Thread: W&B Works History

Hi all, I don't know if anyone has seen this but I thought it was pretty cool...

http://manah.strazors.com/Butcher_Works_Panels_1-7.pdf

I haven't seen that before, that's pretty cool. Why does the toilet get top billing in that article though? That seems odd.

They can be found in our WIKI under Wade & Butcher with one more link about William Butcher biography.

Originally Posted by joke1176

I haven't seen that before, that's pretty cool. Why does the toilet get top billing in that article though? That seems odd.

That is odd!!! Then again the toilet is the throne of all seats!

Originally Posted by fatpanda

Hi all, I don't know if anyone has seen this but I thought it was pretty cool...

http://manah.strazors.com/Butcher_Works_Panels_1-7.pdf

According to this document anything saying Wade & Butcher on it was made prior to the company break up after the two butcher brothers died in 1870. Is this how you guys read it?

Originally Posted by John Crowley

According to this document anything saying Wade & Butcher on it was made prior to the company break up after the two butcher brothers died in 1870. Is this how you guys read it?

The article does say that the death of the Butchers lead to the break up of the business. However, in the next paragraph it says that the company was continued as W&S Butcher by Samuel's son Charles Fosbery Butcher. I think the company continued as W&S Butcher even after the Butcher's passed away. The Goad Fire Insurance plan confirms this for me! if the date is correct in the caption of the figure. The plan is dated c.1896 and it says clearly W&S Butcher.


To me it looks like the real decline in the company is when shares were bought by the American firm Durham Duplex in 1921. And wait a minute!!! Durham Duplex bought shares in 1921 in order to manufacture safety razors! So is it possible that the W&B saftey razors are not actually from Sheffield? They are from Durham Duplex?

Then here comes the Wade & Butcher Corporation of Jersey City in the USA. They were buying shares from 1921-1925. Then finally in 1950 all trademarks were disposed of when the company (W&S butcher i guess) was changed to BD Properties (Sheffield) Limited.


This is deeper that I thought and I am really curious... It seems that since the name on the cutlery export label and the schematic from the Goad Fire Insurance plan that the company was actually called W&S Butcher. The cutlery export label is dated c.1850 and it is advertising the cutlery as being made by W&S Butcher. Then under the section "Trade with America" it says that in the mid 19th century (i.e., 1850 ish) the firm sent "large quantities of open razors, pocket knives and bowie knives to the USA." The article also states that William Butcher's business partner, Robert Wade ran the New York trade office and they traded under the name Wade and Butcher!

Does this mean that the company is really W&S Butcher, but the razors that we have that say Wade & Butcher are only the razors that were manufactured in Sheffield specifically for trade with America?

To directly answer your question John, I think that anything on it that says Wade & Butcher was produced by W&S Butcher but exported to America even before and after the Butchers' died. I say this because it seems very likely that trade could have occurred between W&S Butcher and Robert Wade from the mid 19th century and even past the death of the Butchers'. The company was still called W&S Butcher according to the insurance plan schematic, plus it was continued by Charles Forsbery Butcher.

Very interesting and mysterious stuff. Thanks for posting this!

Chris L

Yes, many thanks for posting that. Fascinating stuff and answers a lot of questions. I've posted these pics before but this thread demands I do it once again. Note the box says that there are factories in Sheffield as well as Jersey City, Paris and Toronto.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Yes, many thanks for posting that. Fascinating stuff and answers a lot of questions. I've posted these pics before but this thread demands I do it once again. Note the box says that there are factories in Sheffield as well as Jersey City, Paris and Toronto.

Wow, that is really cool. Now to me this article has more credibility!!!

Jimmy, I think, I'm sure, that these blades were made by the company "Durham-Duplex", the company gained control of the W & S Butcher Company of Sheffield, this was prior to 1942. "Durham-Duplex" had factories in Sheffield, Jersey City, Paris and Toronto. And "Durham-Duplex" used original logo of W & B.