Late 19th century Sampson, Mordan & Co. propelling and other pencils

Sampson Mordan (1770 - 1843) was apprenticed to John Bramah who invented an "unpickable" lock, and at the age of 45, established his own business with a partner, John Hawkins in London in 1815.

In 1822, they patented a "metal pencil with an internal mechanism for propelling the graphite 'lead' shaft forward during use", now known as the propelling pencil.

The following year, Mordan then bought out Hawkins, and entered into a business partnership with Gabriel Riddle, a wealthy stationer.

The partnership between Mordan and Riddle was dissolved in 1836 and the company continued to be run by Sampson Mordan alone more... .

Sampson Mordan died in 1843 and the business passed to his sons Sampson Junior, and Augustus and there were further changes in ownership, until the business was converted to a limited liability company in 1898 operating under the name S. Mordan & Co Ltd.

As well as propelling pencils, they manufactured patent locks, cedar pencils, pens, pencil holders, pin cushions, perfume bottles, vestas, inkstands, letter balances, copying and seal presses and fire proof cash and deed boxes, and the firm supplied novelty silver articles to many retailers including Asprey & Sons & the Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd.

Various whimsical patterns were introduced for their propelling pencils including pig and boar-shaped pencils, and horse heads, dogs, cats, fish, frogs and owls, and between 1820 and 1873, more than 160 patents were filed for various mechanical pencil designs.

The company ceased trading in 1941 following destruction of their factory by enemy bombing. less...

Graphite was discovered and came into widespread use for writing following the discovery of a large deposit in Borrowdale, England in 1564. It made a darker line than lead, but was soft and brittle, and required a holder.

The graphite sticks were firstly wrapped in string, but later the graphite was inserted into hollowed wooden sticks the resultant pencil being similar to those in use today.

Britain soon lost its monopoly on production of wooden pencils and they were mass-produced in Germany from the 15th century. In the mid 16th century a number of German pencil manucturers were established more... whose trade names are still in use today, including Faber-Castell, Steadtler and Lyra.

In 1822, Sampson Mordan (1770 - 1843) with his partner, John Hawkins patented a "metal pencil with an internal mechanism for propelling the graphite 'lead' shaft forward during use", now known as the propelling pencil.

This meant that the casing could now be metal, most commonly gold or silver, which had appeal to the increasingly affluent middle and upper classes in Britain in the 19th century.

Various whimsical patterns were introduced for their propelling pencils including pig and boar-shaped pencils, and horse heads, dogs, cats, fish, frogs and owls.

In Britain between 1820 and 1873, more than 160 patents were filed by the company for various mechanical pencil designs. The first spring-loaded mechanical pencil was patented in 1877 and a twist-feed mechanism was developed in 1895.

Some mechanical pencils only hold the graphite in position against gravity, while others are able to feed the lead through the pencil, as it wears down.

There are various mechanisms used to feed the lead through the pencil, including ratchet-based pencils in which the lead is advanced by a button on the end or the side; screw-based pencils in which the lead is advanced by twisting a screw, which moves a slider down the barrel and twist-based pencils in which the lead is advanced by twisting the head of the pencil.

Mechanical pencils are still in demand today by architects, draughtsmen and artists. less...