Robert Toothill, a whitesmith, was born in Sheffield in about 1803. He was living in Harvest Lane in 1841. A decade later (when his home was in Bower Spring), he was a Britannia metal manufacturer, employing two men. His wife, Maria, was a British subject, who had been born in Spain. In 1860, Toothill advertised in the local directory, but he apparently went out of business soon after (possibly because he died).