| AdminHistory | Furniss, Poles and Turner (established in 1809), based on Furnival Street, Sheffield, was the original silver manufacturing firm that later became Roberts and Belk. By the early 1840s, according to Sheffield trade directories, the Furnival Street base of Furniss, Poles and Turner (number 38, Furnival Works) was occupied by William Briggs, silver plated, Argentine and British silverware, and fruit and dessert knife manufacturer.
It appears that the Roberts family had taken over operations at Furnival Works by 1845. The company changed hands a number of times, becoming Roberts and Slater in 1845 (mark at Sheffield Assay Office registered September 1845), Roberts and Briggs in 1859 (mark registered September 1859) and Roberts and Belk in 1864, when Samuel Roberts went into partnership with Charles Belk (mark registered February 1864). Roberts and Belk registered subsequent marks at Sheffield Assay Office in 1867, 1879 and 1892. By 1883, the firm had also opened a London office.
Roberts and Belk manufactured silver and EPNS (electroplated nickel silver), holloware, flatware and cutlery. The firm became a limited liability company in 1901 and was renamed Roberts and Belk Limited. At around this time an additional branch was opened in Sydney, Australia. A contemporary account reports that Roberts and Belk Limited manufactured electro-tinned steel spoons for export to the colonies and trenches during the First World War. The firm remained in the Belk family until 1961, when it was sold to the London silversmiths, C. J. Vander. |