Established in Sheffield in 1839, the firm of George Woodhead and Joshua Hartley is believed to have entered the Bowie knife game about 1841. Like many Sheffield cutlers, Woodhead and Hartley got in on the American export game, cashing in on the seemingly bottomless Yankee appetite for quality European steel, decorating their blades to match. The Bowie measures 13 3/8 inches overall, with a 9 inch clip point blade featuring a 5 3/4 inch unsharpened false edge and the address "WOODHEAD&HARTLEY/36 HOWARD STREET/SHEFFIELD" on the left ricasso. The left side of the blade is extensively etched, with leafy scrollwork dividing 3 panels; one labeled "BOWIE KNIFE" at the front, an American eagle with "THE UNITED STATES, THE LAND OF THE FREE,/AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE/PROTECTED BY HER NOBLE/AND BRAVE VOLUNTEERS" in the center, and a horse team with "MANUFACTURED BY/G.WOODHEAD/CALIFORNIA/GOLD AT THE DIGGINGS" at the rear. California was a popular theme for Sheffield, intended to evoke a sense of adventure and daring. The coffin-shaped hilt and oval guard are constructed from German silver, with a set of smooth antique ivory half-panels on the sides and the pommels consisting of a raised and repoussed image of a fantastic beast with the head and forelimbs of a horse and the torso and hind quarters of an alligator. Reportedly first used by Davy Crockett to described legendary/notorious keelboat pilot Mike Fink and part of the song "Hunters of Kentucky" commemorating Jackson's victory at New Orleans. The visual of a half-horse, half-alligator (or alligator horse) remained in American frontier folklore to describe someone equal parts strong and dangerous, and possibly excessively quarrelsome; the kind of fellow you wouldn't want to mess with, especially if they were packing a big Sheffield-made knife. The sheath is of black leatherette construction, with impressed gilt scroll and flora designs and a German silver throat with a flat round frog stud.

Fine. The exceptional untouched blade has turned a mixed gray patina, with areas of dark pitting and spotting, along with some light scuffs and handling marks. A few nicks are present on the true edge, and the etching has become slightly faded. The hilt is fine, with a few areas of visible pewter around the pommel, mild handling marks, and a bit of shrinking of the attractively aged grip panels, showing attractive color and grain. The gilt decorated leather sheath is very fine, tip absent, with some light overall scuffing. An impressive newly discovered Sheffield Bowie!