Thread: J Pitts razors circa 1850's - 90's I think

Does anyone know anything about these razors? Were they good quality in their day?

Very good steel, some have henkie grind issues.

John Pitts was born in Upton Pyne, Devonshire, in 1792. He married wife Harriet in 1820 and by 1828 he was working as a razor maker in simms Croft, Sheffield. By 1834 he had moved to 24 Smithfield, Sheffield and was recorded as a razor maker. He had quite a large family: Mary, Ann, Elizabeth, Harriet, Charles and John. By 1841 he was at Trafalgar Court, Sheffield. Sons Charles and John were both employed in their fathers business.

By 1845 Charles, now aged 25, started his own business in Chester Street and later took on his brother John (b1834) to Form Pitts Bros. The corporate mark was a Cannon and the word 'Defiance' - razor maker Adam Brooksbank later owned the Canon mark.

While Charles was still trading as 'Charles Pitts' John the father died - on the 3rd of May, 1859 aged 67. After this brothers Charles and John formed Pitts Bros, but they went bankrupt by 1861.



Charles gave up making razors, but John continued until he died, and the company went on right up to WW1.

So, they must have been a good family of makers to have survived for so long, I would think!

Regards,
Neil

"The corporate mark was a Cannon and the word 'Defiance'."

Has anyone ever seen one of these Razors? I have seen the John Pitts Razors occasionally, but what about a Pitts Brothers/Defiance razor?

It has been a struggle to figure out this razor but an interesting one.

Charles Pitts.
The problem was that Abram Brooksbank used the cannon/Defiance logo (After). The Pitts cannon is a tad different and the initials C.P made things more confusing.
Another issue is that the scales have a James Tidmarsh Warranted escutcheon plate.

I removed or lessened a lot of pitting . Now i need to make some scales.