Arthur Bell (c.1849-1925) was born in Sheffield, the son of Matthew Bell.  Arthur became a cutlery manager – possibly working for his father – but by 1871 was listed as a table knife manufacturer in West Street. Arthur Bell & Co, Columbia Works, West Street, appeared in a list of Bowie knife makers in a directory (1876).  Arthur’s firm disappeared from directories, though he continued as a cutlery manager.  In 1911, he was again listed as a ‘cutlery manufacturer’, who traded as Samuel Hancock & Sons at Sheffield Ivory Works, Rocking-ham Street.   This was not S. Hancock & Son, of ‘Mazeppa’ fame, but a separate entity.  Bell then disappeared from directories.  To add to a complicated story, in 1923 an advertisement appeared offering for sale H. W. Edghill & Co Ltd, of High Holborn, which incorporated Arthur Bell & Co, of Granville Street (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 7 July 1923).  In the following year, Arthur Bell & Co Ltd was registered as a private limited company, with £1,000 capital, at Granville Street.  It was described as a cutlery manufacturer, which had been organised to take over the business carried on by A. Bell, of Alderson Place, H. A. Bell, and H. Roper as ‘Arthur Bell & Co’s Successors’.  The new subscribers were A. Bell and E. F. Glover, a Liverpool export merchant.  The directors were A. Bell and others (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 18 January 1924).  However, Arthur Bell died at his residence in Alderson Place on 22 November 1925, leaving £415.  The firm apparently became defunct.