Early Civil War era Side Knife with bone handle - maker-marked (SOLD)

This is another great piece being offered, it is an early bone-handle side knife. It measures 12 ½” x 1 ¼” and marked on the blade is “W. BRADSHAW & SON / SHEAR STEEL”.

William Bradshaw (1780 – 1844) worked as a grocer and then became a grinder. He had a son William (1805 – 1883). In 1821 he started his knife manufacturing company on Garden St., Sheffield, England. The business had some problems, but by 1841 it was revamped, and the company was listed as “W. Bradshaw & Son”, now located on Orchard St.

During the Civil War, England supplied both the Union and Confederacy with just about anything imaginable, including knives and cutlery. This is probably when this knife showed up in America. Bone-handle knives were popular before and during the Civil War and were often recovered at Civil War sites. In "Soldiers of the American Revolution", by Don Troiani, there is a very similar knife shown (see pictures).  In “Civil War Relics – A Guide for the Historian”, there are examples shown (see pictures). It is very tight and in excellent condition – it would make a great addition to any Civil War collection.