The Story of Cutlery
Title Page
An image of the title page, which reads: The Story of Cutlery From Flint to Stainless Steel J. B. Himsworth F.R.S.A., F.S.A.SCOT. Freeman of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire Theodore Brun, Publisher Fulwood House, Fulwood Place, London, W.C.1.
Name/Title
The Story of CutleryEntry/Object ID
2025.1.1Tags
cutlery, history, sheffieldDescription
The Story of Cutlery by J.B. Himsworth (1953) A review of the development of cutlery, including plenty of context about the industry in Sheffield. There is one chapter (chapter 10) specifically about scissors, but there are references to scissors and scissor makers throughout the text. For example, in chapter 3 (Sheffield and Its Cutlery History) there is the discussion of a "blade (or side) of a pair of shear-shaped scissors, measuring 5 7/8 in. long ... delicately forged ... This style of shear scissors first appeared in the Iron Age.". Alongside this there are some interesting insights into the key role played by Sheffield in the development of the cutlery industry, as well as about how central the industry was. For example, between 1653 - 1660, over half of the 375 bridegrooms married at Sheffield Parish Church were engaged in "cutlery or kindred trades" (42 of these were scissorsmiths, and seven were shearsmiths). The chapter on scissors considers, briefly, the manufacture of shears and scissors, and some examples of scissors made for specific uses. There are also illustrations of Sheffield scissor types with interesting notes on the naming of some design elements. (See the 'Nomenclature' section of this site for some examples of this.)Cataloged By
studygroup@scissornet.orgCategory
History, Book