It's a copy of John Barber's mid-1820's 'Old English' razor. It looks like someone used a buffer on it within the last 20-30 years.

Like 'I. Barber' razors, these were made to cash in on the success of John Barber's brand. He prosecuted some of the copies.

But copy, in this case is a complicated term. It could well have been forged, ground, polished, and set by the same workers that made Barber's razors, but made to sell to someone else.

The old Sheffield work system was a bunch of buildings where a whole lot of men and women worked making goods. A 'maker' usually owned the factory. Workers rented space and bought tools and raw materials from the manufacturer whose factory it was. But there wasn't always demand for the goods the manufacturer made, so the workers would make goods for other factories or for themselves. They were paid1 for the product, not the time worked. The manufacturers weren't super-keen on their employees making goods for other people, but it was very much in their best interests for it to continue, otherwise the workers would go elsewhere. The rent system ensured the manufacturers got money one way or another. In fact, they even charged for the water that kept the grindstones and buffing wheels running and the gas that kept the space lit.

  1. Paid didn't always mean money. There was another form of payment, called truck, which the workers hated. In place of money, some paid their employees with the products made, or inferior goods (like iron knives), or coffee. Throughout the course of the 1800's the workers fought against the practice, but it continued to wax and wane into the early 1900's.