Thread: 4 for the laddies from Wales

Interesting this.

Lot's of Staniforths to be found, but not the exact same one your looking for. They seem to center around both the Cardiff and Sheffield areas. Below a survey of what I've found, maybe someone else may find a further lead in it. Most promising seem the AW Staniforth of Penarth and Bierton & Staniforth companies.

AW:
- A.W. Staniforth, a Colliery Manager at N.C.B. North Eastern Division coal mines
- A.W. Staniforth. Ltd., London, manufacturer of brain temperature probe in a 10 August 1986 paper in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
- A. W. Staniforth Ltd, Penarth (Glamorgan, near Cardiff), distributor for Leyland Medical Products Ltd (tracheal tubes). Now Station Road Surgery at this address.
- A.W. Staniforth, manufacturer of a tracheotomy tube

Companies:
- Samuel Staniforth Ltd started 1864 as a forger of knive blades to the Sheffield; from '40 onwards production of all sorts of knives
- Bierton & Staniforth Ltd Sheffield, chemical (coating) company
- Same also listed as Cutlery Manufacturers
- Lots of Staniforths but no AW in a List of Marks granted 1624 to 1630
- Staniforth-HKB Steel in Rotherham

Cutlers:
- John Staniforth, 1540, cutler in in 'A Collection of Pedrigrees of the ancient family of Staniforth of Darnall'
- William Staniforth of Wincobank p. Ecclesfield (near Sheffield), cutler, in will of 1680, National Archives
- William Staniforth, ca. 1750, cutler, Hackenthorpe (Beighton near Sheffield)
- Thomas Staniforth, Hackenthorpe (Beighton near Sheffield), scythe/sickle mantifecturer
- G.H. Staniforth, cutler & tool dealer), 10 Church St. Cardiff listed in Slaters Commercial Directory of 1880
- Staniforth Joseph, saw maker, 35 Caroline st, idem

Hi

I recently bought some second hand cutlery and it's made by A.W. Staniforth, Cutler, Cardiff. The knives also have Frith Stainless Steel written on them, so I guess the steel came from Sheffield but were made by Staniforth in Wales. Interesting that they describe themselves as 'Cutlers'.

I live in London so I'll try and find more info - did you manage to uncover anything further?

This thread came up via a Google search, in case you're wondering what on earth I'm doing on here!

James

Hello James, I haven't come up with anything else and if you do please post it. Perhaps your google search will stimulate an interest in straight razors and shaving with them. Anyhow, welcome to SRP.

Hi, I live in Swansea, which is about 40 miles from Cardiff.
I have seen strops and one razor marked as A W Staniforth, Cardiff.
I am guessing, but, I think that the gentleman had the stuff made for him to sell from his shop(s) I don't think there were grinders working in the area.
We do have a long history of making steel here in South Wales. We still make it on a massive scale at Port Talbot Steel Works. I'm a freight Train Driver and move it about the country to be finished in other plants (Llanwern, Trostre etc etc) .
We would have supplied the basic steel to Sheffield and most of the rest of europe too.
The steel from our works is said to be really excellent stuff ! So I'm told.
I do hope it carries though, or I'm out of a job
I have a Fram razor that was made for a shop in Swansea.

Very interesting Marcus. I once posted that I was intrigued by how TI currently and some Solingen firms in the past labeled their razors as having Sheffield steel. Another poster followed up and said it all originated out of Sweden. He must have been mistaken. I am ignorant of the steel production in the UK and in Europe. Forinstance was there a source of iron ore and steel making in Germany ?

I have nothing else to add to this except that half my family is based in Cardiff, the other half up the road in Newport. It would be cool to have a razor that has some link to the area.

A lot of the iron ore used in europe comes from the northern bit of Scandinavia and the area of the former USSR near there too. Australia is shipping trainloads of ore to China at the moment(transfered to boat obviously). Some of my friends at work are going out there for Driving jobs and a bit of sun.
I'll post a picture of one of the trains I drive one day. I carry enough good quality rolled steel or 20 tonne slabs (140ish of them on one train, and unlike in the States, just 1 engine and me, on my own!!! ) to make quite a few razors.
Now a GWR (Great Western Railway) razor would be a serious find for me

Would you (could you) settle for this? I can picture you on a little wooden train delivering razors to all the good little boys and girls

My engines got more wheels and is red now. No one smiles where I work to. I would find it a lot easier getting up at 'stupid o'clock' if I knew I was delivering a few million W&B's to some of the SRP brothers

Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale

I would find it a lot easier getting up at 'stupid o'clock' if I knew I was delivering a few million W&B's to some of the SRP brothers

Oh man, I knew it had to be you who once said this:

Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale

I'm a Train Driver, for my sins.
If the clock points at it, I work it

Anyway, I didn't intend to "derail" the thread
I hope you get more info on the name. Nice razor set