George Barnsley & Sons was founded as a tool manufacturing business in 1836, mainly specialising in the making of rasps and files used in the shoe making industry before diversifying into knife blades and shoe making tools in the early 1950's
George Barnsley was born into a Sheffield cutlery family, he was trained as a file maker and started his own file business. In 1851 he had an established file making and steel refining business and was able to move his business into a factory, the famous Cornish Works. This then enabled Barnsley to extend his product range to knives and tools for the leather and shoe trades.
George then went on to have four sons; George Jnr, Joseph, Arthur and Henry. All four sons joined the family business and sadly when George died in 1874 George Jnr stepped up and became the dominant family member at the firm. George Jnr was given the prestigious award of Master Cutler in 1883.
In 1960's competition grew in Japan and India and Barnsley struggled to compete. In 1968 the firm acquired James Oxley in an attempt to increase work for the employees but five years later they had to close the business. Of the family members who were left, Fred Barnsley and his son Colin then bought Woodware Repetitions Ltd and moved into the factory on Mowbray Street where the company is still based today. Woodware Repetitions took over the remaining stock from Barnsley's and re-registered the name 'George Barnsley & Sons Ltd' in 2007.
In 2017 Colin Barnsley was looking to retire, he approached Tim who he had known for 15+ years via another one of Tim's businesses and asked if he would be interested in making a deal to acquire the business. Tim immediately put his son Richard (now Operations Director) into the factory to work along side Colin to create a seamless transition into Mowbray Manufacturing Co Ltd trading as both Woodware Repetitions and George Barnsley & Sons.
To this day Mowbray Manufacturing Co Ltd operates from the factory on Mowbray Street Sheffield. Woodware Repetitions specialise in wood turning and wooden turned tool handles and George Barnsley & Sons continue to produce Shoe and Leather craft knives and tools.
With the introduction of the website in 2020 this enabled us to sell knives and tools not only to trade but for the first time directly to the end user. With the increased demand as the word got out that we were producing knives and tools to the public the business was able to introduce Tim's other children, Laura (Global Brand Development Manager) and Gemma (Customer Service Ececutive)
The tool room alone now has 4 members of staff producing shoe making and leather craft knives and tools to both trade and members of the public. The knives and tools are made to the same specifications where possible as they were originally made back in the 1850's. One of the main differences now is that the knives and tools are sent out 'ready to use' unlike before when they were sold as 'factory sharp' as factory workers were expected to sharpen their own tools dependent on their trade
With the advise from Master Craftsman Nigel Armitage we have been able to develop many of the knives and tools to a standard that is expected from the modern day leather crafter enabling us to increase our product range and with the help of Woodware Repetitions a jazzy wooden handle here and there... Zebrano will always be a personal favorite!
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