CUTLERS

The word ‘cutler’ comes from the Old French coutelier, which in turn derives from coutel, the word for knife. Crude forms of steel have been fashioned into blades for thousands of years, and by medieval times large centres of the industry had grown up in London and Sheffield. Before too long, however, the capital was outstripped by the northern city, which became Britain’s primary centre of production by the middle of the 18th century. And a century later, the census of 1841 showed that 60 per cent of Britain’s cutlers were based in the area.

Sheffield had long enjoyed a reputation for producing high-quality knives, and these even. In , a miller carries “a Sheffeld (sic) thwitel”, or small knife, tucked into his hose. The rise of the industry in the city, and particularly in the historical county of Hallamshire, was probably driven by the abundance of resources, such as iron and coal, in the area as well as easy access to water power – the city lies at the confluence of several fast-flowing rivers.