John Skinner
John Skinner (c.1776-1849) was possibly the son of John (a cutler) and baptised in Sheffield on 27 September 1776. By the 1820s, he operated from Nursery Street in the Wicker, from where he advertised (1825) fine scissors, ladies’ dress slides and clasps, and polished steel ornaments. He also claimed the invention of a knife sharpener combined with a fork. On 7 February 1829, he posted an advertisement in The Sheffield Independent that challenged the rival claims to this device made by Rogers & Co....
