‘Wilson Swift’ is a name stamped on Bowie knives, usually accompanied by the words, ‘Broad Street, Sheffield’.  A typical example is pictured in Palmer et al (2002)¹; others can be seen in books by Adams et al (1990)² and Flayderman (2004)³.  The knives are usually spearpoints, with German silver pommels and eagle and snakes motifs.   Wilson Swift knives appear to have been made in Sheffield in the 1850s or possibly early 1860s, and have often been linked with the Civil War.  Frustratingly, Wilson Swift does not appear in any nineteenth century Sheffield directory; and it has not been possible to trace the name in the USA.   Another feature worth noting is that the Bowies are sometimes stamped ‘DCL’ on the tang – the same mark that has been seen on James Westa Bowies.  Stylistically, the knives are close to another unidentified maker, Manson.

^1. Palmer, Ben, Bowie Knives and Bayonets of the Ben Palmer Collection (Williamstown, NJ, 2nd edn, 2002)
^2. Adams, W, Voyles, J  B, and Moss, T, The Antique Bowie Knife Book (Conyers, Georgia, 1990)
^3. Flayderman, Norm, The Bowie Knife: Unsheathing an American Legend (Woonsocket, RI, 2004)