| AdminHistory | The Ibberson family can be traced in the records of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire as being involved in the cutlery industry in Sheffield since 1700. George Ibberson & Co. subsequently claimed to be one of the oldest cutlery manufacturing companies in Sheffield. The company, which operated from Central Works at No. 102 West Street, Sheffield, was however set up by George Ibberson (1831 - 1899) in 1874. Products were marked with a violin style trademark purchased from John Crossland Skinner in 1880. The company employed ten men, two women and a boy according to the 1881 census.
In the 1890s, the company was managed by Joseph William Ibberson (1865 - 1954), son of George Ibberson, who had joined the family business around 1883. A silver mark was registered in 1900. The company went on to open a further works, often referred to as Violin Works, at Nos. 112-116 Rockingham Street, Sheffield in 1911, and notably began manufacturing some of the first stainless steel knives in collaboration with Thomas Firth & Sons from 1913. On the outbreak of the First World War, 80 workers were employed by George Ibberson & Co. By 1920, the annual turnover of the company had increased to £20,000.
During the interwar years, the company was increasingly managed by J. W. Ibberson’s son, William Gregory Ibberson, known as ‘Billy’ (1902 - 1988). W. G. Ibberson was an amateur filmmaker and was involved in making a short promotional film for the company titled, ‘The Making of Violin Brand Cutlery’ in 1926. The company survived the depression by ‘a remarkable blending of old methods and new’ according to an article in Ironmonger Magazine dated 29 May 1937. This meant introducing new products (like safety razor blades), but also retaining traditional methods and craftsmen, such as Ted Swinden (forger), Bill Thackray (hardener), and Ted Osborne (pocketknife maker) and his apprentice, Stan Shaw.
George Ibberson & Co. produced combat knives commissioned by the government during the Second World War. The firm also diversified into gardening implements and engineers’ tools, besides continuing to make table cutlery and pocketknives. Despite these efforts, like many other small family-run cutlery companies, George Ibberson & Co. declined after the 1950s. In turn, the company merged with the Eardley Group of Companies in 1970. It was then sold to British Syphon Industries in 1974. The company was acquired by the Egginton Group, formerly known as Egginton Bros. Ltd in 1983. The brand name 'Ibberson' is still used by the Egginton Group. |