John Yeomans Cowlishaw pocket fruit knife, 1915

Description

Born in May 1829, John Yeomans Cowlishaw was the son of John Henry Cowlishaw and Mary Ann Cowlishaw (nee Mappin). John’s father died when he was a toddler and as a result he was brought up by his wealthy uncle, John Newton Mappin. Under the tutelage of the Mappin family, John Yeomans Cowlishaw became masterful at making pocket fruit knives. He began manufacturing them in his own right by the time he was in his early twenties and registered his silver mark in 1854. His silver-bladed pocket fruit knives, particularly those with carved mother-of-pearl scales, gained such a strong reputation that his company flourished without much need of advertising. John’s sons joined the firm and by the 1880s around 50 employees were involved in the Cowlishaw pocket fruit knife business. Cowlishaw became wealthy and although involved commercially with other leading Sheffield companies, he kept a low public profile. When John’s wife Sarah died he became so depressed that on a fateful day in January 1895 he took his own life at his Tapton Cliffe home. After Cowlishaw’s death, his son, John Edward, took over the business and registered a new silver mark in 1897 — JYC became J.Y.C. John Edward Cowlishaw retired in 1901 but the business continued. By 1918 the Cowlishaw name was acquired by Arthur Theodore Smith, who adapted the company to new markets. The brand continued through the 20th century, even after Smith’s death in 1962, with the company eventually fading by the 1970s. This 1915 example of a Cowlishaw pocket fruit knife has brass liners, a sleeveboard shaped body, rounded mother-of-pearl scales, plain bolsters and a silver spearpoint blade. The blade has four hallmarks from the Sheffield Assay Office: the Sheffield crown, lion passant, date letter “x” for 1915 and the “J.Y.C” later maker’s mark. This fine pocket fruit knife is in excellent condition.