1. The Shotely Bridge Swordmakers
In the late 1600s, a colony of Germans quietly settled in at Shotely Bridge and set up what
would become the heart of Britain’s sword making industry. The little group of families, led by
the Oleys and Moles, had fled from Solingen in 1688, though no one knows why for certain.
Some have suggested that they were fleeing religious persecution. Other sources indicate that
they may have been escaping the wrath of a local sword maker’s guild whose secrets they had
betrayed.
The Solingen 02 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Whatever the reason for their arrival, they found an ideal home in Shotely Bridge. Naturally, they
wanted a locale where they could maintain the secrecy of their trade, and they spent some time
searching for the perfect home. They initially looked near London before making their way north,
exploring along the banks of the Tyne. It wasn’t until 1691 that they came upon the
sequestered spot a few miles from Ebchester. The tiny village of Shotely Bridge was remote and
the very soft water of the Derwent was perfect for tempering steel.
It is quite apparent that a number of German immigrants had settled in the region earlier in the
century as well, and this may be an additional factor in why the sword makers chose to make
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2. Shotely Bridge their home. The register in the nearby town of Ebchester shows an entry
recording “Eleanor, the daughter of Matthias Wrightson Oley, baptized 1628.” The Wrightsons
were an old family in Ebchester and it seems that a number of German Oleys had arrived in the
region several decades before the Shotely Bridge settlers.
They were an overall respectable people. The quiet settlers were industrious with strong moral
and religious principles. They established themselves easily, mingling freely with natives of the
dale. The sword makers of Shotely Bridge quickly gained a reputation for the outstanding quality
of their swords, knives and cutlery. They became widely known for their skill in engraving and
gilding and the art of tempering skill – an art that was unknown in England before their arrival.
There was one weapon though, that none in England could imitate: the hollow sword blade.
These blades took special skill that few but the Shotely Bridge sword makers possessed.
Skull showing sword-blade trauma, 1903 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When the Napoleonic wars began, demand for good swords rose sharply and Shotely Bridge
was the primary provider of the needed weapons. Rather than manufacturing their own iron as
was common at the time, the sword makers purchased high quality Swedish iron from Danmora.
From this high quality iron they produced the steel used in their craft.
For many years the Germans, and particularly the Oley family, enjoyed great prosperity. They
enjoyed high profits, their workmen had high wages, and there was an enormous demand for
their products. When William Oley died in 1808, nearly the whole of the village and surrounding
territories were owned by the Oley family.
Unfortunately, William Oley’s sons neglected the trade. Competition in the sword making
industry increased, and as the Napoleonic war ended, so did the demand.
Today, most of the old German families have faded away, though a few remain. Besides a few
Oleys, we can find a number of Molls (though they now spell their name Mole). Sword blades
are no longer made in Shotely Bridge, however, and the art has been lost with time and neglect.
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3. Further Reading
The Sword Makers of Shotley Bridge
Swordsmiths in England
Surnames of North East England
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