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Note that all the above razors are described as being of cast steel - surely Ford
& Medley were then one of the last Sheffield makers to use this method!
More of the razors made by Ford & Medley. Price are per dozen in the old Sterling
(£.s.d.) format
As said previously, the full catalogue, containing all their products, is quite extensive
and the few pages above are the only ones relating to straight razors.
The blades we have are all in need of varying degrees of cleaning and refurbishment
and yet can still be considered ‘new’ in the sense that they have, of course, never
been used. We will be scaling them in a variety of materials for general sale and
the first ones should be on the website very soon. If of course you would like a
special piece made up in more exotic scale material we will do our best to oblige
- just drop me a line with your requirements.
The above photo was taken about 1895 within the Ford & Medley works - as can be seen
these are early days! From left - Tom Medley (founder), Albert Medley, unknown and
Joseph Medley (founder).
Again taken C. 1905, these photos illustrate the less-than-ideal conditions that
the cutlery craftsmen worked under at the time. Ford & Medley made a wide range of
domestic cutlery, as well as razors.
Below left: ladies were often employed in assembly work as they were considered quicker
and more deft than men for rapid, repetitive tasks that involved high concentration.
Here kitchen knives are being assembled.
Below right: An early (again C. 1905) Ford & Medley trade stand at what may be Olympia.
Notice the large display of knives (left) and mainly razors (right).
Ford & Medley, in common with most manufacturers of the time, produced well-illustrated
catalogues that must have been an expensive item at the time. We have been fortunate
enough to have access to a Ford & Medley catalogue from C. 1902 and also a single-page
advert for razors that would seem to pre-date that slightly. Some excerpts are below.
If you are interested in seeing scanned images of the full catalogue, which contains
kitchenware and pocket knives, just drop me a line.
We have been very fortunate to be able to acquire the last few blades to come out
of the Ford & Medley works, sometime in the early 1930’s. Apparently Mr. Albert Medley,
who was the last Managing Director of the Company from 1910, took them home and put
them away - for 50 years! They then passed to his son, who kept them (thankfully
mostly in their original wraps) in an outhouse for the next thirty years. Sadly he
passed away recently and we were contacted by his son, Michael, who wondered if we
would like to acquire the blades as part of the estate. When I saw them the top layer
was badly corroded, but the underlayers - and there are some 400 (yes, 400!) blades
- were in much better condition.
The blades are mostly 5/8 and 6/8 round points, both half-hollow and fully-hollow
ground and engraved with the trademark ‘Arrow’. There are some others with different
trademarks but these are in a small minority. All are made by Ford & Medley. All
will of course be supplied in A1 overall condition and shave-ready as those pictured
below .
The blades shown below have been rescaled in either black or blonde plastic and microbolt
fasteners have been used for ease of use and, if necessary, ease of future removal.
The photos given are typical of the razors but, as these are eighty-plus years old
and have been stored in not the best of conditions they do differ slightly in appearance
- some have minor pitting, some darker marks on the blade so, while they are certainly
‘unused’ we cannot in all fairness describe them as ‘new’ or ‘perfect’. However -
to answer a FAQ! - all will be supplied in similar condition to those below.
The aim here is to provide a choice, particularly for the newcomer, of a genuine
unused Sheffield-made razor at a reasonable price, that has a lifetime of use in
it. We can of course offer the blades in more expensive scales to order - email us
if you are interested!
Above - the ‘Arrow’ brand razor, full hollow grind, available in 5/8 and 6/8 blade
depth in either blonde or black scales - see below for ordering details.
Michael gave us some company history as far as he has researched it -
I wish I knew more (and finding out more is a family history project to which I will
probably devote more time in future). The following is gathered from some old company
papers which I am assembling ready to send to the Sheffield City Archives. They do
not tell us all the things we want to know, but here is the story as I have been
able to piece it together.
Some letterheads from the early 20th century claim the
firm was established in 1879. I imagine that my Great-grandfather, Joseph Medley,
and his younger brother Tom (who are both listed in censuses as 'razor grinders')
were at that time able to gain a little independence, whether in terms of renting
or owning their workshop and tools, choosing what orders they would work on, or even
marketing products in their own name. I have yet to discover who Ford was, and whether
he was another razor-grinder or a provider of capital. (My father did not know.)
Joseph's son (and my grandfather), Albert, would, I think, have joined them as a
teenager, and taken on a more managerial role while Joseph himself stood back. We
have a copy of the articles of incorporation of the firm as Partnership in 1903,
when the partners were Albert (who had 2/3) and Tom (1/3). In 1908 it became a Limited
Partnership; and in 1910 a Limited Company. In the later agreements, another shareholder
came in, called William England, who I believe was a brass foundry owner and, like
Albert, an elder in the Surrey Street Methodist congregation. Around the beginning
of the century the firm diversified into a wide range of cutlery items. During the
First World War, they were awarded government contracts to supply the troops, and
apparently fulfilled them satisfactorily, though, in doing so, they ran into some
trouble with the trades union when they tried to use more streamlined (?Henry Ford
style?) work practices rather than the traditional piece-work system. After the war,
they tried to market their products on a large scale nationally and internationally,
but I don't think they succeeded. Rather, I guess they over-extended. In 1928, ownership
of the business was put into the hands of my grandmother (an indication that my grandfather
feared the company would go bankrupt). The 1930s were very much twilight years.
They
manufactured at Wizard Works, and later at Emu Works, in Eyre Street, Sheffield,
and latterly had an office address at 137 Arundel Street.
Below is some further information about Ford & Medley and also old photos that we
hope are of interest.
All photos reproduced by kind permission of Mr. M. Medley
Please use the table to the right to order the ‘Arrow’ razor in 5/8 blade with black
scales.
Please use the table to the right to order the ‘Arrow’ razor in 5/8 blade with blonde
scales.
Please use the table to the right to order the ‘Arrow’ razor in 6/8 blade with black
scales
Please use the table to the right to order the ‘Arrow’ razor in 6/8 blade with blonde
scales
Please note: due to their being a ‘built-to-order’ item a delay of a few days may
occur depending on how many blades we have in a ready state at time of order. Thanks!
Currently unavailable with blonde scales due to stock problem with 5/8 scales - should
be back in stock July - August. Other blades/scales not affected.
