William Frederick Taylor Bradshaw was born in Sheffield on 1 March 1807.  He was the son of James, a grinder, and his wife, Rosanna.  In 1841, William was listed as a shopkeeper at  92 Broomhall Street.  He was listed again in 1845, though intriguingly the same directory listed a William Bradshaw as a palette knife manufacturer and florist in Little Sheffield.   Palette knives were W. F. T. Bradshaw’s speciality.  An advertisement in the 1849 Sheffield directory claimed that he was ‘Celebrated for Manufacturing Potters’ Palette Knives, Artists’ Knives and Palette Knives’.   He operated from 91 Broomhall Street.  His mark was ‘BNE’ and ‘L’ with a diamond and pistol.  The latter was acquired from Broomhead & Ward (Sheffield Independent, 27 September 1845).   

From 1849, Bradshaw evidently supplemented his income by running first Broomhall Tavern, then Bath Cottage pub – both in Broomhall Street (with the latter more recently known as the Bath Hotel).   By 1861, Bradshaw had moved to Crosspool and traded from Bath Works, Bath Street.   In about 1870, he moved to the Isle of Man to operate a boarding house.  W. F. T. Bradshaw died in Douglas, Isle of Man, on 16 February 1873, aged 66, and was buried in Ecclesall.