George Bishop (1849-1917) was born in Ecclesall, the son of William, a razor grinder, and his wife, Mary Ann.  He was educated at a Boy’s Charity School and then worked as a silver finisher.  After running a confectioners, by the mid-1890s he had launched George Bishop & Sons, electro-plate manufacturer, 216 Rockingham Street.  George later lived at Saltergate, Bamford.  He died at Belper on 15 March 1917, aged 68, leaving £3,745.  He was buried at Ecclesall.  His sons, Herbert (1873-1955) and Thomas (1877-?), continued at Rockingham Lane until about 1940.  The trade mark was a mitre (picture).  Thomas’s son, Cyril (1909-1976), was working as a capstan lathe operator in 1939, but after the War joined Sanders & Bowers.

The Iviene or Ivy pattern was a specialty of George Bishop cutlery and we understand that his eldest grandaughter, Iviena  Bishop, born 1907, was named after the design.

(Base text by Geoffrey Tweedale with additional information supplied by Caroline Sage, great, great granddaughter of George Bishop.)