Silent Shears
Silent Shears
An image of the scissors with their blades closed.
Name/Title
"Silent Shears"Entry/Object ID
2026.2.31Tags
scissors, shears, 1800s, registered design, sheffieldDescription
An unusual pair of Tailors' Scissors. The mechanism inside the case means that when the top fingerbow is raised, the top blade raises. They were made by Thomas Wilkinson in Sheffield, and are marked "REGISTERED OCTR 1848 BY ALFRED WILSON NO 14" - the National Archives do hold a record for a design that matches these details, with the description "A pair of silent shears". The description for the shears, as it appears on the Registered Design paperwork, is as follows: "The above drawings represent a design for a pair of shears, drawn to a geometrical scale Fig 1 showing a side view thereof, complete; Fig 2 the joint with the front plate removed + showing the blades closed, Fig 3 a similar view with the blades, open, + Fig 4 and edge view complete. The novelty of these shears consists in the peculiar form of the joint, which is so constructed that the movement of opening is entirely performed by the upper blade a and bowl b the lower part of the shears remaining stationary, the blade c being in one piece with the bowl d while the blade a moves on a pivot at e, + the bowl b on a similar pivot at f. The end of the blade a, is formed with a single plate g having a slot h, this is received between the double end i, i of the bowl b, the slot h embracing the pin k + by which the movement of the bowl b, is transmitted to the blade a. The two pivots e + f are supported between the cheek plate m, forming part of the lower jaw or shear + also the plate n which encloses the whole joint. Protection is sought for these parts consisting the joint work of the shears + represented by the letters e f g h i k m + n which is new, the blade a + c and the bowls b + d being old and before used." The scissors are part of the collection held by Whiteley's in Sheffield; Whiteley's took over the business of Thomas Wilkinson in 1875. According to Whiteley's, they are 16" long, and weigh 4.5lbs.Category
Shears, Scissors, Tailoring