The Sinews of War – Benjamin Stone and the Hounslow Sword Factory


Howard Simmons to give online talk hosted by two local history societies

Hounslow sword given to Duke of Gloucester, 1932Hounslow sword given to Duke of Gloucester, 1932. Picture: BCLHS

April 15, 2023

A free online talk organised jointly by the Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society and the Hounslow & District History Society is to be held this Monday 17 April at 7.30pm.

It will be on the subject of ‘The Sinews of War – Benjamin Stone and the Hounslow Sword Factory’.

This illustrated talk will be given by Howard Simmons, a member of both Brentford & Chiswick LHS and the Hounslow and District LHS, and also of the Arms and Armour Society and the Company of Military Historians. It is a 17th century story about an entrepreneurial cutler who became sword-maker to King James I. He established Hounslow Heath as a centre of weapons manufacture for the Royalist armies of King Charles I and then for Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarian armies during the Civil Wars.

There will be no charge to join this event, but you must reserve your place via Ticket Tailor – your ticket will provide the Zoom joining details.

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.