doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com E.M. Reilly; History; Chronology; Serial Numbers

Thanks Steve. I've seen Reilly bayonets but not knives. A lot of the bayonets were made by Charles Reeves who did license others to produce his patented one-piece swords. However, I somehow doubt that Reilly actually made and etched his bayonets himself. Also I've never seen Reilly labeled cutlery from this late in time, post November 1881. This has been added to the Cutlery section of the history per below. I'll ask the seller if there are any extraneous initials on the knife:

Here is the Text from the book with sentence added and the footnotes for the record:

*43 Early 1860’s: Reilly and Cutlery, Swords, Bayonets

Business anthologies at this time identified EM Reilly as both gun and pistol manufacturers and sword/cutlery makers.*43a Reilly's name has been found engraved on bayonets and swords from the era. Bayonets were a part of the Yoemanry Militia “kit” and Reilly included a bayonet with each militia rifle he sold, enough volume to make a subsidiary business profitable.*43b. A Reilly stag-horned hunting knife also exists from as late as the 1880's.*43c

One surviving Reilly bayonet is a slightly modified version of the “official” “sword bayonets” attached to Gen. Jacob’s patent SxS’s which fired an explosive bullet; Reilly made the guns under license.*43d

One Reilly sword/bayonet has the maker's name "Reeves" engraved on it.*43e Charles Reeves patented a solid hilt sword in 1851 and marketed it to officers. Reeves became the largest sword maker in Birmingham in the 1850's and appeared to have partnered with Wilkinson in London. He would engrave or rather etch swords to a retailer's specification. There were makers that made Reeves patent swords under license. Whether Reilly did so or bought the blades from Reeves is not known, but probably the latter.*43f

====== *43 Reilly Cutlery, Swords, Bayonettes - FOOTNOTES ======

. . . . . *43a 1864 – Williams’s Manufacturers’ Directory: Reilly listed under “Swords: Cutlers Manufacturers” section:


. . . . .*43d Standard pattern bayonet and Volunteer rifle:
. . . . . . . . . .22 Dec 1860, “Volunteer Services Gazette” - Note SN EMR 11396: This number no doubt is the serial number of the Enfield which the bayonettes went with.



. . . . . *43c - Stage-handled hunting knife marked "EMR, 16 New Oxford St., London."


. . . . .*43d Sword Bayonette

Gen Jacob’s Sword Bayonette


====== *43 Reilly Cutlery, Swords, Bayonettes END FOOTNOTES ======