William Butler was recorded in theDirectories of 1774 and 1787 atTrinity Street, using the "BUTLER"mark (granted in 1768). Accordingto Leader(1876), Butler's was thelargest employer in the tradebetween 1810 and 1814. By then,

the business was managed by George Butler and James Butler. In the 1820s,G.& J. Butler was a dealer in "all kinds of Sheffield hardware". Georgewas the salesman and was described as an expert with the "ribbons",driving tandem through the North of England and elsewhere on the firm'sbusiness. He lived at Upperthorpe and died there on 5 May 1833, aged 53.James Butler, who lived at Western Bank, died on 3 March 1843, aged 57.The company name then became George Butler & Co.In the late 1840s, the company was taken over by William Henry Andrew andAlbert George Andrew. They were twins of the prosperous Andrew's familyof Furnace Hill and Westbar. An 1849 advertisement described theircompany as a steel converter and refiner, in addition to manufacturingand selling a wide range of knives and tools. The firm displayed itscutlery at the New York Exhibition in 1853.In about 1850, Henry George Rowe - a Durham-born traveller - joined thecompany as a partner. He and the Andrews' brother patented in 1853 animproved method of fastening handles to table knives and forks.In 1861, the usual workforce was over 50, but the Census of that yearnoted that only about 14 were currently employed. Nevertheless, in 1864Butler's moved from Trinity Street to a larger works in Eyre Street -once the location of Corsan, Denton & Burdekin.In 1881, the workforce was about 50 men, though the trade press claimedthat this had reached about 400 in 1887 (the Industries of Sheffield:Business Review, 1887).In the 1890s, the firm had a London office at No.60 Holborn Viaduct (nearJoseph Rodgers, No.62).

The company relied upon the "BUTLER"mark, which by the 1840s was commonly

counterfeited.Butler's acquired the "ART" mark in 1861; andthen in about 1882 the Key (pic.) mark(registered in 1681) from Steer & Webster.Butler's also registered silver marks in 1872and 1894. The trademark “Special CavendishBrand” (granted 1885) was used on Butler’ssilver-plated cutlery.In 1870, Robert Belfitt (1842-1930) becamethe chairman. He had been born atWhittington, in Derbyshire, and had beenapprenticed to an iron founder. H.G. Rowe hadleft the company in about 1870. William HenryAndrew died on 9 October 1894, aged 74. Hisbrother, Albert George Andrew, died on 16February 1908, aged 87.Belfitt remained in post for sixty years. Hewas Master Cutler in 1891. He maintainedButler's reputation for its hand-forged, hand-ground pocket and table cutlery both at homeand in its major overseas markets in Australia

and India.

Butler's "Keen" razor was described in the press as a "distinctly specialarticle": it was hollow-ground by the firm's own workmen, with the tradename derived from Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost: "Keen as is therazor's edge invisible" - a line the firm acid-etched on some of their"Keen" razors, alongside Shakespeare's head.

Sets of cutlery were produced for special occasions, includingpresentations sets for the Royal Family. Butler's won prize medals atseveral exhibitions.

Butler's had become a limited company by 1900. In the 20th century,Butler's took over the trademark of Francis Newton. Belfitt died on 16June 1930.Butler's was still producing a wide range of hand-forged pocket-knivesand luxury table-knives. However, after the WWII it had difficulty inadapting to the mass-market and was eventually liquidated in 1952....The last owner of the Butler brand is Arthur Price, who bought it in1993.

According to materials ofDirectory Of Sheffield Cutlery Manufacturers.

G. Tweedale.