In the Sheffield directory (1774), William North was listed as a table and butcher’s knife cutler at Brightside (trade mark ‘NORTH’).  Subsequent addresses were Little Sheffield (1787)  and Trippit [sic] Lane (1797).  He apparently died in 1810: a cutler of that name was buried at the parish church on 18 April.  William’s wife was Phebe (d.1798).  Their sons included Thomas, who was apparently born in 1774 and had been apprenticed to his father.  Thomas was granted his Freedom in 1797.  In 1811, he was listed as a manufacturer of cutlery at West Street, though in 1816 and 1818 the directories listed him as a table knife manufacturer at Trippet Lane.  Also trading in the same street was Joseph Smith, a cast iron founder and cutler.  Presumably, Thomas either sold his business or died, because in the directory of 1825 Joseph Smith was listed as ‘late North’, a manufacturer of all kinds of table knives.  In 1828, W. & F. North was a merchant and manufacturer of all kinds of table knives at Eyre Street.  It has not been possible to identify the partners, not least because that was the only directory entry for this firm.  It is known, however, that one of William North’s sons was William.  In 1828, Joseph Smith filed for bankruptcy at Trippet Lane (Sheffield Independent, 19 January 1828).