Joseph Hives (bapt. 1776-1808) was apparently the son of John, a yeoman, of The Elm, Ecclesfield.  John had already apprenticed two sons, George and William, in 1791 and 1794, respectively (George with a premium of £5 5s).  Joseph was apprenticed to Joseph Roberts Jun. in 1799, with his father paying a premium of £2 12s 6d.  Presumably this was Joseph Roberts & Son, Garden Street.  Joseph Hives became a Freeman in 1803 and soon went into business.  In 1805, Thomas Colley, a button gilder, was convicted of stealing polished razors from Hives’ warehouse and sentenced to be transported for seven years (Leeds Intelligencer, 29 April 1805).  Joseph Hives partnered William Denton as a pen knife cutler.  The identity of Denton is somewhat uncertain, but he was possibly the son of John Denton, a  filesmith at Foxhill, Ecclesfield, and was apprenticed to knife maker John Rowbotham.  William became a Freeman in 1807.  

However, Denton & Hives was dissolved in 1808, because Hives had died.   His will was proved on 7 July 1808 at under £800.  His ‘relict’ was Jane née Powell (1882-1829).   They had two sons: John (born 1806) and Joseph (born 1808).  After the death of Joseph Sen., the Hives’ family disappeared as cutlers in the printed sources, though an obituary later noted the death of John Hives on 7 June 1856, aged 80.  He was described as a table fork and steel maker ‘of this town’ (Sheffield Independent, 14 June 1856).  He may have been the brother of Joseph Sen.