George Oxspring, a fork maker, was born in the Shiregreen area in about 1750.  He was apparently the son of George, a husbandman, and after apprenticeship to various masters was granted his Freedom in 1775 (Leader, 1905-6¹).  George Oxspring then trained other fork makers at Shiregreen, such as John Gregory, William Haslehurst, and William Holmes (Unwin, 2002²).   Little is known about Oxspring’s subsequent career, though he was listed in directories in 1797, 1816, and 1818; and he was also a publican.  The Oxspring family – which had a home and workshops in a two-storey building at Oaks Lane – did not cease fork production until 1949 (Woodriff, n.d.).  The register at St Mary’s churchyard, Ecclesfield, recorded George Oxspring’s burial on 16 May 1824.  He was aged 74.

^1. Leader, R E, History of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire in the County of York (Sheffield, 1905-6)

^2. Unwin, Joan, ‘The Hallamshire Cutlery Trades in the Late 17th Century: A Study of the Hearth Tax Returns and the Records of the Cutlers’ Company’ (Sheffield University PhD, 2002)