Advertisement from 1859 Directory
James Wilson and William Linley Pitt began in 1859 as a manufacturer and general merchant of table cutlery, pen and pocket knives, razors, scissors, butchers’ knives and steels, and shoe knives. They advertised in 1859 as ‘late with Joseph Rodgers & Sons’, using a ‘TRIDENT’ mark (granted in 1859). William L. Pitt (born c.1837) was the son of John Pitt, who was a glass and lead merchant in Waingate. William had been a merchant’s clerk. John Pitt loaned his son about £1,700 to invest in the business, which was initially at Albion Works, Wellington Street. Wilson & Pitt had a London agent (C. Barnett) and traded with Calcutta, where Wilson handled the firm’s business. By 1862, Wilson & Pitt traded from Cadman Lane, Norfolk Street. However, in 1863 the firm was bankrupt. Wilson became a proprietor of an Indian newspaper. He was later sued by John Pitt for £1,000 in debts (Sheffield Independent, 1 August 1871).