Francis Oates
The family of scissors manufacturer Francis Oates (c.1766-1830) apparently came from Stannington, though his early history is unclear. Possibly he was the Francis Oates, son of an innkeeper, who was apprenticed as a scissors smith to the Hinchliffe family and was granted his Freedom in 1789 (Leader, 1905-061). In 1791, Francis Oates, fine scissors maker, was listed in the Universal British Dictionary. He next partnered Joseph Hinchcliffe, but this ended in 1794. In 1797, Francis Oates, a fine scissors....
