In the early 1950s the National Maritime Museum decided it needed a detailed record of all the swords and dirks in it's collection and commissioned Captain Henry T.A. Bosanquet CVO, RN, FSA to carry out the necessary research. The outcome was the most authoritative book on the subject and was entitled "The Naval Officer's Sword" (pub. by HM Stationery Office, 1955).
Although Bosanquet was only asked to survey the collection and research the history of each item he extended the brief by including a general history of the naval officers sword, both as a fighting weapon and for formal dress. He shows that sword design was under constant modification often at the whim of fashion to an extent that is astonishing to the layman who probably imagines that the earliest designs survive to the modern day virtually unaltered. But it was the perceived desire amongst officers to update their weapons that kept the sword-cutlers in business.
A part of the research carried out by Bosanquet concerned the authentication of a sword's alleged history, in other words, ascertain whether swords associated with specific illustrious naval officers were created at an appropriate moment in history. An aid to this determination was a catalogue of all the sword-cutlers known to have been in operation since the 18C who would have left their marks on the swords in question. This process though is not as straightforward as it may seem given that few Naval and Military Outfitters actually made their own swords, rather they frequently bought the blades from an established cutler and added their own embellished hilt, describing the whole as their own.
Over half of the 250 pages of "The Naval Officer's Sword" are devoted to details of the sword-smiths, sword-cutlers, goldsmiths, jewellers, lacemen, tailors, outfitters and accoutrement makers known to have been involved in the buying and selling of swords from the 18C to the early 1950s. They are grouped according to locality which allows us to publish the names of all the businesses in Portsmouth to which any self-respecting naval officer would have turned in pursuit of a really modern blade. They are listed below, the dates shown relate to the period each business is known to have been involved in the sale of swords.
| NAME | DESCRIPTION | DATES | ADDRESS |
| BAKER | |||
| Baker | Sword-cutler | 1812 | High St., Portsmouth |
| DUDLEY | |||
| Dudley Dudley, James Dudley, Joseph Dudley, S & G Dudley, Samuel & Georgina Dudley, James Dudley & Cox Ltd. |
Silversmith/Jeweller do. do. do. do. do. do. |
1790 1805-1831 1832-1863 1872 1881-1888 1889-1911 1912-1937 |
Grand Parade, Portsmouth 79 High St., Portsmouth 80 High St., Portsmouth do. do. 59 Osborne Rd., Southsea do. |
| In May 1914 Mr. James Dudley died and in 1938 the business was purchased by Dimmers Ltd. 44 Palmerston Road, and the two establishments continued under one management until January 1941 when both were destroyed by enemy action. After the war the business restarted as:- | |||
| Dimmers Ltd | Jewellers | 1946-1954 | 45 Osborne Rd., Southsea |
| EMANUEL | |||
| Emanuel, Ezekiel & Emanuel do. do. | Silversmith/Jeweller Goldsmith/Jeweller (From 1855 by appointment to H.M. the Queen) do. | 1830-1854 1855-1902 1855-1879 | 3 Common Hard do. Also at 101 High St., Portsmouth |
| In 1880 the High Street business was purchased by Mr. G. Dimmer, of Dimmers Ltd., who transferred it to 44 Palmerston Road. See remarks under Dudley | |||
| FRASER & DAVIS | |||
| Fraser & Davis | Naval Outfitters | 1863-1890 | 78/79 High St., Portsmouth |
| GALT & GIEVE | |||
