blacksmith

On 3rd August 1620, a sizeable crowd gathered in Fore Street, Exeter in front of Tuckers Hall to greet Thomas Shapcot who had journeyed from London on horseback bearing the Royal Charter granted by King James 1 to allow the Weavers Fullers and Shearmen of the City to become an Incorporation. This charter gave the Incorporation the seal of approval to become a self-governing body in order to protect the trades and mysteries of cloth-making from outside influences, who had interfered and reduced the quality of Exeter Cloth, affecting the reputation, reducing demand and the price to an...

The sound of the blacksmith's hammer could be heard in Princetown last week as a new Dartmoor boundary marker was created at the Princetown Forge.

The marker was made to replace an original which was stolen from Eylesbarrow last year. The marker, originally one of four placed on the moor in the latter part of the nineteenth century, is known as a 'cobra head' due to its unusual shape, resembling the hooded head of a cobra.

Four iron posts, 18 inches tall, resembling a cobra with flattened head are recorded in the Ordnance Survey boundary remark book of 1881 in which...

This summer, the West Country is all fired up to host its first gathering of the global blacksmith community for over 30 years. The long wait will come to an end on 13th August when The International Blacksmiths Festival is held at Westpoint Exeter until 16th August 2014.

An exciting comeback for international blacksmithing talent, this event will showcase the best of the craft from around the world. The festival will be a celebration of the ancient tradition’s historic roots and its importance in today’s society. Enticing not only those well-versed in the trade, but also novices,...