Wilkinson Sword is a formerly British brand for

razors A razor is a bladed tool primarily used in the removal of body hair through the act of shaving. Kinds of razors include straight razors, safety razors, disposable razors, and electric razors. While the razor has been in existence since before t ...

and other personal care products sold in Europe, owned by the US company

Edgewell Personal Care The Edgewell Personal Care Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut. It was formed in 2015 following the corporate spin-off from Energizer Holdings. Edgewell Personal Care was formed by ...

. The company was founded as a manufacturer of guns made in

Shotley Bridge Shotley Bridge is a village, adjoining the town of Consett in County Durham, England. It is on the A694 road and beside the River Derwent which is crossed by the bridge giving the name. It was once the heart of Britain's swordmaking industry. ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, by

Henry Nock Henry Nock (1741–1804) was a British inventor and engineer of the Napoleonic period, best known as a gunsmith. Nock produced many innovative weapons including the screwless lock and the seven-barrelled volley gun, although he did not invent ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1772. Besides guns, the company has also produced swords, bayonets and products such as

typewriter A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an inked ribbon selectivel ...

s, garden

shears Shears may refer to: Cutting devices * Scissors, also called shears * Hair-cutting shears * Blade shears, typically used for shearing animals * Grass shears, for lawn trimming * Kitchen shears, scissors used in the kitchen for food preparation * ...

scissors Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutti ...

and

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s. Gardening equipment is still made under the Wilkinson Sword name by E.P. Barrus under a licensing arrangement. Wilkinson Sword has manufactured its products in three UK locations over the years: in London (

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

and

Acton Acton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Acton Australia * Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie * Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton Canada ...

Cramlington Cramlington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, 6 miles (9 kilometres) north of Newcastle upon Tyne, and 10 miles (16 kilometres) north of its city centre. The name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or Anglo-Saxons. T ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, and

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge ...

in Wales, where it made gardening tools. In 2000, the company closed its razor plant in the UK and consolidated production in Germany. In 2014, the company further moved most of its production to Czech Republic.

History

began trading as a gunlock smith out of Mount Pleasant in London in 1772. In 1775, he formed Nock, Jover & Co. with William Jover and John Green. The

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

led to strong sales for the new company. In 1776, the

Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence ...

granted Nock, Jover & Co. an advance of £200 to start producing

bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

s and in 1779 the company won a contract to produce 500 seven-barreled volley guns for the Royal Navy. Although designed by James Wilson, these would become known as Nock volley guns or

Nock gun The Nock gun was a seven-barrelled flintlock smoothbore firearm used by the Royal Navy during the early stages of the Napoleonic Wars. It is a type of volley gun adapted for ship-to-ship fighting, but was limited in its use because of the powerful ...

s. When Henry Nock died in 1804, he left the company to his foreman and adopted son-in-law, James Wilkinson. When James's son Henry Wilkinson joined the company it was renamed James Wilkinson & Son (also known as simply Wilkinson & Son). It became the Wilkinson Sword Company in 1891.

Motorcycle production

Wilkinson Sword produced some of the earliest motorcycles in 1903. These were two-cylinder machines with Belgian engines made by

Antoine Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

, which were marketed by a garage in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

– one of the first motorcycle dealerships in the UK. The venture was not a success. Wilkinson developed and manufactured the

Wilkinson TMC The Wilkinson TMC is a British luxury touring motorcycle manufactured by the Wilkinson Sword company in Acton, London between 1911 and 1916, when production was stopped by the first World War. Development The first Wilkinsons motorcycle was b ...

, a luxury touring

between 1911 and 1916, when production was stopped by World War I. The first 'Wilkinsons' were designed for military reconnaissance by P G Tacchi. Demonstrated to the British military in the summer of 1908, the Wilkinson motorcycle failed to impress the authorities, despite optional accessories including a sidecar complete with

Maxim machine gun The Maxim gun is a recoil-operated machine gun invented in 1884 by Hiram Stevens Maxim. It was the first fully automatic machine gun in the world. The Maxim gun has been called "the weapon most associated with imperial conquest" by historian ...

– and a steering wheel instead of handlebars. The company continued development and exhibited a new version a year later at the Stanley Clyde Motorcycle Show at the Agricultural Hall,

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, London in 1909. Only about 250 Wilkinsons were produced before World War I. Restrictions brought the line to its end in spring 1916, and Wilkinson then produced thousands of bayonets for the war effort. After the war, they continued to develop the in-line four engine – but in a new car called the Deemster. They never resumed motorcycle production.

World War II

Wilkinson Sword began producing the

Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife The Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife is a double-edged fighting knife resembling a dagger or poignard with a foil grip. It was developed by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes in Shanghai based on ideas that the two men had while serv ...

for

British Commandos The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. Initially drawn ...

and special forces during World War II. This knife became widely used by many militaries around the world. Wilkinson's Pall Mall sideline in

bulletproof vests A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. Th ...

also proved instrumental in the design and early fabrication of 'flak vests' used by USAAF aircrew.

