Edward Tuthill Markham (1847-1941) was born in Terrington St Clement, Norfolk, the som of James, an auctioneer & valuer, and his wife, Lucy. Edward married Sarah Jane Hawkey in 1877 and they had moved to London by about 1880.

He is recorded in the 1881 census in Hackney as a cutler and local Methodist preacher. He became a hardware merchant and, until about 1927, he sold cutlery and tools at Cloth Fair, near Smithfield market (which may explain why he was a specialist in butchers' cutlery). His business address (41 - 42 Cloth Fair) is now claimed to be the oldest house in London (built as a private residence in 1614).

Edward Tuthill Markham died on 3rd February 1941 in Luton, aged 94.