Sash mortice chisel

A 7/16" sash mortice chisel with a best carver pattern handle, Cat. No 264 of the 'John Bull' brand by Hearnshaw Bros.

The item is part of a collection of tools from the London tool dealers and makers Charles Nurse & Co. Ltd. The company were prominent retailers and suppliers of a rich range of hand tools to a profuse range of trades based in London. The company was originally founded in Maidstone, Kent, in 1841 but moved to London in 1887 where they had three branches supplying the city’s extensive trades sector. Their 1902 catalogue runs to 350 pages covering all types of woodworking, as well as tools for engineering, smithing, electrical work, plumbing and painting, bricklaying, masonry, watch and clock-making, and fretwork. The business speaks to the significance of London both as a manufacturing centre in its own right, and as a supplier of manufacturing equipment on all scales.