Picked up another pairing chisel last weekend, but cant make out the makers name. Any help would be appreciated. Its 1 1/2 inches wide, blade is 10 1/4 long.
According to Grace's Guide ( http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Aaron_Hildick ) it was the other way around. Aaron Hildick absorbed Henry Taylor and a couple of other firms some time before 1945. Perhaps they chose to rebrand the company using the Henry Taylor name post war - maybe it just sounded a bit more modern; I seem to recall reading that in Ashley Iles' memoirs, but after a rummage through the book earlier, I can't find the reference again.
As to the age of the chisel in question, the use of the Aaron Hildick name suggests pre-1950 (or whenever they rebranded). Maybe between the wars?
Pretty damn close, though! Given that the Henry Taylor brand is very much still with us, and Aaron Hildick isn't, yours was ar a pretty sensible assumption.
I wonder if the firm of Aaron Hildick still exists, and is just 'trading as' Henry Taylor?
"Aaron Hildick Ltd was based in Sheffield, the family had moved there from Walsall after Aarons marriage to Elizabeth Dukes. He founded the family firm together with his nephew Robert (1853), the son of Sarah Hildick who was Aaron and Elizabeth Hildicks eldest child.
Robert took over the firm when Aaron died in the late 1800’s although I have not yet found his date of death. The firm seems to have passed down this line through Roberts family, principally to Ernest Thornton, husband of his daughter Beatrice. Ernest died in 1940 and was sold to another company at the end of WW2. The firm produced very high quality blades for woodworking under the brand name “Diamic”, a name which exists today. The company was allied to Henry Taylor Ltd in 1948 and in 1974 the company became Henry Taylor Ltd (proprietor Aaron Hildick). In 1974 it became Henry Taylor (Tools) Ltd incorporating Aaron Hildick. The company is still in business, situated on Lowther Street in Sheffield and is one of the few firms still producing tools which largely depend upon the manual skills of the workforce."