J. W. Billing was born in Scotland in about 1822. By 1841, he was a cutler in Sheffield. According to his Census return in Arundel Street, he employed four men. He advertised in the directory of 1863, selling multi-blade spring knives (between two and six blades) for the American market. Billing operated from Porter Brook Works, Matilda Street. The advertisement was Billing’s epitaph: he died on 16 May 1863, aged 41, and was buried in the General Cemetery. He left effects under £300. According to Goins (1998)1, his mark was ‘XXL’.
1. Goins, J E, and Goins, C, Goins’ Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings (Indianapolis, 1998)