Darren Addy asked:
>Also in the group was a tang chisel exactly 1 cm wide which (if I am
>reading it correctly) is a (Some initial) TILLOTSON chisel. It is ground
>slighly skew (a bit too much to appear merely sloppy). It is also stamped
>"CRYSTALLIZED CAST STEEL". Does anyone have any information on Tillotson
>(approximate age, etc.) and what in the world is "Crystallized" cast
>steel?
In a caption of a photo of a Sheffield plated brace marked
"T. TILLOTSON", Ken Roberts indicated that Thomas Tillotson was
a Sheffield Merchant & Dealer from 1837 to 1856. While this is,
likely, substantially correct, I've uncovered the following
directory listings which indicate the reality is slightly more
complex:
1822 John Tillotson, Factor and Table Knife Mfr., Coalpit Lane,
Sheffield
1828/9 John Tillotson & Son, Edge Tool Maker, Coalpit Lane,
Sheffield
1839 T. Tillotson & Sons, Merchant & Manufacturerer of Table
Cutlery &c., 56 Coal-Pit Lane, Sheffield
1841 Thomas and John Tillotson, Table Knife Manufacturers,
56 Coalpit Lane, Sheffield
1847 Thomas Tillotson, Merchant, Factor & Manufacturer,
56 Coalpit Lane, Sheffield
1852 Thomas Tillotson & Co., Merchant, Columbia Place,
49 Suffolk Road, Sheffield
The likelihood is that your chisel was made for Thomas Tillotson
by another company, and the "Crystallized Cast Steel" mark *may*
provide a clue regarding its origin.
For example, a couple of years ago, Trevor Robinson had a chisel for
sale which was marked "Crystallized Cast Steel" as well as with
John Cutler's maker's mark. John Cutler's working dates were in the
same time-frame as those given for Thomas Tillotson: -1841- on
Stanley Street and -1845-1854- on Charlotte Street, Sheffield.
So, it is possible your chisel was made by John Cutler, though,
obviously, that isn't proven. I think I've seen some additional
information about the "Crystallized Cast Steel" mark, but can't
seem to find it at the moment.
Hope this helps.
Don McConnell
Knox County, Ohio
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