Shelley

[woody 73]

Oh not as exciting as vintage destroyed tools, or show me your old cannons, or even boat anchor vises, but a good vintage tool story for you on this nice cold night in November.

Robert Samuel Thomas Shelley, ( R.T. Shelley) was born on June the 5th, 1877 at Dodcott-***-Wilksley, Nantwich, the son of John Weston Shelley and his wife Elizabeth Cartwright.

In 1903 he was married in Birmingham to Edith Mary Hulley.

He died on April the 4th,1927 at the Haven, Stubbington, Crofton.


In 1908 the Norton company (maker of motorcycles) was bought by Bob Shelley who owned R.T. Shelley, an automotive accessories manufacturing business. From my understanding it was James Norton the brains, but without Shelley there probably would not have been a Norton motorcycle company.

In 1913 James Norton was forced into liquidation.

In 1916 the Shelley company moved to Phillips street, Aston.

In 1926 Bill Mansell moved from R.T. Shelley to take over the Norton management and the new name was Norton Motors (1926) Ltd.

In 1953 AMC acquired Norton including its wholly-owned subsidiary R.T. Shelley.

In 1961 General Engineers manufacturing tools and components for automobiles and manufactures of lifting jacks.

As always some very nice links and some very nice picture for you to look over tonight; I so hope you like the story.

http://www.classic-british-car-jacks.uk/shelley_jacks.htm

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/R._T._Shelley

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Robert_Samuel_Thomas_Shelley

https://cybermotorcycle.com/marques/norton/rt-shelley.htm

http://www.vintagenorton.com/2011/03/shelleys-and-norton-history.html

http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2014/06/shelley-wrenches.html?m=1

 

[Farmer J.]

Good story, Woody.
I have some Shelley tools in my 'old spanner box'.

 

[RubiconJK]

Interesting, thanks. Who knew?!

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: another interesting tool company story.

so RT Shelley died when he was 40 years old. granted long living was not the norm back in the mid 20's, but 40 seems awfully young. how did he die?

i've never spent much time riding motorcycles, but i have heard of NORTON and from what I recall it's quality was up there at or near the top.

have a great weekend!!

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: i'm not sure if you knew or didn't know when i asked the question, but after reading several pages and googling more i found out that R.T. Shelley died of cancer at age 40.

I appreciate you starting threads and posting up some good information, but to keep a thread moving you need to be a bit more active in it either adding more pictures, commenting on member's questions or just let the thread be a piece of history and information source.

do you own or drive a NORTON BIKE? or have more tools other than a wrench? any more pics?

 

[driftpin]

In the late 1960's I believe the Norton 750 was the fastest bike on the market. It won accolades in the British bike industry several years in a row. The Triumph Trident displaced the Norton as the fastest stock bike about 1968, which lasted only months, as Honda released the 1969 SOHC 750-4. The Kawasaki 500 Mach III was the two-stroke three-cylinder also released in 1969, and its acceleration was phenomenal for the time. Those four-strokes had more top-end, though.

I once had an opportunity to own a Norton 750 in apparently good condition, back in the early 1980's, but I passed. I know Peter Egan, the car and bike journalist, likes the Norton Commandos, though one of his first published articles was about his failed trip on a brand-new Commando trying to reach the West Coast and return to Wisconsin, packing double with his wife, Barb. When the bike gave-up the ghost, no quick/easy fix available, they continued on using public transportation, and they shipped the broken Norton back-to Wisconsin.

If you were a motorcycle enthusiast in the 1960's and early 1970's, before Norton stopped business in the USA, you probably fondly-recall the "Norton women," the models who graced their print ads in the motorcycle magazines, finding their way onto the walls of many enthusiasts of the time, even-if they didn't own a Norton.

In honor of the Nortons of times-past, here is a tribute to their advertising.

 

[tombell572]

As a rider, collector and restorer of British motorcycles, I appreciate you filling in some blanks about Norton. Your posts are always interesting, Woody.

Tom B.

 

[d42jeep]

It took a couple of days but I finally located my only Shelley wrench for some pictures. I expected it to be Whitworth but it’s not.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Great info and story woody.

 

[Provincial]

I picked up a couple of British spinners Sunday. The lower one appears to say "SHELLEY" on it. I think is is sized for 3/8" Whitworth.

The T on the bottom also seems to be for 3/8" Whitworth, and the only markings I can find on it is "S2502".

The top spinner says "PENNANT" and "BRITISH MADE". It seems to have a 13/16" hex opening.

 

[MisterEd]

hope you like the story.

A fine Story!

Shelley Open-End

 

[four.cycle]

Thanks Woody!

Shelley / Shelley Co., Ashton, Birmingham / wrench / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/shelley.434827/ / https://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2014/06/shelley-wrenches.html / https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/R._T._Shelley / https://cybermotorcycle.com/marques/norton/rt-shelley.htm /

 

[930dreamer]

I just cleaned an open ended wrench I found.

 

[Targa68]

A small Shelley Open-End, same as Mr. Ed's above.
Unfortunately this have been roughly cleaned so only spots of the black paint remains on the side of the wrench.
Apart from "SHELLEY" and "BRITISH MADE" it is marked with the sizes; 3/16W 1/4BSF and 1/8W 3/16BSF

I believe these could have been part of a tool kit, for Norton or other motorcycles or cars?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Shelley pliers and wrenches from a norton tool roll. One is an interesting sort of 2 in one deal.