John and Jonathan were brothers, born in 1807 and 1813, respectively.  They were the sons of James (a gardener) and his wife, Sarah.  Silver fruit-knives were their speciality.  A later directory listing has 1834 as the start date of their activities.  They registered a silver mark at the Sheffield Assay Office in 1843 and two years later advertised in a Sheffield trade directory as ‘John & Jonathan Bell.  Silver and plated dessert and fruit knives.  Little Sheffield and Stoker Cottage, near the Cemetery’.  Their ornate pearl and engraved silver knives drew favourable comment in the local press (Sheffield Independent, 12 April 1845).  In 1851, J. Bell received an Honourable Mention at the Great Exhibition (1851).  Thereafter, they appear to have operated independently: John Bell registered his own silver mark in 1854 (Stoker Cottage), as did Jonathan (South Street, Sheffield Moor).  In the 1850s, John combined cutlery with work as a gardener.  By 1862, he was no longer listed as a manufacturer.  Jonathan’s last listing was in the following year as a silver fruit-knife and silver dessert-knife manufacturer in Montague Street, off Cemetery Road.  John Bell died on 29 September 1874, aged 67, and was buried in the General Cemetery.  Jonathan died in Flixton, near Manchester, on 3 July 1877.  He left effects under £600 and was buried in Ecclesall churchyard.  His business was continued by Edmund Bell.