Looking down High Street in 1865. ©Picture Sheffield
Robert Kippax was one of the key producers of silver fruit knives in Sheffield in the late eighteenth century. He registered his silver mark with the Assay Office on 6 June 1774 for Robert Kippax & Co., High Street. Kippax was also a merchant and hardware man, and ran an ironmongers from 37 High Street with his partner Joseph Nowill. Joesph also made cutlery under his own mark ‘NOWEL’, until his death at 32 years in 1748. Robert Kippax died in 1775, but the business was continued by Joseph Nowill’s son Thomas until Kippax’s son, also called Robert, was old enough to finish his apprenticeship and join the business as a partner. When Robert Jr did join, the company then became known as Nowill & Kippax. It is rumoured that George Washington owned a penknife marked KIPPAX, and that this was used by him to scrape mud from his boots.
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