Wee cawed them the Rob Sorby’s cos they yuised shairp impliments like saws, n chissels, n aixes o steel what made them tae be feared.

Hail wids o oor kin, the size o a shire, wid come doon in a day.

An tho they built empires that lasted generations, fur them, monie o us live longer than onie empire, an wiv nivir forgot.

Aw that wiz back in the day when your lot ran aboot naked an hairy wi tusks in yer mooth.

But even noo, lang efter the end o the muckle warming that saw them aff, we still canni sleep, even in winter.

Oot o fear. Fear o them that are no longer here.

Translate:

Rab, Rob: short for Robert. Used in combinations: Rob Boy – tomboy; Robbie Cuddie; the wren; Rabbie Dye – enthusiastic person for Hawick and in particular their rugby team; Rab-Ha – a glutton; Robbie Scattan – the Fulmar; Rob Sorby – jocular name for any sharp edged metal tools – from Rob Sorby a renowned Sheffield edge-tool manufacturer.

We called them the Rob Sorby’s because they used sharp edged implements like saws, and chisels, and axes of steel which made them to be feared.

Whole woods of our fellows, the size of a county, would be felled in one day.

And although they built empires that lasted generations, for them, many of us lived a life longer than any empire, and we have never forgotten.

All that was back in the distant past when your people ran about naked and hairy with tusks in your mouth grubbing up acorns.

But even now, long after the end of the great warming that saw them become extinct, we still cannot sleep, even in winter.

Out of fear. Fear of them that are no longer here.

′rɑb sɑrbe
The Scottish Word: Rob Sorby with its definition and its meaning illustrated and captioned with the word used in context in the Scots language and in English.

Rob Sorby.

The company still exists today and still produced high quality edged metal tools.

The history of the company is interesting and helped establish the reputation of Sheffield as a quality producer of cutlery. You can read about it here.