The founder was Joe Hatfield (1874-1933), who was the son of Charles Hadfield (a brass turner) and his wife, Sarah.   The family was living at Porter Street in 1881, when Charles was running a grocery shop at the home address.   Joe became a table knife cutler.  By 1901, when he was living at John Street, he was working as a table knife manager.  He apparently started his own business during the First World War.  In 1916, he was listed in a directory as a cutlery manufacturer at Cemetery Road (where he lived) and Rockingham Street.  It would have been a small, backstreet operation, though big enough to win a government contract for clasp knives in 1916.  By 1922, J. Hadfield & Co was listed as a cutlery manufacturer at 94 Trafalgar Street.   

In 1929, Joe registered the business as a private limited company, with £1,000 capital.  Joe was the director, alongside his daughter, Mabel, who was also secretary (Sheffield Daily Independent, 14 October 1929).  The address was 94 Trafalgar Street, which was listed by Hatfield as Zenith Works.  However, Joe Hatfield, of 73 Mona Road, died at Claremont Nursing Home on 16 March 1933, aged 59.  He was buried in an unconsecrated grave in the General Cemetery.   Probate was granted to his widow, Harriet, and daughters, Mabel and Dora.  Joe Hatfield left £2,495 (net personalty £1,553).  Henceforth, the firm was listed until the 1950s at Sykes Works, Milton Street.  This scruffy, tenement-type factory was also the location of Joseph Fenton & Sons Ltd.  Since the latter also used the mark ‘ZENITH’, it would be reasonable to assume that Fenton’s acquired the Hatfield name.