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19TH CENTURY BIG STAG CATTLE/SPORTSMAN KNIFE BY SHEFFIELD CUTLERY-FOUR ACRE

This is a big stag four blade cattle type pattern in a sportsman configuraton. It has a long pull master clip marked SHEFFIELD CUTLERY , while the smaller blades are marked FOUR ACRE. The bar shield is marked GEO. A. TOWNSEND. I purchased this with a lot of 150 other knives about a decade ago, being the high bidder in a New York state estate auction. I have recently given this to my daughter , it is in excellent condition. She requested I dig up a little history on this knife. Levine gives a listing for Sheffield Cutlery Co-operative Society Limited begining in 1893. However since the knife does not have ENGLAND as country of origin, I believe this is a earlier company or the same unorganized. A search has turned up a four acre nook area near Sheffield, with several bladesmith and filesmiths listed living in the area in the 1840-1860 era. I believe the owner, Townsend purchased the knife during the Civil War years , returning late in the war. I believe the forum members may have a little infomation to add,concerning the FOUR ACRE stamping as this is very unusual and your thoughts are appreciated. Thank You, Rick

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Attachments:

Four Acre.jpg, 86 KB
Four Acre2.jpg, 145 KB

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rick Hooper on January 28, 2013 at 19:50

Couple more!

Attachments:

Four Acre3.jpg, 159 KB
Four Acre1.jpg, 83 KB

Permalink Reply by Rick Hooper on January 28, 2013 at 22:08

Beautiful old stag handles!

Trent Rock said:

I'd post better pictures on Bernard's forum===>

Bernard Levine's Knife Collecting & Identification

What is the handle material???

Permalink Reply by Rick Hooper on January 31, 2013 at 23:54

The short nubby blade is a combination file, (both sides) and flat screwdriver. I handles contain a sugical quality tweezer and a rather dangerous looking toothpick, bleeder, or blackpowder nipple pick.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on February 1, 2013 at 5:48

I reached out to a couple of our members that live in the area and/or have their collections focused in this direction.

M. Carpenter says this

Greetings - Tweedales Directory does not list this Company in it's main listings but the book does not have an index of trade marks. Is it a Townsend knife. The thing about Sheffield cutlery especially in those days would be that a Company could put together products outside it's speciality by using the huge numbers of independent tradesmen. That to a very limited extent is what happens today where a network of individuals will each make or process part of a knife. That confuses matters considerably - http://www.sheffield-gb.com

Permalink Reply by Rick Hooper on February 1, 2013 at 8:29

Hi Jan, thank you. So far what I have found about the Four Acre area has been in the geneology websites. The area "around" Sheffield has or had a neighborhood called FOUR ACRE NOOK. The cutler or bladesmith name that stood out was the Sanderlin, Sanderlan, or Sanderland(s). They were bladesmiths and filesmiths. There was several knife companies with this name, one worked for Thomas Turner ,and several cutlers moved to New York to work at American factories. Townsend was the owner of the knife, I believe , and was a reporter/writer for the New York papers covering the Civil War battle, and Lincoln's assassination. He traveled to England in the 1862-63 period, to recover from a illness acquired during the war. It would appear he bought the pocketknife at this time.

Permalink Reply by Smiling-Knife on March 25, 2013 at 12:37

Is there another word under the Fouracres mark? I've seen the Fouracres mark with Exeter underneath. If so, I suspect the knife was made by one of the big Sheffield firms for a retailer. Lack of England does not necessarily date the knife to pre 1891. Only knives imported into the US required the country of origin as a result of the McKinley Tariff. Knives made for the domestic (UK) market, Canada, Australia etc were not required to have the country of origin at this time The button hook does help date it to most likely pre WW1. Will continue to look for more information.

Permalink Reply by Rick Hooper on March 27, 2013 at 14:30

Hi, that is the only marking under FOUR ACRE , No symbols either. Exeter is news to me! Thanks! As far as the 1891 date, the knife does not have ENGLAND , so I believe Townsend purchased in England or years before the tariff in the USA. It is marked Sheffield , so the knife was recognizible as a quality British product. This information has expanded my research more. Thanks you.

Permalink Reply by Smiling-Knife on April 23, 2013 at 9:25

Hi Rick. How is your quest coming along? I learned that Fouracres was a family owned ironmonger business on Cowick Street, St Thomas, Devon. St Thomas was incorporated into the city of Exeter in 1900. My working hypothesis is that your knife was made before that time as the other examples I have seen have Exeter on the tang. I hope this helps.

Permalink Reply by Rick Hooper on April 23, 2013 at 17:23

Hi , that is really detailed intel! I thank you for this and all the help in the ID of this knife. I have searched all the cutlery journals and price guides over here, plus the net. Not much there , except the references to the Sanderlan or Sanderson Family of cutlers living in the Four Acre area. I am not sure , if that even applies to the Exeter context. So best thought, the next course of action was an in-country inquiry. Thanks you!

Permalink Reply by Rick Hooper on April 23, 2013 at 17:35

This new information opened up more questions. Just noticed the two cities are 253 miles apart. Or is there a Exeter section of the city of Sheffield ? If not was it a common practice for a British cutlery firm to use "Sheffield Cutlery" as a trademark, even if not the town of origin? Cashing in on the reputation of the GB cutlery center? Thanks.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on April 23, 2013 at 18:34

Rick, that is a great question. I wonder if they did?

Permalink Reply by Smiling-Knife on April 23, 2013 at 21:10

You're welcome. My hypothesis is that the knife was made in Sheffield for Fouracres, a retailer based in Exeter. Only Sheffield and, to a much lesser extent, London had any real cutlery industry around that time.