BEST QUALITY**Victorian Morton 39 Cheapside London (& Sheffield) ‘Explorer’ Bowie Knife With Leather Scabbard**FROM THE DAVID HAYDEN- WRIGHT COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE KNIVES**. Sn 20817 Hunting Knives

**BEST QUALITY**RARE**Victorian Morton 39 Cheapside London (& Sheffield) ‘Explorer’ Bowie Knife With Leather Scabbard**FROM THE DAVID-HAYDEN WRIGHT COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE KNIVES**. Sn 20817 - 20817

J & G Morton, were English cutlers, at 39 Cheapside, London. The partners were Joseph Morton (1801-1866) and George Morton (1803-c.1850s. In 1851, George was living at 39 Cheapside, with his wife Ann and family, and described himself as a master cutler. George’s partnership with his brother Joseph ended in 1852, but Morton’s continued to trade at Cheapside under George’s son – also named George. George Sen. had another son, named William (his youngest), who by the 1870s was working in Sheffield. In 1874, William Morton acquired the scales trade mark of Anthony Rotheram and became his ‘successor’. In 1876, a directory listed him at Old Rockingham Works, 175 Rockingham Street, as a maker of table, pen, pocket, and sport’s knives, and razors and scissors. His sons, George (1875-1943) and William (1875-1932), took over the Rockingham Street business. In 1918, the firm acquired Richardson, Adie & Co – an Edinburgh retailer of cutlery, jewellery, clocks, and firearms – which Morton’s operated until 1933. William Morton died on 20 March 1932. The company continued to trade until the end of the 1960s. This is a superb Victorian ‘Explorer’ Bowie by Morton. This knife is from the renowned collector & author David Hayden-Wright’s preeminent collection of antique knives. This knife is illustrated and described on page 277 of Hayden-Wright’s book ‘The Heritage Of English Knives’ (the illustration of this Bowie from his book is reproduced in image 1). The Bowie has an 8” single edged burnished steel blade with a clipped back point blade & long fullers on each face. One fuller is engraved ‘Explorer’. It has a rectangular ricasso struck with the maker’s details ‘Morton 39 Cheapside’ (the author states that although marked Cheapside (London), having obtained similar knives from different sources, he believes this knife to be late Victorian Sheffield work and marked for subsequent retail suppliers). The blade is clean with just some light stain spots consistent with careful storage. It has undamaged, solid, chequered ebonised pistol grip & German Silver guard with short re-curving quillons, integral ferrule and pierced German Silver ball pommel fitted with lanyard ring. One quillon is slotted to accommodate the scabbard’s retaining clip. The knife measures 13 ½” overall and is complete with its original leather open top scabbard. The scabbard has small belt loop and a sprung German Silver retaining latch type bar which fastens correctly to the slot on the guard and retains the Bowie securely in the scabbard (the author describes this latch as being distinctive to this type of Bowie). All leather & stitching of the scabbard are clean and intact. The price for this quality well documented piece includes UK delivery. Sn 20817

£1,495.00