James Vickers & Son / John Vickers
James Vickers (c.1737-1809), a filesmith, was apparently the son of James (a husbandman). He was apprenticed in 1758 to Christopher Greaves and granted his Freedom in 1763. He reputedly discovered Britannia (white) metal in about 1769. This metal was mostly tin, mixed with antimony and copper. According to Bradbury (1912)1: ‘What [Sheffield] plated ware did for those not wealthy enough to furnish their tables with sterling silver, Britannia metal did for the classes unable to afford silvered cop....
