William Richard Retford

William Richard Retford (1899–1960) was an English bow maker and the son of the celebrated Hill craftsman William Charles Retford. He entered the bow-making department of W. E. Hill & Sons in London in 1919, where he trained directly under his father and was known within the workshop as “young Bill.”

Working within the highly organized Hill workshop, Retford produced bows in the established ...Read More house style developed by his father and Alfred Hill. His work consequently reflects the characteristic Hill combination of French-inspired modelling with the robust traditions of earlier English bow making. As with most Hill craftsmen, his bows normally bear the W. E. Hill & Sons brand rather than his own name; examples made by William Richard can be identified by his workshop mark of two dots.

Although inevitably overshadowed by his father’s exceptional reputation, William Richard was a capable craftsman in his own right. A significant part of his work at Hills appears to have involved bow repair and maintenance as well as new making, and consequently his identifiable production is considerably smaller than that of William Charles. He remained associated with the Hill firm for much of his working life and died in London in 1960, ten years before his father. Read Less

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