Leslie Southwick

This book draws on a wide range of sources (parish registers, wills, trade-cards, property and insurance details), from the seventeenth century to the present day, to create biographies of the lives and business activities of all the main hilt makers, sword cutlers and allied tradesmen. These men (and women) worked in London and designed, made, decorated and provided swords, weapons, and military accoutrements, either as specialist craftsmen, or as appointed merchants, or as prominent shopkeepers as part of general trading. This directory forms the centre-piece of the volume; it is accompanied by an introduction surveying the types and designs of swords made in London from 1600 onwards, the craftsmen who made them, and the tradesmen who sold them. Full illustrations of all the types and designs of London-made sword, and of related material, complete the volume.