A spring knife manufacturer, William Girdham may have been born in 1805, the son of Francis Girdom [sic], a grinder, and his wife, Elizabeth.  He was living and working in Pea Croft at the time of the 1841 Census.  He was first listed in a directory in 1852, working in Smithfield.  In 1860, a directory advertisement described him as a manufacturer of pen, pocket, and all kinds of Spanish lock-knives.  In 1861, he was living in Smithfield, with his wife Margaret and son William (aged 28), who was also a cutler.  William Girdham Jun. was listed once in 1876 as a cutler in Pea Croft.  William Girdham Sen. died on 11 October 1880, aged 77, leaving under £100.   The Pea Croft workshops were auctioned (Sheffield Independent, 13 November 1880).