John Crossland was apparently born on 28 November 1812, the son of Joseph (a cutler), and his wife, Dorothia. Between 1841 and 1864, John was listed as a manufacturer of table knives at Hill Top Works in Park Hill Lane. This was an area known as the Park and Hyde Park, which is now obliterated by housing blocks and motorways. Crossland operated independently, though in the early 1850s he was briefly in partnership with Thomas Turton (dissolved 1855) and also combined his cutlery business with shop keepin....