Tom Gilpin Ltd , Broad Arrow Cutlery, and more?

[Kalfred]

Hello, I have recently seen several images on line of forks and dessert spoons with a  “T.G. Ltd” mark and a WW2 period date with the War Department “broad arrow” on them. An example is below.

The “T.E.Osborne Ltd” was part owed by Tom Gilpin with a David Tom Gilpin. However their premises, the Abbey Works, Rockingham Street was compulsory purchased by the Sheffield council for slum clearance July 1939 (WW2 started on the 1st September 1939). Possibly this was a money source as “Tom Gilpin” appeared in 1939 to be setting up a complicated business as described as below.

I did wonder if you could set up a “fork and spoon” business for just £500 in 1939, and to make cutlery for the War Department, or was it simply a retailing operation procuring and supplying the cutlery made by others. I am however lead to believe from a site on the inter net that the £500 would have been worth over £30,000 today.

I have images with “T.G Ltd” on items dated for the years 1940, 42, 43 and 44.

 

The 1940 item has the extra “S” usually indicating Sheffield manufacture and that is very often present in the maker’s marks on vintage and antique electroplated cutlery.

Does anybody in “Sheffield Land” have more knowledge to add on Tom Gilpin’s wartime efforts or on the Gilpin concern in general. I will start you off on the last bit with some “Gilpin” marked blades and another (for those that viewed the other thread) cutlery box insert. 

What is the connection between Gilpins and “Smith Seymour”? We know from the 1965 reference that they appeared to work in the same unit in Mary Street. Can you tell me any more? Surely it must be more than just sharing a stationary bill or was “works” sharing commonplace in the Sheffield cutlery industry?

Kalfred 

PS. Here is a reference for anybody interested in the Gilpin and the T.E. Osborne Ltd connection. 

 https://library.croneri.co.uk/cch_uk/btc/34-tc-441

Surprisingly the Sipell Company crops up in this, seemingly buying up the remains of T.E.Osborne Ltd., late in the War period, maybe to make more “broad arrow” cutlery?

 

[Kalfred]

Hello there is a mistake, as you may have noticed in my post. This is a paragraph that should be under my first photo.

The “T.G Ltd” mark, is referenced on the site “silvercollection.it”, to be a mark belonging to Tom Gilpin Ltd” of Sheffield and a reference I noted elsewhere, lead to a thread in the “Sheffield History Chat” section of our forum confirming Gilpins were based at 97 Mary Street Sheffield in 1965. Additionally some extra information came to that thread (thank you Edmund), touching on another Sheffield company named “T.E.Osborne Ltd”. The reference to that thread is below.

There no doubt will be some more if I continue to post.

Kalfred