Home/Makers/George Wostenholm (I*XL)
The maker's archive

George Wostenholm (I*XL) razors.

George Wostenholm is the firm behind the I*XL and IXL stamps, one of the most collectible English makes. The dating key here is not the trademark but the factory address: Rockingham Works up to 1847, and Washington Works from 1847 onwards. The firm’s own founding date is less useful, because it gives two different answers.

Country
UK
Active since
Coverage
1760–1991 · 3 code systems
Dating tier
Codes only
In the archive
0 series · 3 code systems · 1 models
Years documented
1760–1991
Eras
to 1847

Rockingham Works

The first works, and the razors of this era are placed by the address rather than by anything on the blade.

1847 onwards

Washington Works

From 1847 the firm works out of Washington Works, and the I*XL stamp runs through the whole later history of the make.

What dates this maker
Watch out
  • The factory address is almost never stamped on the razor, so in practice the dating evidence is thinner than the address chronology suggests.
  • The firm gives two different founding years, 1745 and 1785, and the reference work quotes an admission that the precise date of its founding is unknown. One printed span, from about 1694 to 1847 for the first works, is incompatible with the founder birth year and is recorded rather than repeated as a fact.
  • The I*XL stamp spans the whole modern history of the firm and does not narrow anything by itself.
Code systems in this archive
George Wostenholm (I*XL) — stamps, I*XL, two works (Rockingham → Washington Works)1797 → at least 1991 · 6 rows · Medium confidence
Country mark (lower bound, NOT a year)the requirement applies from 1 March 1891 (Tariff Act of 1890, also known as the McKinley Tariff) · 2 rows · High confidence
Grind, spine, scales, etching — era markers of a straight razor1700s → mid-1900s · 16 rows · Low confidence
Model catalogue

1 George Wostenholm (I*XL) models are catalogued with their production years, specs and safety notes.

Browse the models →
Frequently asked
Does I*XL mean a year?

No. I*XL, or IXL, is the Wostenholm trademark rather than a code, and it was used across the firm long production history. The address eras and the country mark are what bound a razor here.

Compiled from 50 published sources — the source library.