John Brookes
It is difficult to identify the maker of this table knife, as no John Brookes has been found in twentieth-century Sheffield directories. The etched trade mark of a bell, though, is intriguing. It was the well-known mark of Brookes & Crookes. The ‘Brookes’ in that firm was John Brookes (though he had been dead since 1865). Perhaps Brookes & Crookes resurrected the name (though it is difficult to offer a reason why they would do so); or maybe someone else was trying to pass off....
