James Dodworth (1821-1876) was apparently the son of Joseph Dodworth and his wife, Ellen.   His brother was Alfred Dodworth (see George T. Dodworth).  James was a blade maker and table knife forger in Eldon Street (1841).  A decade later, he lived at Wardlow’s Cottages, Common Side.  In 1852, he appeared in a directory as a palette, artists’, painters’, and gilders’ knife manufacturer in Solly Street.  James lived in Sarah Street, when he started the business, but by the mid-1850s had moved to Palette Knife Works, Bolsover Street.  His address in that street became Reliance Works.  James Dodworth was granted his Freedom in 1855.   By 1860, he advertised as a manufacturer of ‘Reliance Palette Knives’.   A wide range of trade knives and tools were offered, including steel graining combs and ‘every description’ of painters’, glaziers’, gilders’, and plumbers’ knives, and shave hooks.  He was also a dealer in camel hair pencils, artists’, grainers’, gilders’ tools and brushes.    The trade mark was ‘RELIANCE’, enclosing his initials ‘J.D.’

James Dodworth was helped by his nephew Albert Dodworth, who was traveller and general manager.  Albert’s son (Albert Edward) also joined the firm.  James Dodworth may have been the ‘small manufacturer’, who suggested after the Sheffield Flood in 1864 that workers should give a day’s pay to the relief operation (he donated £25).   James died suddenly at Reliance Place on 15 April 1876, aged 56.   The Sheffield Independent, 17 April 1876, stated that he had left home that morning saying that he never felt better, but collapsed when his cab arrived home in the evening.  He was described as ‘one of the most widely known, though not the best understood of our public men … [who] … incurred some odium by the boldness with which he mixed himself up with the most latitudinarian opinions on the subject of religion’ (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 17 April 1876).   He was apparently ‘very successful’ in business and left under £9,000.   A third of his property was left to his wife, Harriet, and the remainder to James Dodworth Spence, who was his son by Mrs Emma Spence (a lady Dodworth supported at a house in Retford).  Albert Dodworth was made a trustee and allowed to continue managing the business for a wage and a share of the profits.   Six years later, Albert tried to start a rival concern and Harriet took him to court (Sheffield Independent, 29 July 1886).   In 1887, Albert’s palette knife business in Eyre Street was bankrupt.  By 1892, Reliance Works had been acquired by Edwin Terry, who became ‘successor to James Dodworth’ and was also his nephew.