The senior partner was James Barlow (bapt.  1 April 1791), who specialised in scissors and razors (though he also dealt in pen and pocket knives).   He was probably the son of James Barlow, who operated James Barlow & Co, and his wife, Margaret.  James was apparently apprenticed to his father in 1807 for seven years, but never became a Freeman.  His early career is obscure.  He may have been involved in J. & T. Barlow & Co.  In the early 1820s, several Barlow family members were also listed as scissor and razor makers at Broad Street, including James Barlow & Co, James & William Barlow, and Thomas Barlow.  The Sheffield Independent, 24 March 1821, carried a sales notice for premises ‘lately in the possession of Messrs Barlow, Scissor Manufacturers, situate in Broad Street, fronting up Duke Street, Sheffield Park’.   The advertisement offered a dwelling house, capacious warehouse, counting house, extensive workshops and hearths, large yard, and a house for a foreman.   Possibly the Barlows involved were James and William Barlow.  They filed for bankruptcy in 1824.

Certainly, between 1825 and the 1850s James Barlow was based in Allen Street, where he built up a substantial operation.   His sons included John Mason Barlow (1815-1904) and James Barlow (1823-1900), who had been baptised at a Wesleyan chapel.  By 1839, the business was styled James Barlow & Son.  However, in 1846 James Sen.  and John dissolved their partnership.  James Barlow & Son continued to be listed at Allen Street, so presumably the firm was continued by James Sen. and James Jun.  Meanwhile, John Barlow traded as a scissor and razor manufacturer at Edward Street.

In 1851, James Sen. told the Census that he employed 55 men and six women.  James Barlow & Sons was located in Rockingham Street (1856) and then Garden Street (1859).  The premises at Garden Street (which also extended to Broad Lane) included warehouses, packing room, forging shops, and several hearths and work-shops (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 30 January 1869).  By the start of the 1860s, James Sen had retired, because the business was listed with James Jun.  and John as partners.  The corporate mark, which appeared in an ad-vertisement in 1868, was the word ‘ECHO’ (formerly used by Peter Spurr.  At the start of 1869, the freehold property at Garden Street was offered for sale and the firm relocated to Norfolk Street.  James Barlow died at Broomhall Street on 15 June 1869, aged 78, and was buried at Burngreave cemetery.   His estate was valued at under £300.  His wife, Susannah, died in 1878, aged 88, and was interred in the same grave.

In 1881, John Barlow stated that the firm employed 54 workers (39 men, four boys, four women, and seven girls).  By the end of the 1880s, James (a bachelor) shared a house with John in Western Bank.  In old age, James suffered from depression and physical ailments.  He became averse to travelling without a companion and used laudanum to dull his pain.   He died on 20 June 1900, having been found by his housekeeper on the floor of his bedroom the previous morning.  The inquest found that he had overdosed on laudanum, but the jury was unable to decide whether this was suicide.  The 77 year-old manufacturer was buried in the family grave at Burngreave Cemetery.  His brother seems to have continued the business briefly.  John Barlow died on 31 October 1904, aged 89, and left £13,724.  He was also buried in the family grave.  The name ‘J. Barlow & Sons, Sheffield’ was acquired by I. & J. Barber at Era Works, Wheeldon Street.  By 1919, Thos. Ellin owned the name.  The ‘ECHO’ mark was later used by Thomas Shemeld and then by George Hides.