Manufactured c. 1822-1826. As early as 1819, William Butcher is listed in the Sheffield directories as manufacturing edged tools from a small manufactory on Eyre Lane. In 1826, William joined with his brother Samuel and John Brown in a partnership that lasted until 1830. From 1830 onward, William and Samuel Butcher partnered together in a business more commonly known as W.& S. Butcher. From 1830 through the 1850s, the Butcher brothers expanded their business and production capacity in Sheffield to meet the ever-increasing demands of the American market. The business continued on under various ownership and names well into the 1900s. Among Bowie knife collectors, the Butcher firm is known not only for their extremely high quality, but as one of the earliest Sheffield firms to break into the American market, making their knives extremely collectible in any condition, with high quality examples like this being particularly desirable. A very similar Butcher knife is pictured on p. 375 of "The Antique Bowie Knife Book" by Adams, Voyles, and Moss, which has a different blade profile and slightly different guard, but an almost identical grip. This very attractive knife measures 13 1/2 inches overall with an 8 1/4 inch blade, featuring a long, shallow clip point, faint etching on the left (illegible), a Spanish notch just above the ricasso, and the maker's mark under the "WR" and crown marking on the left ricasso. The German silver guard has large shallow scallops on the quillions and a large bolster below it. The German silver hilt is fitted with rosewood grips with German silver nameplate, pins, and a flat pommel. Includes a red leather scabbard with attractive, ornate German silver fittings and absent belt button.

Fine, the blade showing a mostly bright grey patina with some light pitting, faint traces of acid etching, and clear maker's markings. The German silver is bright with some light dings, concentrated on the butt of the pommel. The grips are also fine with a few horizontal hairline age cracks and light handling marks. The sheath is fine (see above) with some mild wear and scuffs.