Synopsis

The collection of cutlery in the possession of the Worshipful Company of Cutlers of London ranges from stone age tools to the cutlery of today, from the cheapest of mass produced knives to exquisite items of gold and ivory encrusted with jewels. It is particularly rich in fine continental cutlery of the 17th and 18th centuries but also, as would be expected, contains many knives made in London between the 13th and 20th centuries.

This catalogue describes and illustrates the London-made knives within the collection, and includes a comprehensive table of marks, which has been compiled following recent research into the Company archives and the Freedom and Apprenticeship rolls of the City of London. Two introductory essays explain the origins and organization of the Gilds; the conditions under which the Company granted marks to working cutlers; and the term ‘London-made’.

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