I'm trying to do a project and need some names/ info on some Victorian Sheffield 'big wigs'.

Anyone out there able to help? I've done a few net searches and failed!!

Have a look round the General Cemetary (whats left of it), thats were all the rich Victorians are.

Like Mark Firth

http://www.gencem.org/explore/residents/firth.html

I would suggest (though I am prepared to be corrected)

The Besemer guy who inveted the steel thingy
John Ruskin
thingy Mapin, who built the art gallery

(sorry names are not my strong point)

Other "residents"

http://www.gencem.org/explore/residents/index.html

have a look at picturesheffield.com. Stick 'steel' into your search, and see what comes out!

Thanks - I'll give it a go.... here's hoping!

I think you might need to be more creative in the way you search. I have traced my family history - all of it in Sheffield - back to the 1740s. I have done all of it on the net. You might like to try some of the following sites:

http://www.sheffgens.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
http://www.sheffieldmarkets.co.uk
http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~exy
http://www.spick.co.uk
http://www.omnesamici.co.uk/schooldayMemoriesPre20thCentury.html
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~exy1/fh_material/reminiscences_5.html
http://www.historicaldirectories.org

The last one is particulalry useful for what you are doing. It lists all the genntry, businesses and trades for certain dates in history. You can use it to locate people or to look at the development of various peoples lives or trades

Also if you can find pages on the Poor Law Societies operating at the time you will know who all the rich benefactors were
See below
http://www.institutions.org.uk/