Thomas Staniforth & Co. was a sickle, scythe and tool smiths based in Hackenthorpe, Sheffield, England. The company was founded by Thomas Staniforth in 1743 and operated out of workshops located on Main Street, Hackenthorpe until it was closed during the 1980s and its assets incorporated into Spear & Jackson. The company was known for its Severquick brand of gardening tools. [1]
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the brooks around Hackenthorpe and the neighboring villages of Eckington, Mosborough, Ridgeway, Ford contained a number of grinding wheels used for the sharpening of Sickles and scythes. In fact there is even documented evidence showing the Staniforth family itself was involved in sickle smithing in the 17th century in Ford. Prior to moving to the Eckington parish, this particular line of Staniforths can be found in the neighbouring parish of Norton. William Staniforth was baptized at St. James on 28 October 1560 to Henry Staniforth (Henrici Stannyforthe), a farmer at The Herdings. William married Elizabeth Thorpe and had several offspring, including a son William, baptised 16 September 1607. William married Elizabeth Hodgson. Elizabeth died giving birth to a son William, baptised at Eckington on 22 February 1640; William would go on to remarry Dorothy Monk, whilst their son was apprenticed to his grandfather, Richard Hodgson at Jordanthorpe. The family then split with the young William Staniforth moving to Hackenthorpe and his half siblings staying in the Eckington area to form other lines of Sickle smithing lines. William had a number of children in Hackenthorpe including Samuel. Thomas Staniforth (1721–1776), the son of Samuel Staniforth operated a number of wheels along the Shire Brook. One notable wheel can still be found in the Shire Brook Valley Local Nature Reserve and is known as the Nether Wheel. [2]
In 1743 Thomas Staniforth along with brothers John (1723–1795) and William (1706–1773) decided to set up a purpose-built workshop on Main Street, Hackenthorpe. Building began in 1740 with the workshops coming into full operation in 1743. Although the family was actively selling tools under their unique makers mark, it wasn't until the 1870s that the name Thomas Staniforth & Co. came into use. The company passed down through the generations, first to Thomas' son Thomas Staniforth II (1756–1808), then to Thomas Staniforth III (1785–1847), then Thomas Staniforth IV (1810–1873) before finally going to Thomas' son William Staniforth (1840–1900). The company successfully had contracts to sell their tools in various countries including Russia, Ireland and other mainlane European countries. The only competition the business faced in the area was the Hutton & Co. works which operated in nearby Ridgeway, Derbyshire.
By the time William Staniforth took control, the tool trade was moving to machine based manufacture rather than hand smithing, and for the first time an outside partner was brought in to run the company. John Hibbard (1846–1923) of a prominent family from Woodhouse, Sheffield was brought in to partner with William. Shortly following this partnership William died in 1900 after gradually losing control of the company. [3]
The Grade II listed Greenside House is located next door to the workshops and was also occupied by the Staniforth family for centuries.
The company continued to operate well into the 20th century; in 1967 it was taken over by Spearwell Tools, which was eventually transferred to Spear & Jackson in 1972. [4] The Thomas Staniforth & Co. finally closed their workshop in the 1980s. [1]
Today the building still remains and has been converted into small business units, with the smithy pond remaining in the yard.
A scythe is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops. It is historically used to cut down or reap edible grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. Reapers are bladed machines that automate the cutting of the scythe, and sometimes subsequent steps in preparing the grain or the straw or hay.
The Moss is a brook in North East Derbyshire, England.
Beighton —which includes the districts of Beighton, Hackenthorpe, Owlthorpe, and Sothall—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the eastern part of the city, on the border with Rotherham and covers an area of 5.7 km2. The population of this ward in 2011 was 17,939 people in 7,538 households.
Birley Spa is a grade-II listed community bath hall and a Victorian bathhouse in the Hackenthorpe district of the City of Sheffield, England.
Eckington is a historic market town in North East Derbyshire, England. It is 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Chesterfield and 8.5 miles (14 km) southeast of Sheffield city centre, on the border with South Yorkshire. It lies on the B6052 and B6056 roads close to the A6135 for Sheffield and Junction 30 of the M1. It had a 2001 population of 11,152, increasing to 11,855 at the 2011 Census.
