Farlows fly rod

[OldAngler]

I have acquired a Farlows fly rod, clearly very old,with the name SEXTILE, or SEXLET or SEXLEE on it. The butt cap clearly shows the Farlows name and the number 5893. See photos.

It has Hardy style 'lockfast' ferrules. My understanding is that Farlows was, and is, a retailer and not a manufacturer of tackle. Did Hardy make rods for Farlows?

Any information on this rod will be welcome. Can anyone shed any light for me?

Thank you in advance.
Old Angler

[Rod Fisher]

I have acquired a Farlows fly rod, clearly very old,with the name SEXTILE, or SEXLET or SEXLEE on it. The butt cap clearly shows the Farlows name and the number 5893. See photos.

Any information on this rod will be welcome. Can anyone shed any light for me?

Thank you in advance.
Old Angler

It says SEXTILE (1/6th of a circle). Circa 1920s.

[Harry H]

I have acquired a Farlows fly rod, clearly very old,with the name SEXTILE, or SEXLET or SEXLEE on it. The butt cap clearly shows the Farlows name and the number 5893. See photos.

It has Hardy style 'lockfast' ferrules. My understanding is that Farlows was, and is, a retailer and not a manufacturer of tackle. Did Hardy make rods for Farlows?

Any information on this rod will be welcome. Can anyone shed any light for me?

Thank you in advance.
Old Angler

If you have the original rod bag the label can give you clues to its date

[OldAngler]

Rod Fisher,
Thank you so much. That is very helpful.
Old Angler

[OldAngler]

Hello Harry H,
Sorry, I don't have the original bag, or any bag.

Regards,
Old Angler

[Harry H]

It looks like the Sextile was quite a long lived rod as it appears in my 1911 & 93rd edition which is circ 1938.
The Lockfast ferrule was invented by J.J.S.Walker, he registered the patent but didn't pay the sealing fee so I guess it was left open so I would assume anyone could use them until Hardy registered a claim them at a later date.

[Rod Fisher]

It looks like the Sextile was quite a long lived rod as it appears in my 1911 & 93rd edition which is circ 1938.

I have found an advert for it from 1910, and suspect that may be roughly when it was introduced.
In 1925 "West Country" (Major Kenneth Dawson) described it as his favourite low water sea trout and salmon rod.

"My favourite is a “Sextile,’’ made by Farlow’s, and for sea-trout fishing and for salmon in low water, it is, to my mind, ideal."

[Rod Fisher]

It looks like the Sextile was quite a long lived rod as it appears in my 1911 & 93rd edition which is circ 1938.
The Lockfast ferrule was invented by J.J.S.Walker, he registered the patent but didn't pay the sealing fee so I guess it was left open so I would assume anyone could use them until Hardy registered a claim them at a later date.

Walker's unsealed 1910 patent applies to lockfast-type ferrules with a freely rotating sleeve (like Wal's rod here).

Hardy's patent 6102 of 1897 looks to be the nearest one (see fig. 4, on page 52 of "To Catch a Fisherman") but on closer inspection that too appears to have a freely rotating sleeve.

Hardy appears to have been using spiral lockfast ferrules from around 1881; here's an advert mentioning them from that year.