Thread: Hill 4 Haymarket and Hill & son 4 Haymarket

Hi All,

Thomas Robert Hill (the Hill of Hill 4 Haymarket and Hill & son 4 Haymarket) 1824-1898 was the brother of my great great grandfather William Charles Hill.

The Hill family cutlery business (of which William Coleman was proprietor before Thomas) was in existence for almost one hundred years. It provided for at least three generations of Hill.

I'm also aware that between 1810 and 1826, 4 Haymarket, St James was the shopfront for James Del Vecchio who seems to have sold some product before and similar to the Coleman/Hill business.

Edwin Alfred Bardelle Hill 1850-1931 was the first son. He had at least three sons Percy Charles Ashfield Baron Hill, Leslie Gordon Baron Hill, and Hedley Victor Baron Hill OBE. It takes little to imagine all three sons would have been familiar with the family business but Percy seems to be the one most involved.

They produced and sold a multitude of quality products - not only straight/cut-throat razors. They were “Manufacturers of Sporting, Table, Toilet and Pocket Cutlery, Alpine Ice Axes, Skates and fine steel work generally”.

I'm rather impressed at the quality of the sheffield steel used in their products - some implements are still in use more than 100 years on.

In later years on census their occupation of "Cutler" was changed to "Skate manufacturer"....but the Haymarket address remained the same.

They also had a workshop at White Horse Yard in nearby Soho.

I'm compiling a family history and am looking for images of their products.

Would any-one holding a product stamped with 4 Haymarket like to contribute an image/photo?

thanks in anticipation

Richard Thorley
resident in Adelaide South Australia

Hi Richard i have a Boer war / cavalry horseman folding knife made by Hill 4 Haymarket stamped on the blades let me know if its of any interest to you
kind regards
nick...