William Thomas Booth (1876-1955) was born at Sheffield, the son of Samuel Booth (a saw maker) and his wife, Martha.  The family lived at Fulwood  As a teenager, William worked as an apprentice at a merchant’s warehouse.  By 1901, he was a ‘table blade warehouseman’.  He graduated to cutlery manager within the next decade.  In 1919, William (who resided at Norton Woodseats) was listed as a cutlery manufacturer at Hope Works, Well Lane.  The factory was situated at the back of South Street, Moor.

William advertised for girls for his cutlery warehouse and a boy to run errands, who should be ‘smart, respectable … and make himself useful in cutlery warehouse’ (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 30 June, 15 August 1919).  In the following year, an advertisement was also placed for a woman experienced with Boswell’s pattern grinding machine (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 7 July 1920)..  Another notice appealed for table-blade grinders, who were outworkers, ‘for Bessemer and stainless’ (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 15 July 1920) . In 1927, girls ‘used to xylo’ were encouraged to apply to Booth & Lake, Well Lane (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 3 November 1927).  Two years later, two ground and one first-floor light-engineering workshops were offered for rent in Well Lane (Sheffield Daily Independent, 29 June 1929).  The precise location is not identified, but perhaps William’s business was struggling.  However, he was still working as a cutler on his ‘own account ‘ when the Census (1939) was recorded.  He had apparently retired by 1951; and probably died four years later.