The Yorkshire company making the swords that accompanied HM The Queen on her final journey

Most recently, whilst the eyes of the world were on Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, no-one would realise the role this firm played in the whole proceedings.

Whilst members of the Queen’s Household Cavalry played a major part in the procession through London dressed in their ceremonial uniforms, some carried swords meticulously and painstakingly hand-crafted at J Adams. Not surprisingly, this was a moment of immense pride for the company, which can trace its roots back as far as 1700.

“We’ve been making the swords for the armed forces for several years now. It was through our connections with the Ministry of Defence that we were approached and asked for a special order of around 20 swords for some members of the Household Cavalry,” says foreman Gary Heathcote.

“Due to the timsecales, we had to fulfil the order quickly but we were certainly extremely proud to have played our part in this momentous and historic occasion.

“Obviously, Sheffield has a rich history of manufacturing excellence, but sadly this has dwindled over the years. Something like this put us firmly back on the map as a manufacturing centre.”

Whilst the bulk of the work was completed by swordsmith Peter Hopkinson, the swords were sent to Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet to be “finished off” by Peter Gribben – one of the last working traditional Sheffield blade grinders – who ensured a razor-sharp edge.

“Manufacturing the swords is a highly-skilled and detailed process,” says Hopkinson. “Having heated up the raw steel, we cut it to size and then press out the shapes we want mostly by hand, but sometimes using laser cutting machines. Before developing the handles, we create a “fuller” – a rounded or bevelled longitudinal groove or slot along the flat side of a blade using a blacksmithing tool called a spring swage. This is used to widen a blade and reduce its weight to make it more functional for the soldier carrying it.”

Peter explains that over the years this groove has often been referred to as a “blood groove”. However, this name is simply a myth.

“There’s a persistent myth about the function of a sword's fuller that it 'releases the vacuum' when the blade is thrust into a person. The idea is that the so-called 'blood groove' is there to aid withdrawing the blade from a person or animal. It’s said that the person’s muscles contract around the blade, which causes a vacuum, making the blade difficult to remove. With a 'blood groove', however, blood runs through the groove breaking the suction so the blade can be easily withdrawn.

“There's only one problem – there's no evidence that this suction ever really happens. Those who’ve examined the theory repeatedly report there’s no difference whatsoever in the difficulty of withdrawing a blade with a 'blood groove' versus one without.

“Since there is no blood-channelling function, the term ‘blood groove’ is misleading and the more accurate term 'fuller' ought to be used instead.”

On knives or swords less than two feet long, the fuller is mostly decorative. Only as a blade gets longer, does the fuller have an increasingly significant role as it stiffens and lightens the blade. The blade is lightened as less material is used. The act of forging in the fuller widens the blade so once again less material is needed.

In stock removal (grinding), the blade would also be lightened as metal is removed.

When combined with proper distal tapers, proper heat treating and tempering, a fullered blade will be anywhere from 20 to 35 per cent lighter than a non-fullered blade without any sacrifice of strength or blade integrity.

The Queen’s funeral wasn’t the first time the company’s products have been watched by TV viewers.

Specialist knives featured in the 2017 action thriller film 6 Days based on the 1980 SAS Iranian Embassy siege in London and starring Jamie Bell. Abbie Cornish, Mark Strong and Martin Shaw. The knives were extremely authentic in the movie as J Adams still receives regular orders from the SAS for them.

Alongside the MoD and the SAS, the company’s knives are widely used elsewhere, and crates stacked from floor to ceiling within the warren-like cavern of the factory are overflowing with products, which Heathcote can quickly refer to a purpose for.

“Because we regularly get some large bulky orders, with a quick turnaround time, we need to hold a lot of stock. We can’t just manufacture products as the orders come in, as we wouldn’t be able to keep ahead of ourselves,” he says.

Picking products off the shelves at random, he continues: “This one’s used by the Navy and the RAF; this one’s used in the catering trade; this one’s used for taking the flesh off deer; this one’s used by butchers; this one’s used by the Mexican police; and this one’s used by a historical drama group re-enacting the story of American settlers.”

Are there any applications which the company’s knives aren’t used for?

“Over the years, it’s fair to say that we’ve been asked for some detailed, individual and specific products. We were even asked to heat treat a knife for Clint Eastwood once.

"More often than not we have the skills, knowledge and machinery to put our hands to anything. However, a few years ago we were asked if we could manufacture the specialist knives for Stella which scrape the froth from the top of pint of lager. We had to turn this down as it was too specialised and technical.”

History remains at the heart of the company. J Adams Ltd (Sheffield Knives) is a family business which has manufactured knives for six generations. It’s the parent company for three other old established Sheffield manufacturers FE & JR Hopkinson Ltd; Austin McGillivray& Co; and John Nowill & Sons Ltd, whose corporate name was granted by the CutlersCompany of Hallamshire on April 27, 1700 and is the longest established trademark in thecity.

And in amongst its trusted machinery is a Victorian frame linishing machine which is used for polishing and operated by a foot pedal.

Heathcote concludes: “The fact that so much of our machinery dates back in time is testament to its quality. Why invest in modern technology when the old equipment is so trusted and dependable?

“The Victorian linishing machine is one of the oldest pieces of active kit in the country. As long as it’s safe, and meets our requirements, we’ll continue using it.”