The Crown and Crossed Swords hotel at Shotley Bridge in County Durham. It was originally simply The Sword, but the tale of Robert Oley’s victorious wager inspired the new name. Reflecting on the Oleys and their fellow Shotley Bridge craftsmen, local historian George Neasham expressed relief that by Queen Victoria’s day ‘the product of their labour is no longer for the destruction of mankind,’ but for tableware and garden shears. Yet the swords had proved themselves in essentially defensive conflicts, and were worn by brave men fighting in the cause of freedom.
BACKED by four English merchants, the Hollow Blade Sword Company flourished as the Nine Years’ War,* the War of the Spanish Succession* and the Jacobite Rebellions of 1715 and 1745* kept their smithies busy.
The blades were also extraordinarily flexible. Robert Oley once wagered some fellow smiths that within a fortnight he could make a blade better than any of theirs. The day of competition arrived, and so did Robert Oley, empty-handed. The others laughed and declared him disqualified, but he dropped his hat on the table and dared them to look inside. After many cuts and muttered oaths, they gave up. Oley swept out his blade, without bend or kink, and everyone agreed his wager was won.
The defeat of Napoleon in 1815* and the growth of Sheffield* and Birmingham* both took their toll on Shotley Bridge. Joseph Oley gave up making blades in 1840. Colleague Robert Mole moved his business to Birmingham, where it was acquired by Wilkinsons of Pall Mall in 1889. Today, they trade as razor-makers Wilkinson Sword.
Based on North-country Sketches: Notes, Essays and Reviews (1893) by George Neasham (1850-1903). Additional information from The Northern Echo.
The Nine Years’ War (1689-1697), also known as King William’s War, was prompted by the enforced abdication of James II in 1688. James appealed to King Louis XIV of France for help, but James’s successors, William and Mary, held their ground. See The Nine Years’ War.
The War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713) arose after a succession crisis in Europe’s royal houses emboldened Louis XIV, and fears in England of a French invasion grew once more. See The War of the Spanish Succession.
The two Jacobite Risings, in fact part of a much longer period of civil unrest in Scotland and Ireland, were attempts to restore James’s son James Stuart and grandson Charles Stuart to the throne, with French and Spanish backing. See The Jacobite Rebellions.
Napoleon’s bid to unite Europe in a single French Empire ended in defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, thanks to an alliance between Austria, Prussia and Great Britain, and in no small part also to Russia. See The Battle of Waterloo.
In 1751, there were 24,000 people living in Birmingham; fifty years later the number had trebled, owing partly to small arms manufacturing and to the canal network. Birmingham now has a population of over a million and is considered England’s second city.
Silver plating and steelmaking helped Sheffield grow from a town of some 5,500 to 31,000 during the eighteenth century, and by the end of the nineteenth the population had reached 300,000. Sheffield’s most famous steel product, rustless or stainless steel, was invented by Harry Brearley in 1913.
Précis
The settlers’ sword-making business, backed by English investors, quickly prospered; Robert Oley’s flexible blade, which could be curled up inside a hat, was a measure of their craftsmanship. However, the peace that followed Napoleon’s defeat in 1815 and the growth of manufacturing towns further south led to a decline. The last Shotley Bridge sword was made in 1840. (58 / 60 words)
The settlers’ sword-making business, backed by English investors, quickly prospered; Robert Oley’s flexible blade, which could be curled up inside a hat, was a measure of their craftsmanship. However, the peace that followed Napoleon’s defeat in 1815 and the growth of manufacturing towns further south led to a decline. The last Shotley Bridge sword was made in 1840.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: besides, if, may, since, until, whereas, whether, who.
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Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Secret. Trade. Well.
2 Also. Craft. One.
3 Blade. Do. Reputation.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
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0
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