This is an update from posts in September 2020, July 2022 and August 2024. There has since been another updated post in January 2026.
Keith Fisher, a north east historian, having researched sword making for many years has published his research in a fascinating book about the German Sword-Smiths in Shotley Bridge.
Keith explains:
“A request from my friend Yvonne Young (who is a local historian, lecturer and publisher of books on North Eastern heritage) to suggest a topic she can use at men’s clubs and associations, prompted me to give her David Richardson’s famous book on the German swordmakers of Shotley Bridge.
As I attempted to precis the book for her, and studied others like it, I realised this was a huge story that can finally be fully researched given modern information access.
As the story grew it became obvious there were all the ingredients for a TV documentary and I pursued my research with this end in view. None-the-less, the story makes a splendid local history book; so while we wait for TV production to resume, I have converted my research into just such a narrative.
Ultimately, it will end up as a national companion publication to the TV documentary, but until then I am making it freely available to all interested parties, in particular the residents of the Derwent Valley.”
Since first published nearly 4 years ago the book has had many substantial updates and is now paginated with a table of contents and extensive addenda.
[Note: The original title of the book was “The Sword in the Hat” – Shotley Bridge and the Bushy Tailed Fox.]
Keith has kindly given the Village Trust permission to post a .pdf version of his book, as a free download.
Either scroll through the image below or download the file to read.
Note: This version of the book was updated in June 2025, to include a new section at the rear and augmented/amended narrative.
Shotley Bridge Village Trust 
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