The period at which manufactures were established at Birmingham, is comparatively recent ; but Sheffield has been the staple for iron manufactures since the year 1297, at which time falchion-heads, arrow-piles, and an ordinary sort of knives called whittles, mentioned by Chaucer, and still known by that name in the north of England, were made. But it was not till towards the middle of the 17th century, that the articles of razors, knives, and files, for which it is at present so deservedly famous, were manufactured. It has been remarked, that for near a century succeeding, the Sheffield manufactu rers discovered more industry than ingenuity or enter prise ; and it was not till the middle of the last century, that they opened an immediate trade with the continent. About this time also, buttons of plated metal, sauce pans, tea-urns, and candlesticks, were first made. Since this period, the manufactures of Sheffield have been progressively advancing.
The hardware manufacture is not confined to the town of Sheffield, but is spread over a district called Hallamshire, which extends six or seven miles to the west of it. The manufacturing concerns are under the superintendence and management of a corporation, stiled the Company of Cutlers of Hallamshirc. This corpora tion was established in 1625, and an amendment was made to it in 1791. It is governed by a master, two wardens, six searchers, and twenty-four assistants. The master is elected annually, on the last Thursday in Au gust, having previously passed through the inferior offices.
In the neighbourhood of the town, a great number of works are erected on the river Don, for forging, slitting, and preparing the iron and steel for the manufactures. These differ in several respects from the manufactures of Birmingham. In the first place, copper and brass, as well as iron and steel, are wrought in the latter place ; whereas, at Sheffield, very little of the former metals are used. Secondly, The articles made at Sheffield are more generally articles of real utility; some undoubtedly are articles of luxury, but there arc no toys. Lastly, Its ar ticles, in general, are much larger than those of Bir mingham. • The following list of the principal trades in Sheffield, if compared with the list we gave of the trades of Birmingham, will point out in what they agree, and in what they differ : Knives, scissars, anvils, silver and plat ed goods, skaits, joiners tools, saws, fenders, fire-irons, horn-buttons, horn ink-stands, bit-maker, razor straps, files, stove-grates, candlesticks, steel-refiners, wool shears, haft-presser, silver-smiths, braziers, and tin smiths tools, cut-nails, spades, shovels, scythes, sickles, table-fork-blades, snuffers, cork-screws, nut-crackers, steel cats and dogs, lancets, desk-knives, tea-pot handle and knob manufacturer, buttons, coach-harness, weigh ing machines, brass ink-pots, powder flasks, shot, bolts, bayonets, wafer-seals, saw-files, shoe, cooks, and knives, combs, Sec. Sec.
The plated ware made at Sheffield, (with the excep tion of plated saddlery,) is deemed much superior to that made at Birmingham : their files also have long been in the highest repute ; of the scythes and sickles, which form an extensive branch, the coarsest are sent to Russia ; and a finer sort were. exported to America. The conversion of iron into steel, forms a very conside rable branch of.the manufactures of this town ; and the mechanics who are expert at this process, receive as large wages as any that are given. Great part of the manufactures are carried on by men of small capital ; and not so generally in workshops or factories as is the case in Birmingham.
The population of Sheffield, and the manufacturing district round it, is estimated at 60,000 ; and it is com puted that 18,000 are directly employed in the different branches : the proportion of men to women is nearly as two to one. The gross value of the manufactures is sup posed to be upwards of 1,000,000/., probably 1,200,000/.; of these about one half are for home consumption ; one third used to be exported to America ; of these, knives, forks, and saws, formed a large proportion ; and the re mainder were principally exported to the continent. Prior to the introduction of machinery, this place was observed to abound in cripples, but it is by no means the case at present.
Files have been mentioned as an article, in the manu facture of which Sheffield excels they are also made of a superior quality, and in great numbers, in Lancashire, particularly at Prescot : cutlery and steel goods are ma nufactured at Salisbury. Cirencester is noted for its cur ricrs knives, which arc highly valued throughout Europe and America. At Abberford in Yorkshire, formerly the seat of an extensive pin manufactory, the wire-drawing business is now carried on with considerable success; this trade is also followed at various other places. Pins are manufactured at Gloucester, Reading, Sheffield, War rington, Waltham Abbey, Bristol, London, SK.c. Needles at Redditch and Feckenham in Worcestershire, Alceste r in Warwickshire, Sze. Fish-hooks at Carlisle. Iron hoops at Crayford in Kent, Sec. Tin-plates at Caei leon, Caerrnarthen, and Kidwelly ; the last place is particular ly noted for this manufacture, the tinned iron plates which are made there, being sent not only to every part of the kingdom, but to every trading port in Europe.