Stainless steel razor blades

In 1962, Wilkinson Sword introduced

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...

razor blades. Soon the company's blades made rapid gains in market share because one blade, though somewhat more expensive, could be used for a week. The earlier carbon steel razor blades rusted quickly enough that many people used a new blade daily. Although Wilkinson gained a larger percentage of the market, the demand for razor blades declined to approximately 14% of its previous level. This introduction gave Wilkinson a significant market share. Previous market leaders responded by introducing their own stainless blades. The technology had been available for some time, but the market leaders such as Gillette, which held a patent on stainless blades, presumably knew that any gain for them in market share would be overwhelmed by the dramatic reduction in the size of the market.

Merger with British Match

In 1973, Wilkinson Sword merged with the British Match Corporation to form Wilkinson Match. This was intended to create a stronger company, with a larger

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

budget that would enable the company to fight its

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

rival in the

consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. T ...

shaving Shaving is the removal of hair, by using a razor or any other kind of bladed implement, to slice it down—to the level of the skin or otherwise. Shaving is most commonly practiced by men to remove their facial hair and by women to remove the ...

market,

the Gillette Company Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...

, and its British subsidiary, also called Gillette. In this advertising war, Wilkinson Sword loudly touted its long and proud tradition of bladesmithing in its print and electronic media advertisements. That same year Wilkinson purchased the American pen and lighter company Scripto, Inc. in an attempt to diversify its holdings. Allegheny Ludlum Industries of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

purchased Wilkinson Match in 1978. After becoming Allegheny International, Inc., the company filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

reorganization in 1987. Allegheny sold Wilkinson Match in 1986 to

Swedish Match Swedish Match AB is a Swedish multinational tobacco company headquartered in Stockholm. The company manufactures snus, nicotine pouches, moist snuff, tobacco- and nicotine-free pouch products, chewing tobacco, chew bags, tobacco bits, cigars, ...

, which merged with Stora Group two years later. In 1989, Gillette helped finance a buyout of the Swedish Match consumer products division, which included Wilkinson Sword, by the Netherlands-based Eemland Holdings, giving Gillette a 22% stake in Eemland. After Gillette was ordered by the European Community Commission in 1992 to sell its interest in Eemland, Eemland sold Wilkinson Sword to Warner-Lambert, owner of Schick razor brand forming Schick-Wilkinson Sword. The Schick name was used on its products in North America and Japan, and the Wilkinson Sword name in Europe. In 2000,

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

acquired Warner-Lambert and three-years later, divested the Wilkinson component. Most of the former

Bryant and May Bryant & May was a British company created in the mid-19th century specifically to make matches. Their original Bryant & May Factory was located in Bow, London. They later opened other match factories in the United Kingdom and Australia, such ...

operations of Wilkinson Match were closed or sold in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the Bryant and May factories in Bow and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. The home and gardening tools division was sold to

Fiskars Fiskars Group (also known as Fiskars Oyj Abp or Fiskars Corporation, and until 1998 as Fiskars Oy Ab) is a Finnish group company. The company has its roots in the village of Fiskars (in the town of Raseborg, about west of Helsinki), where it was ...

in 1988.

Sword production

Throughout the 20th century, Wilkinson Sword produced ceremonial swords for the

Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment st ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, and crafted the ceremonial sword for the

Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II The Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration held in 2002 marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50 years as ...

in 2002. The sword factory combined state of the art manufacturing technology with traditional skills and 19th century machinery to produce original fighting quality swords. The production of swords came to an end when the company's sword factory at Acton closed in September 2005. Wilkinson Sword then held an auction of the tools, equipment, sword drawings, and forging and milling machinery. Robert Pooley, who had commissioned the company to produce swords, bought many of these items and formed

Pooley Sword Pooley Sword is a traditional cutler and provider of swords, dirks and lances to the British armed forces and also to many Commonwealth and other overseas defence forces. Following the August 2005 closure of Wilkinson Sword's Acton works, Ro ...

to supply the Army in place of Wilkinson Sword. Other sword manufacturers, and in particular WKC in Germany, also bought items, including the roll forge. Many of the tools and machines are still in use today and classic knives such as the Fairbairn-Sykes are produced by both companies.

21st century

Energizer Holdings Energizer Holdings, Inc. is an American manufacturer and one of the world's largest manufacturers of batteries, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. It produces batteries under the Energizer, Ray-O-Vac, Varta, and Eveready brand names, and for ...

bought Wilkinson Sword from

in 2003, along with Schick. In 2015, Energizer demerged its personal care business as a new company,

, of which Wilkinson Sword and Schick became part. Both are now brands used by Edgewell; Wilkinson Sword is used in Europe and Schick is used in Edgewell's remaining markets. Wilkinson Sword-branded three-, four-, and five-bladed razors for men and women have been produced in Germany since 1998, when production moved from the UK.

