Cutlery means ‘that which cuts’, and can be anything from pocket knives to scissors, ice skates and scythes.
The first reference to cutlery made in Sheffield was in 1297 when the hearth tax records include Robertus le Coteler – Robert the Cutler.
By the 1600s, the city was the second-largest producer of cutlery production in England.
Take a look at these retro pictures from some of the old cutlery factories.
1. knife grinding at Kelham Island
Rowland Swinden knife grinding at Kelham Island Industrial Museum, 1987. Ref no u04166 Photo: Picture Sheffield
2. Advertisement
Advertisement and knife by George Wostenholm and Son Ltd., cutlery manufacturers, Washington Works, No. 97 Wellington Street. Ref no u04045 Photo: Picture Sheffield
3. Pocket-knife maker
Stan Shaw, Sheffield’s pre-eminent pocket-knife maker who died March 2021. Picture taken in 1991. Ref no v02259 Photo: Picture Sheffield
4. Stainless steel table knives
Stainless steel table knives produced by Harrison Fisher and Co., Sheffield, 1920s-30s. Ref no v02206 Photo: Picture Sheffield