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Lillicraps hone

Lillicrap's Hone dates from 1930 to about 1942.

Lillicrap's Hone was invented by Joseph Richard Lillicrap, of "Staincross", Atkinson Road, Urmston, Lancaster (Lancashire). Urmston is an old village west of Manchester on the northern bank of the River Mersey, then the county boundary with Cheshire, which expanded into a middle class residential suburb from 1872 upon the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway. Further expansion came about upon the opening in 1911 of nearby Trafford Park, then the largest industrial estate in Europe. Atkinson Road is just a couple of minutes walk from Urmston station. Before my research Joseph Richard Lillicrap does not appear to have been recognised in Urmston as an historical celebrity.

In 1904 King Camp Gillette finally patented his safety razor, invented in 1895. As the blades blunted quickly, various gadgets appeared over the years that were claimed to resharpen and extend the life of the blades. With many of these it was rather more claim than reality (source: Notley, Popular Glass of the 19th & 20th Centuries, Miller's, 2000). Lillicrap's Hone was a simple and effective solution to this problem, not producing an edge of quite the sharpness of a new blade, but certainly one that would provide a close clean shave â€” I know as I tried it myself some years ago.

An interesting aspect of the information / instruction leaflet is that it states: The Hone is made in Uranium Glass with a specially prepared surface. The implication is that uranium glass has properties that make it particularly appropriate for its use as a hone. Whether this was marketing hype or based upon some particular quality of the glass, such as its hardness, is not clear. However, it is still the only example I have ever seen of any claim for the special properties of uranium glass.

Lillicrap's Hone seems to have sold well, both in the UK and overseas, and is fairly easy to find in well-used condition with the odd chip or two, particularly to the vulnerable corners and the raised lettering around the bottom edge. Clean, little used examples are rather more difficult to find. This may be explained by two wartime events. One of these was the extension of the CC41 (Civilian Clothing 1941 or Utility) regulations around autumn 1942 to cover ornamental / coloured glass. The other was the Government's confiscation of British glassworks' stock of uranium oxide around the same time. Lillicrap's Hone probably fell foul of both the Utility regulations and the absence of uranium. New razor blades were almost unobtainable by civilians during the war, so it was very much a case of Lillicrap's Hone, a cut-throat razor or grow a beard. Unwanted examples of Lillicrap's Hone would have been sought out and pressed into use, hence the relative scarcity of boxed unused examples. Also, without Lillicrap's Hone, the British government may have had to make beards fashionable and acceptable. So it is perhaps fair to claim that Joseph Richard Lillicrap literally Changed the Face of Britain.

Lillicrap's Hone was press moulded in uranium green or "vaseline" glass by Wood Bros. Glass Co., Ltd. of Barnsley, Yorkshire (est. 1828). It is quite fascinating as the underside is covered by a comprehensive list of world patents with their numbers. The British numbers are: "PATENT No 346057" and "RGD No 756250", and there are also patent numbers for France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa. The design was registered between 3rd July 1930 (756075) and 9th July 1930 (756269), which fits well with the launch date of July 1930 from the information / instruction leaflet. The cardboard box was printed with an illustration and all the details in green on a sunburst Art Deco background. The single sheet information and instruction leaflet was printed on both sides. The hone fluoresces vigorously under a pocket UV tester.

Wood Brothers produced a version for the USA that had a quite different inscription, with no mention of the European and British Empire patents, probably as a British design registration number was almost an open invitation for American glassworks to plagiarize. As Wood Bros was well known in America for laboratory equipment, this much simpler inscription featured their company name in large letters.

Please would all readers respect my copyright on this information, and do not re-use any of it without prior permission, which will include a requirement for both acknowledgement and inclusion of my copyright notice. You are welcome to cite this GMB topic at will, without restriction, acknowledgement or notification, although notification by email would be appreciated. Link to it by using the URL http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,3950.0.html

Researched by Bernard C Milton Keynes based British glass dealer

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