Good Afternoon I hope this message finds you all well. As I know nothing about Heraldry but have an interest in history I'm wondering if you could help me out? I have recently inherited a pocket knife from my grandfather. This was passed to him from my grandmother who in turn inherited it from her mother. The knife belonged to a gentleman named Sam Walker and the only knowledge I have of Sam is that he was a cloth merchant or was involved in Textiles at the later end of the Industrial Revolution and lived in a house at the corner of Stanley Road/Wilmslow Road in Handforth Manchester (A Best Western hotel is now situated on this site, and was formerly the hallmark hotel and The Belfry. Whether the house was named Belfry when Sam occupied there I am unsure. The knife was gifted to my great grandmother for her years of service as a maid at his home, along with a Japanese vase. The knife is intricately carved and features his signature embossed on the back, with an embossed rose design on the front. However it also features a coat of arms, or what appears to be a coat of arms, though this has faded somewhat.l and was once painted gold on black. I've tried searching the internet for similar coats of arms but I cannot find anything like it anywhere. I'm wondering if anybody has ever seen this design? Or if there is anyone who can decipher it and tell me what it means. I'm trying my best to research more on Sam and I will post any updates I find. Any help is hugely appreciated as I'm trying to research the history of the knife and of course Sam 'Pops' Walker himself.
