This knife was probably marketed by J. Horton (London) Ltd. This firm was a factoring company – in other words, it marketed goods (such as cutlery) manufactured by others. Horton’s used the mark ‘SWORDPLAY’. 

Horton’s incorporation date is unknown, but the company had been active since at least the 1920s. J. Horton & Co was a manufacturer’s agents at 11 New Britain in the City of London. Its partners were James Horton, Harry Osman Metherell, and John Mounsten Gregory. Metherell withdrew in 1922. By 1928, the firm had adopted limited liability and was run by John Horton and George Ulrich. They imported cutlery from Germany. The ‘SWORDPLAY’ mark became particularly well known on traditional straight razors, which were apparently forged in Sheffield and hand-ground in Germany. Horton’s also imported scissors from Kauffman & Son in Germany. These were said to be cheaper than Sheffield scissors, but of inferior quality. In 1928, the partners were convicted at Mansion House, London, of evading customs duties on these imported goods. They were fined £150 and 3 guineas costs (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 25, 28 January 1928).

By the 1950s, the business had been restyled J. Horton (London) Ltd. Its address was Lombard House, 17 Little Britain, London EC1. Products included scissors, pocket knives, razors, hair clippers, pinking shears, sewing machine parts, and aerosols. By the mid-1960s, the head office was at Talford Street, Aston, Birmingham. By 1969, it had been acquired by the Wolseley-Hughes Group, Birmingham. Horton’s was wound up in 1978.