doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com E.M. Reilly; History; Chronology; Serial Numbers

Chapter VII, 43. Early 1860’s: Reilly and Cutlery, Swords, Bayonets concerns Reilly as a cutlery maker - making knives, swords and bayonets; he is so listed in London business directories in the late 1850's and early 1860's.

There is a Reilly Yataghan bayonet for sale on this site:
https://auctions.bosleys.co.uk/catalogue/?searchTerm=Reilly&searchOption=3
It has the two address 315 and 502 Oxford, London and the name "E.M. Reilly & Co. . i.e after the August 1858 opening of 315 Oxford street and the March 1859 change in the name to E.M. Reilly & Co . . . . with no maker's name on it. It has a dark background etched field on the engraving.


A Reilly Enfield sword/ Yataagan bayonet was previously pictured with E.M. Reilly & Co. 315 and 502 Oxford streets. . .with a maker's name "Reeves." The engraving is identical but with a light background field.


There is a sword /bayonet for a Jacobs' Rifle with only Reilly 502 Oxford Street on the engraving (pre March 1859); it does not have a contrasting background to the engraving.


It would be interesting to know where and from whom Reilly sourced his blades. The Reeves name above likely refers to a patent solid hilt designed by Charles Reeves and patented around 1853. "as early as 1854 the Wilkinson records show that they were producing the Patent Solid Hilt also on officers' swords, presumably while paying a royalty fee to Reeves. "

https://www.antique-swords.co.uk/im...ilt-british-light-cavalry-officers-sword
Patent Solid Hilt officers' swords were usually the products of either Reeves or Wilkinson's workshops in the early years and these two companies seem to have had a close operating relationship. Reeves was the biggest manufacturer of swords in Birmingham (until Robert Mole & Sons later took that place) and Wilkinson was the largest in London. Reeves went bankrupt in 1869 and then returned to sword making on a smaller scale, but in 1883 Wilkinson bought a large share in the company and later completely absorbed it.

Most surviving Patent Solid Hilt swords are therefore Wilkinsons, however a few other makers did copy the feature, whether under official licence or not it is not currently known. The author has seen examples of the solid hilt made by Pillin and Mole for example. As well as examples with only retailers' names on, such as Phillips (which could have been made by Reeves for the retailers), which could have been made by Reeves, Wilkinson, Mole, Pillin or someone else. There were not actually many sword makers in Britain by the 1850s and a few companies were making most of the sword blades, which were then etched with the retailer's details.

The engraving on Reeves' swords resembles that on the Reilly:


A paragraph has been added to the book to suggest that Reilly possibly sourced his blades from Reeves.