Museum

Penknife

Description

Penknife, c. 1590-1610. Penknife made from steel; single folding blade; shoulder pieces shaped on ends of scales, riveted through in three places; blade pivots on rivet through 'shoulder pieces'; back spring with cut decoration, but end shaped to simulate end-cap; blade stamped with cutler's mark: fleur-de-lis and cross; blade slightly bent, some corrosion damage overall, blade will not fully open; English. (Excavated from the Thames at Southwark, London).

Object number

STRST : SBT 1996-4
Date

c. 1600
Material

metal steel

Measurements
Length

8.75 cm (shut)

Credit line

CC-BY-NC-ND Image Courtesy of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Part of Exhibition

Shakespeare Connected - ‘The natural gates and alleys of the body’ (Hamlet, 1.5.67): Physicality, Hygiene and Bodily Waste in Shakespeare’s World

A Shakespeare Connected exhibition in collaboration with Peter J Smith, Nottingham Trent University.

Museum

Penknife

Description

Object number

Date

Material

Measurements

Length

Credit line

Part of Exhibition