shruff brass

1) Old or broken metal that might be converted into weapons.

A term first recorded in an Act passed in1541-2 which prohibited the export of Shroffe Metal into any parte … beyond the Sea, that is old or broken metal that might be converted into weapons. In later contexts, the inference is that it was usually old brass or copper. In 1709, a Sheffield cutler called Joseph Webster had some Shruff brass in his inventory, valued at ten shillings.

places Sheffield
dates 1709

Related Content Loading...

Photo by Kreuzschnabel CC BY-SA 3.0