| Galt, Joseph do. Galt, Gieve & Co. Galt & Gieve Gieve & Son Gieve, James & Sons Gieve, Matthews & Seagrove Gieve's Ltd. |
Tailor & Outfitter Naval & Army Outfitter do. do. do. do. do. do. |
1830-1854 1855-1862 1863-1880 1881-1886 1887-1895 1896-1903 1904-1916 1917-1954 |
63 High St., Portsmouth 111 High St., Portsmouth do. do. do. do. 110/111 High St., Portsmouth and at 22/23 The Hard, Portsea and 44 St. Thomas St. |
| For over 100 years Gieve's had their name on sword-blades and scabbards. At the time this list was being prepared (1954) the company stated that they still made their own swords. | |||
| GIBBONS | |||
| Gibbons, William do. do. | Cutler/Silversmith do. Working Cutler | 1783 1790-1800 1830 | Portsmouth do. 2 St. Mary's St., Portsmouth |
| GIBSON | |||
| Gibson, Joseph | Navy & Army Clothiers | 1830 | 67 High St., Portsmouth |
| GILLOT & HASELL | |||
| Gillot & Hasell | Naval & Military Outfitters | 1907-1954 | 27 The Hard, Portsea |
| GUY & EAMES | |||
| Guy & Eames | Royal Navy Outfitters | 1863-1875 | 49 High St., Portsmouth |
| HAMMOND | |||
| Hammond | Mercer & Outfitter | 1790 | High St., Portsmouth |
| JOSEPH | |||
| Joseph, B. & Co. | Army & Navy Outfitters | 1863-1865 | 92/93 Queen St., Portsea |
| LARCOM & VESEY | |||
| Larcom & Vesey do. | Tailors & Outfitters do. | 1882-1887 1887-1905 | 52 Queen St., Portsea 51 Queen St., Portsea |
| MATTHEWS | |||
| Dickenson & Matthews Matthews, Henry Matthews HG & Co. Matthews & Son Matthews & Co. Gieve, Matthews & Seagrove | Outfitters Navy & Army Tailors do. do. do. (See Gieve) | 1845-1852 1855-1872 1872-1881 1881-1886 1887-1903 1904 | 66 Queen St., Portsea do. do. do. 6-9 Camden Alley & 1 Wickham St., Portsea |
| MITCHELL | |||
| Mitchell, William Mitchell, Mrs. Betsy Mitchell, Henry James | Tailor & Woollen Draper do. Naval Outfitters & Tailors | 1830-1851 1852-1854 1855-1858 | 32 High St., Portsmouth do. do. |
| NECK | |||
| Neck, Edmund | Tailors & Outfitter | 1830 | 8 & 16 Ordnance Row |
| READ | |||
| Read, William Read, John | Cutler do. | 1775 1805-1850 | Portsmouth 15 Little Charlotte St. |
| SEAGROVE | |||
| Seagrove, William Seagrove, W & E Seagrove, Edwin & William Seagrove, Edwin A Seagrove, E Augustus Seagrove & Co. Gieve, Matthews & Seagrove | Tailor & Men's Mercer Tailors & Outfitters Navy & Military Outfitters Naval Outfitters do. do. See Gieve | 1830-1852 1852-1854 1855-1871 1872-1886 1887-1891 1892-1903 1904 | 28 Common Hard, Portsea 22/23 Common Hard do. do. do. and at 30 Pearl Buildings Commercial Road |
| SILVER | |||
| Silver, S.W. & Co. | Navy & Military Outfitters | 1901-1953 | 106 High St., Portsmouth |
| A london firm of Outfitters which started a branch establishment at Portsmouth in 1901. London HQ at King William House, Eastcheap. | |||
| SMITHERS | |||
| Smithers, Charles Edward | Silversmith | 1830-1863 | 45 & 185 Queen St. |
| SNOW | |||
| Snow, James | Cutler | 1830-1863 | 32 Common Hard, Portsea |
| STEPHENS | |||
| Stephens, William | Dealer in Sundries | 1830 | 13 Warblington St. |
| STONE | |||
| Stone, John Taken over by Matthews & Co. | Navy & Military Outfitters | 1873-1887 1887 | 8/9 Camden Alley, Portsea |
| TOTTERDELL | |||
| Totterdell, Edward & Co | Royal Naval & Military Tailors | 1841-1863 | 62 Queen St., Portsea |
| TRAYLER | |||
| Trayler & Co. | Tailors & Outfitters | 1881-1905 | 103 High St., Portsmouth |
| ZACHARIAH | |||
| Zachariah, Seriaske | Goldsmith/Jeweller | 1835-1865 | High St., Portsmouth |
Tim Backhouse
July 2013
REFERENCES
"The Naval Officers Sword" by Captain Henry T. A. Bosenquet