Thomas Boulsover, was a Sheffield cutler who is best remembered as the inventor of Sheffield Plate. He made his fortune manufacturing various items, but especially buttons using the process, he later diversified into making cast steel and saws.
Shepherd Wheel is a working museum in a former water-powered grinding workshop situated on the Porter Brook in the south-west of the City of Sheffield, England. One of the earliest wheels on the River Porter, it is one of the few remaining—and effectively complete—examples of this kind of enterprise, one that used to be commonplace in the Sheffield area. Its 5.5 m (18 ft) diameter overshot water wheel is powered from a large dam stocked with water diverted from the Porter Brook. The workshops, dam, goit and weir are Grade II listed, and the site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Hackenthorpe is a village 5 miles south east of Sheffield’s city centre, now classed as a historic township of the city. Due to much expansion, the village became a part of Sheffield city during the 1950s. During much of the late 19th and 20th centuries the village was noted for its steelmaking, with the Thomas Staniforth & Co Sickle works being based at Main Street. Another prominent feature of the village is the 17th century Hackenthorpe Hall, built by John Newbould for the Hounsfield family, with James Hounsfield being a prominent land owner. The building is today used as a nursery.
Birley ward — which includes the districts of Base Green, Birley Estate, Charnock, Frecheville, Scowerdons and part of Hackenthorpe — is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the southeastern part of the city and covers an area of 5.1 square kilometres (2 sq mi). The population of this ward in 2011 was 16,943 people in 7,393 households. It is one of the five wards that make up the Sheffield South East constituency.
Although an antique tool might be said to be one that is more than a hundred years old, the term is often used to describe any old tool of quality that might be deemed collectable.
Staniforth is an English surname, a variation of the name "Stanford". Old English surnames were in particular a description of one's profession such as "Smith" or "Thatcher" or described an area in which one lived.
Shire Brook is a small stream in the south eastern part of the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It rises in the suburb of Gleadless Townend and flows in a general easterly direction for 4 miles (6.5 km) to its confluence with the River Rother between Beighton and Woodhouse Mill. In the past the brook has been both the border of Yorkshire and Derbyshire and between the sees of Canterbury and York. The course of the stream has been influenced by human intervention in the 20th century with the brook being diverted underground and flowing through culverts on three occasions as it traverses locations which were formerly landfill sites and extensive railway sidings.
Beighton is a village 6 miles south-east of Sheffield's city centre, now classed as a historic township of the city. Due to much expansion, the village became a part of Sheffield city in 1967, which also saw it transfer from Derbyshire to the newly created South Yorkshire, England. During much of the late 17th to 19th centuries the village was noted for its edge tool manufacturing, with Thomas Staniforth & Co Sickle works being based at nearby Hackenthorpe.
Mosborough is a village in the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. The village was named after The Moss river which flows through the village. Due to much expansion, the village became a part of Sheffield. During much of the late 19th and 20th centuries the village was noted for its steelmaking, with Hutton & Co. Sickle works being based at nearby Ridgeway.
Greenside House is an 18th-century residence located in Hackenthorpe, Sheffield, England. The building is estimated to have been built around 1825 and is a Grade II listed building.
Hutton & Co. was a sickle, scythe and tool smiths based in Ridgeway, Derbyshire, England. The company was founded by The Hutton family in 1760 and operated out of a number of locations around the village. The most notable workshop was located at High Lane and was known as the Phoenix Works. During the 19th century, much of the grinding was done on the Nether Wheel. The company exported tools around the world, and its main competitors were the nearby Thomas Staniforth & Co.
Plumbley is a hamlet in the City of Sheffield borough, within the county of South Yorkshire in England.
Normanton Spring, also called Normanton Springs, is a suburb and former hamlet located 4 miles east of Sheffield's City Centre, now classed as a historic township of the city. Due to expansion during the 1960s, the hamlet became a part of Sheffield City.
Stewart & Patteson was a brewery that was founded in Norwich, Norfolk.
Coordinates: 53°20′41″N1°22′22″W / 53.344652°N 1.372724°W
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