VERY LARGE**AMERICAN FRONTIER EXPORT**1854-1859 Yeomans & Son Sheffield Bowie Knife With American Eagle Etched Blade, Solid Stag Antler Hilt & Scabbard. Sn 23367 Knive

**VERY LARGE**AMERICAN FRONTIER EXPORT**1854-1859 Yeomans & Son Sheffield Bowie Knife With American Eagle Etched Blade, Solid Stag Antler Hilt & Scabbard. Sn 23367 - 23367

John Yeomans, a factor and scissors maker, Arundel Street, was listed in 1822 (see Thorpe, Wragg & Co). Certainly, Yeomans became prominent in the 1830s, when he was involved with Turner, Yeomans & Yates (with Thomas Turner and Jared Yates). This was dissolved in 1835. He was then associated with Yeomans, Yates & Standfield (listed 1837), Yeomans, Standfield & Newbould (listed 1839 and dissolved in 1841), and Yeomans, Standfield & Co (dissolved 1844). In 1845, Yeomans was listed as a merchant and table knife manufacturer in Arundel Street. John Yeomans made quality Bowie knives. In 1850, however, John Yeomans, ‘merchant and table knife manufacturer’, went bankrupt. The firm did not immediately disappear. At the time of the Census (1851), John was living in Arundel Street and enumerated as a manufacturer of cutlery. By 1854, the firm had been restyled as John Yeomans & Son. They exported Bowies and other blades to North America to supply the expanding Western frontier. John Yeomans, Hanover Square, died on 28 May 1859, aged 61. His firm ceased trading. His son, John, became a solicitor and Town Clerk for Sheffield. John Junior’s son, Thomas Shillito Yeomans, was a co-founder of Maleham & Yeomans. This is an impressive, original, very large Bowie Knife made in Sheffield by Yeoman and son when they operated between 1854 & 1859. It has a just under 12” long clean Bowie blade which is just over 1 ½” at its widest edge. The spine is 5mm thick. The knife measures 19 ¼” overall length. The blade is signed 'Yeoman & Son Cutler St Sheffield' (Yeoman & Son Bowies have been found with both Cutler street & Arundel street addresses. Some rare surviving examples were commissioned by American firms like Wells Fargo Express Company for service anniversaries 1852-1877). One side of the blade has a large etched ‘American Eagle’ indicating that this was one of the company’s American Western Frontier pieces. It has a solid bronze finger guard and copper ferrule. Its long curved handle made is made from one piece of solid Stag antler. The hilt is holed for wrist cord and fitted with later leather cord. The Bowie has its later quality bespoke made open top brown leather scabbard. The rear of the scabbard has a single belt loop and the front of the scabbard has tooled decoration. All stitching & leather of the scabbard are clean & intact. The price includes UK delivery. Sn 23367