Hi

Just found all this stuff about Sheffield knives on the Indexers site.

http://www.parfilex.cz/noze/shef/shef.htm

Can anyone read Czech?!

cant read czech but i do know the sheffield firms mentioned are world famous for their knives

wolstenhomes actually made six knives for james bowie,there was a book about the company in the local library and a photograph in it of the letter james bowie sent to them requesting the knives, and giving the size and dimentions he wanted them making to.

Is that the Bowie at the Alamo?

Hi There,
I use to work at George Ibbersons in the 70s.
It was based at Pitsmoor and Rockingham street .
The Pitsmoor building made scissors and the Rockingham street building made knives.
Then we were all moved to Scotland Street and joined in to one.

tara

I remember visiting their factory in about 1980. Did they also make cutlery? We saw some being made by hand in what was a very old-fashioned workshop. But this could have been a different factory. Kevin.

Originally posted by Grantham
Is that the Bowie at the Alamo? the very same

Here's the way I translate it:

Sheffield – the town of knives and steel.

Cutlers already were in Sheffield from the end of 15 century and thanks their knives this town was eternized. If you mention somewhere in the world about the town Sheffield the automatical answer will be at the moment „steeel“ and „cutlery“. There is the article about one of a famous cutlery branche in Sheffield which it survived with bigger or smaller scars to this days. It is a group of cutlery firms which function under a head GEORGE IBBERLON Ltd. as a membre of holding EGGINTON GROUP OF COMPANIES. George Ibberton Ltd. associate these 5 cutlery marks.

. RODGERS – WOSTENHOLM Ltd.,
. JOSEPH RODGERS a SONS Ltd.,
. GEORGE WOSTENHOLM a SON Ltd.,
. JOHN CLARKE a SON,
. WILLIAM RODGERS.

Joseph Rodgers a Sons Ltd.

The best known of them for sure is the firm Joseph Rodgers a Sons Ltd. /1/

TRADE * + MARK
GRANTED 1682 Pict. 1

The history of this firm is in principle a history of cutlery industry i Sheffield. The family of Rodgers was cutlers min. 300 years. The worldwide trade mark (pict. 1) was licensed by Cutlers Company (The Cutlers Company in Hallamshire) in 1682 to John Rodgers. In 1730 the firm was composed of two men, the brothers Maurice and Joseph Rodgers, their place of work was in Hollis Croft. In the same year they moved to Sycamore Street but as the trade increased (grew) they bought other adjacent buildings till house block bordered Norfolk street, Milk Street, Sycamore Street and Flat Streeet was their possession. Space of houses with accesories were totally rebuilded (the last adjustments were made in 1869). The georgeous and impressive face of building in Norfolk Street and a space of houses with accesorie are without question the most compakt and the most comprehensive classic cutlers operation (business) over all the world. Glorious trade mark „orb(star) and maltese cros“ was in 1764 converted to both brothers and anything was in the way to their cutlers success. At first the firm produced mainly knives (cutters) for form goose-quilts for writing pens (pen-knifes) (pict.2).

Pict.2
So-called pen-knives by Joseph Rodgers (1775) from so-called „crucible“ steel which made possible the production of the excellent, sharp and stable edges (Weston Park Museum).

In 1800 the firm superadded to its product of goods kitchen knives more and a few year later it started a production of scissors. In 1814 the company assumed the name Joseph Rodgers a Sons. It is the name which is honourable to this time, the name which is a synonym of the excellent products in the sphere of cutlery. Another significant terminus for the firm Joseph Rodgers a Sons is 1822 when it was promouted to Cutles to Her Majestry. Shortly after this honour granted to them a swedish king also so they could use both honours. In 1822 Rodgers‘ made well-known YEAR KNIFE (pict. 3)


Pict. 3
The Year Knife (Stanley Tools)

which is composed of 1822 of edges whereas every year they always added one another piece till 1950 when they had to finished the production from technical reason. The contemporary owners of trade mark Joseph Rodgers YEAR KNIFE partialy renovated.

In 1825 the firm Joseph Rodgers a Sons opened a show room for sale their products. They had not any privileged position at that time. This experiment was very successful, there was a reason for opening the next two ones - today we should said (so called) sale by sample in 1862. From among goods on view the famous YEAR KNIFE was situated. „A work with this georgeous exibition is very difficult. Only an attempt to cleanup and once more arranging more than 1950 of edges would take nearly 2 weeks a huge effort for one man. At this present time, at this century it would be very expensive to be every knife overall burnished (shined)“ Mr. Taylor says in /1/. YEAR KNIFE you can see today at the exposition at the foyer Stanley Tools in Shefield.

A more bigger treasure is so-called NORFOLK KNIFE which was made by a craftsman cutler called Bamforth (pict. 4).

Pict.4.
The Norfolk knife made by Rodgers for Great Exibition. After year 1878 it was placed (situated) at Norfolk Works and only in exceptional cases it was impartationed (lent) and a.g. in 1935 for the exibition to Army a Navy shops in London. When the firm Rodgers got into troubles in 60th year The Norfolk Knife was auction off at a salesroom Sotheby by the famous firm Cooper Bros. which it exposes its at Cutlers‘ Hall, Sheffield.

Taylor at/1/ says with exaggeration that every lover of knives would stand at attention and to salute in front of this man. So perfect NORFOLK KNIFE is which it is incomprehensible to present producers of knives over all the world. Bamforth dedicated his effort 2 years of his life to create a monumental masterpiece creation. Norfolk Knife was without disputate the star of cutlery exibition The Great Exibition at Crystal palace, London 1851. Taylor at /1/ describes this knife by means of quotation from the same origin which a writer of this article /2/ has in hand. „On steel edges is etched her Majestry, Princ Conssort, president of the United States and views to Windsor castle and the other king residences, american The White House, Catsworth House, Haddon Hall and the other interesting places. The handles are graved from pearl and they picture hunting of wild-boars on the one side and hunting of deers on the second side. Flank of edges are excellent bossed and globally it is one of the most beautiful specimens made in Sheffield“. The Norfolk Knife was exposed in Paris and in New York. Today there is this knife exibited at its all beauty at Muniment Room at Cutlers Hall in Church Street in Sheffield.

In /2/ (article) is indicated (I remaind that it is 1871 – a note of the writer). „At the present time this firm has about 1700 employees who are purpose-trained on the high end (high level?) and who are making about 5000 dozen of kitchen settings weekly, 1200 dozen of razors and 1200 dozen of scissors… The firm has its office center and a storage area in Cullumn Street, Frenchurch Street in London but in New York, Montreal and New Orleans too. There are basic market places in The U.S.A., South Amerika, Canada, Australia, South Africa and West India, but of course there is a plentiful domestic sale too. Qquantum of trade with Amerika is huge. In 1870 the firm sent over 10 tonnes cutlery goods there. Ther is not any mention about the trade with Europe.

From 1871 the trade was increasing much more and so the territory which the firm had at disposal have not be sufficient. Approximately 1880 the firm Rodgers moved to Sheaf Island Works at Pond Hill to establish the factory here. It has still keeped the glorious adrress in Norfolk Street No. 6. Exibition rooms (sale by sample shops) were opened for public in 1882 and became so-called „must see“ place in England. At /6/ at table of main sheffield cutlery firms according to count of emloyees from 1890 the firm Rodgers fills sovereinghly the 1st place (2000) the 2nd place placed the firm Walker a Hall with 800 employees. This year the famous era (period) of sheffield cutlery finishes. Mr. Levine even claims that „Joseph Rodgers a Sons were in the 19th century the best known cutlery firm over all the world.