Recently I have had the fortune of acquiring a couple of vintage brushes made by Titterton. Originally I just assumed these were a private label brush made by Simpson, Kent or Rooney, and they very well may be, but it does appear that Titterton was a well established luxury brush manufacturer over a long span of time. According to the decal, the company was established in 1810 but the earliest mention I could find is listings in various journals and registries from 1853-4. The first published advertisement I could find was from another trade magazine in 1885, though the company name now shows as Titterton and Howard, shown here: https://books.google.com/books?id=6...A#v=onepage&q=titterton shaving brush&f=false. Finally and probably the most relevant find relating to my brushes, is this excerpt from Doris Woodall's 1959 book, A Short History of the House of Kent, "In 1940 the entire brush making business of Titterton and Howard Ltd., established 1812, was purchased which, as a subsidiary of Kent's, now markets household brushes..."
I have also found a few reference on the various forums, due to the rules I will only share those found here at B&B:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/200693-Olde-English-Butterscotch
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/117796-ever-seen-a-Titterton
There are a few mentions in the Butterscotch Eye Candy thread as well as a few others.
My two Tittertons:
The brush on the left was obviously thoroughly enjoyed by it's previous owner and is in fair condition but retains a remnant of its original decal along with an engraving of "Badger" and a model on the back that I wasn't able to read (will do a little more thorough analysis once I have gotten it cleaned up). The brush on the right does not appear to have been used much, if at all, and does have a couple of engravings: one appears to be WK2C and the other is probably also Badger, but will need some magnifying assistance to confirm. The knots both measure 20mm in diameter and 44mm loft. The knot on the right appears to be of very high quality and I can't wait for the chance to use it for a shave. These brushes are obviously from the post-Kent buyout as both the model number and use of modern resin handle stock would indicate. I can't find when Kent stopped producing brushes labeled under the Titterton brand, but maybe could get that information from the horses mouth.
If anybody else has a Titterton brush or information to share I would encourage you to add it here.
I have also found a few reference on the various forums, due to the rules I will only share those found here at B&B:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/200693-Olde-English-Butterscotch
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/117796-ever-seen-a-Titterton
There are a few mentions in the Butterscotch Eye Candy thread as well as a few others.
My two Tittertons:
The brush on the left was obviously thoroughly enjoyed by it's previous owner and is in fair condition but retains a remnant of its original decal along with an engraving of "Badger" and a model on the back that I wasn't able to read (will do a little more thorough analysis once I have gotten it cleaned up). The brush on the right does not appear to have been used much, if at all, and does have a couple of engravings: one appears to be WK2C and the other is probably also Badger, but will need some magnifying assistance to confirm. The knots both measure 20mm in diameter and 44mm loft. The knot on the right appears to be of very high quality and I can't wait for the chance to use it for a shave. These brushes are obviously from the post-Kent buyout as both the model number and use of modern resin handle stock would indicate. I can't find when Kent stopped producing brushes labeled under the Titterton brand, but maybe could get that information from the horses mouth.
If anybody else has a Titterton brush or information to share I would encourage you to add it here.
Last edited:
