George Gates Honour (1855-1936) was born at Tring, Hertfordshire.

By 1881, he was living at Hatton Garden, London, and in business as an electro-plater. He was in partnership with Henry Eaborn until 1901, when the latter withdrew.  Honour continued alone, but was later joined by his sons (George Philip and Herbert Percy). 

Apparently, the firm had offices in Birmingham and Sheffield, which would have provided Honour with electro-plated goods and cutlery.  In the mid-1920s, illness and debts forced Honour to relocate to Clerkenwell. The business filed for bankruptcy in 1929. George Gates Honour died at Worthing on 1 March 1936, leaving £644. 

G. G. Honour & Sons was later incorporated as part of Harris Plating Works, London. The latter would have sourced the table knife in the Hawley Collection from Sheffield, for onward sale to Trust Houses Ltd (this was a hotel group active in the 1950s and 1960s).