© Ken Hawley Collection Trust - K.1633
We believe that the knife we have was made in Sheffield (maker inknown) for Burnetts, a well known coal merchant that started trading in Sheffield around 1890-1900. It was founded by Joseph Burnett, the son of a shoemaker.
Joseph had two sons, Alfred Christopher and Albert George who grew the business which became known as Burnett Bros. & Co Ltd. The company operated from various locations in Sheffield initially providing bagged home delivery. In 1953 the Burnett Brothers merged with Hallamshire Coal Supplies, forming Burnett & Hallamshire Fuel Supplies. The new company operated from the old Corn Exchange near the Sheffield canal basin and local railway depots delivering to industrial, retail and wholesale customers.
The company continued to grow becoming the largest coal merchants in South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire, operating from premises in the Sheffield suburbs. Further acquisitions were made and as the demands for coal increased a move was made into open cast mining and N.S.M. (Northern Strip Mining) established as a subsidiary. However the introduction of the Clean Air Act in 1956 affected their bagging and wholesale business; over the following years various companies were bought / sold and in 1988 Burnett & Hallamshire PLC changed its name to N.S.M. PLC.
Of the Burnett brothers responsible for the growth, Albert died on 4th May 1936 leaving £31,572 4s 8d and two years later Alfred on 4th February 1938 leaving £23,246 1s 2d. Burnett & Hallamshire Fuel Ltd was dissolved 26th May 2015; the name Burnett is still extant in various businesses in the U.K.
The Nunnery solid fuel distribution site at Bernard Road is now the Sheffield Super tram depot.
If you have any information about the knife or the maker, please share it with us via enquiries@hawleytoolcollection.com