India

In India the 'Wilkinson Sword' brand is owned by

Gillette Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...

, who manufacture and sell products using the Wilkinson Sword logo.

Products

* Wilkinson Sword Hydro: Wilkinson's Sword redesigned razor system released on 6 April 2010. ** Wilkinson Sword Hydro 5: A 5-blade razor system with "skin guards advanced hydrating gel and a flip trimmer". ** Wilkinson Sword Hydro 3: A 3-blade razor system similar to the 5-blade system but all for a flip trimmer. ** Wilkinson Sword Hydro Silk: A 5-blade women's razor system. Introduced in mid-2012 as a Schick model; added to the Wilkinson Sword line later that year. ** Wilkinson Sword Hydro 5 Power Select: A motorized version of the Hydro 5, with three user-selectable vibration levels. * Wilkinson Sword Intuition: A women's shaving system that lathers and shaves at the same time. * Wilkinson Sword Quattro: a four-bladed razor for men, introduced in 2003. The Quattro Midnight and Quattro Titanium are models with redesigned handles and different color schemes from the original Quattro. ** Quattro Power: A motorized version of the Quattro; it is supposed to reduce

friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction: *Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative lateral motion of t ...

. The Quattro Titanium Power is a Quattro Power with a different color scheme and Quattro Titanium cartridges. The Quattro Power is powered by a single

AAA battery The AAA battery (or triple-A battery) is a standard size of dry cell Battery (electricity), battery. One or more AAA batteries are commonly used in low-drain portable electronic devices. A zinc–carbon battery in this size is designated by In ...

. ** Quattro Titanium: includes a

titanium nitride Titanium nitride (TiN; sometimes known as Tinite) is an extremely hard ceramic material, often used as a physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating on titanium alloys, steel, carbide, and aluminium components to improve the substrate's surface prope ...

(simply referred to as 'titanium') coating on the blades that is claimed to reduce irritation. ** Quattro for Women: A modified version of the Quattro with a feminine color scheme. * Wilkinson Sword Protector: A razor that is claimed to protect against nicks. * Wilkinson Sword Protector 3D: A disposable razor * Wilkinson Sword Xtreme3: A three-blade men's shaving razor. Now also sold in the US as Wilkinson Sword Tech 3. ** Wilkinson Sword XTreme3 Disposable: A disposable version of the Xtreme3, introduced in 1999. ** Wilkinson Sword Tech 3 Sensitive: A US-only three-blade disposable razor marketed for users with sensitive skin. ** Wilkinson Sword Extra 2 Sensitive: A two-bladed disposable razor that comes in four different varieties. A similar model is sold in the US as Wilkinson Sword Classic Twin. ** Wilkinson Sword Extra 2 Beauty: A two-blade disposable women's razor. Sold in the US as Wilkinson Sword Classic Twin. * Wilkinson Sword Xtreme3 Beauty: A three-blade disposable women's razor. Sold in the US as Wilkinson Sword Oasis. The "Oasis" name is also used for a USA-only three-blade refillable women's razor system. * Wilkinson Sword Classic: A budget, entry-level double-edged men's safety razor. Wilkinson also makes double edge razor blades for safety razors.

In popular culture

* In

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of fil ...

's Bengali detective Feluda story Shakuntala's Kantha haar'','

Lalmohan Ganguly Lalmohan Ganguly, alias Jatayu () (also spelled Jotayu), is a fictional character in the Feluda stories written by Satyajit Ray. He writes pulp crime thrillers, but is quite weak and nervous in real life. He is fairly wealthy due to the immense ...

mentioned that for a luxurious shaving experience he prefers costly Wilkinson blades over the cheap blades and bought them regularly from

New Market, Kolkata The New Market, formerly known as Sir Stuart Hogg Market, is a market in Kolkata situated on Lindsay Street, beside Free School Street (Mirza Ghalib Street/Rani Rasmoni Road). Although primarily "New Market" referred to the original enclosed m ...

. * In the ''Mad Men'' Season 7 (Part 2) premiere,

Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

has a dream wherein Rachel Menken auditions for an ad campaign and shows how smooth her legs are. He tells her, admiringly: "You're not just smooth. You're Wilkinson smooth".

References

External links

* {{British motorcycle manufacturers British brands 1772 establishments in England Manufacturing companies established in 1772 Personal care brands Shaving Manufacturing companies based in London Motorcycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England British subsidiaries of foreign companies British companies established in 1772 Knife manufacturing companies Edgewell Personal Care Male grooming brands Razor brands