "The other day one of them suggested that when Rick came home from work I should serve high tea," she reports. Then again, wonders Mary, why should she, a countess, have to serve anybody? "I'm going to have a maid and a governess," she says, chuckling.

Indeed, for a while it seemed as if everyone was playing comedian. Arriving on a construction site in the Portland suburb of Cape Elizabeth, Rick found that news of his ascendancy had preceded him. "A few of the workmen got down on their knees," he says, "and welcomed me to work. What did I do? I said, 'Please rise.' "

Rick had briefly wondered if he might hear those very words spoken by Queen Elizabeth II as she invested him with the Wharncliffe title. As it turns out, the title passes to him automatically unless he declines it. But he can't take his seat in the House of Lords unless he becomes a British subject—an act of noblesse oblige for which he is not ready. The Wortleys would like to visit soon, though, and check out the family estates.

In fact the idea of being a peer has a definite appeal. "I don't see any reason to decline the earlship," says Rick, and then stops to ponder his remark. "Maybe that should be earldom. That's one thing I need," he says with a noble smile, "a dictionary."
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TLARbb said:
I have a few wharncliffe knives myself and I just sold a couple on the exchange. I've got more than I need, not as many as I want.

But, my avatar knife, the Case mini copperhead looks somewhat similar to the "Wharncliffe knife". So does that Queen I have. But, my grail wharncliffe knife would be a GEC #92 Talon. I really like the #47 Viper, but it is a bit too bulky for me. I think the Talon would be better. I have some Case SBJ and one SBG that are sweet knives. I like them a lot.



The #47 is a handful. The #92 Talon is slimmer. And the #55 Hound Tooth makes a pretty trio.

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Jack Black said:
I'm not sure I'd put it quite like that, but here's a couple of Sheepsfoot blades from the Iron Age :thumbup:
...
If you're interested in reading more about Joseph Rodgers & Sons, you might find this of interest: http://www.eggintongroup.co.uk/assets/files/PDFs/Under Five Sovereigns.pdf
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Jack Black said:
I thought some of you might enjoy this piece :)
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To echo hamsco and TLARbb's sentiments, I sure am glad you're around to fill us in on this history. There is nothing better than a good old J.B. show & tell to really bring these knives, and the people who crafted, used, and loved them, to life. I appreciate it more than I can say. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

RobertJ1 said:
I think you would be in the right to post the whittlers. One of my favorite patterns.
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I've only recently caught the bug, and my collection of 'horses could best be termed "meager", but I am rapidly learning to love this pattern.

hamsco said:
I have a few wharncliffe knives myself and I just sold a couple on the exchange. I've got more than I need, not as many as I want.

But, my avatar knife, the Case mini copperhead looks somewhat similar to the "Wharncliffe knife".
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I just keep finding reasons to like that mini CH pattern. I don't even mind the exaggerated angle -- I think it is emblematic of the pattern and offers the often-neglected pen blade a little extra form and function.

cchu518 said:
Mini trapper bought this model twice!
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Dangit. You just sent me off and running on another new knife hunt. :eek: :D Beautiful knife!

As for my humble contribution to the thread, I give you a couple of friendly seahorses.




Case 6355WH seahorse whittlers - 2014 red jigged bone w/ Christmas etch & 2003 chestnut jigged bone
 
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Here is a group shot of some wharncliffes built for my by Jim Dunlap.
Charles

dunlapgroup1.jpg
 
I don't have a favourite blade shape, I like the Wharncliffe, Spear, Drop-Point, Sheepfoot, Clip! No use for the Spey though.

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TsarBomba said:
To echo hamsco and TLARbb's sentiments, I sure am glad you're around to fill us in on this history. There is nothing better than a good old J.B. show & tell to really bring these knives, and the people who crafted, used, and loved them, to life. I appreciate it more than I can say. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
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Thank you, you're very kind :o :thumbup:

chuko said:
dunlapgroup1.jpg
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Stunning Charles :thumbup:
 
Jack Black said:
Just to clarify. THIS (below) is a Joseph Rodgers Wharncliffe Knife, and that is what a Wharncliffe knife looks like.

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The Northwoods Willamette Whittler (middle knife below) looks very reminiscent of the Joseph Rodgers Wharncliffe Knife! Thanks for sharing Jack. You always have a wealth of good information!

 
Thanks Steve :) Yep, that's a Wharncliffe Knife, a nice one too from the look of it :thumbup:
 
Ok, I admit stupidity. I thought "Wharncliffe" was a blade profile, not a knife pattern.
Learn something new here every day. Thanks. :)
 
Not to worry. It was first a pattern and the blade shape such a part of it became the "wharnecliffe blade". Pretty much universally agreed upon as such. The pattern itself being "the rest of the story" I spoke of in my earlier post.

You are not alone.

Ed J
 
I followed CCU,s lead and bought one. Its now my edc and handles evry thing i need done. Man that pointy tip has gotten me a few times. Takes a lil gettin used to.
 
Jack Black said:
Just to clarify. THIS (below) is a Joseph Rodgers Wharncliffe Knife, and that is what a Wharncliffe knife looks like.

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According to my old Cattaraugus (est. 1880) catalog, it was indeed a pattern name assigned to the knife. In every instance throughout the catalog, it refers to pattern names like Wharncliffe, Wharncliffe pen, Wharncliffe Whittler, etc. In EVERY instance and looking through many pictures, the shape of the knife is identical to the knife Jack has shown as the Wharncliffe Knife. The shape of the knife and the shape of the main (what we call a Wharncliffe blade) were the two constants. No other pattern (knife) shape was used with a Wharncliffe blade in the catalog. :) As we already know, the blade style got adapted to other knives in time and (appropriately I think) retained the Wharncliffe name, which included that blade style.

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Model 22156 and 3 & 1/8 inches closed.
Small Cattaraugus Wharncliffe Pen
 
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Will Power said:
I don't have a favourite blade shape, I like the Wharncliffe, Spear, Drop-Point, Sheepfoot, Clip! No use for the Spey though.
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Will, that Norfolk has some really nice color. I'm always delighted to see this photo. :thumbup:
 
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