This business had its origins in Atkin & Oxley, which in the 1820s manufactured silver and plated cutlery in Eyre Street.  The partners were Henry Atkin and John Oxley, who in 1841 went their separate ways: Henry launched the enterprise that would become Atkin Bros; and John began his own business as a ‘plate worker’ in Charles Street.  He registered his own silver mark in 1841.  John Oxley remained at Charles Street for about twenty-five years, usually describing himself as a silver cutler and pearl worker/dealer.  He is known to have stamped his mark on silver fruit-knives, though few details about his life survive.  He died (aged 74) on 7 September 1866 and was buried in an unconsecrated grave in the General Cemetery.  He left under £2,000.  The registers of that cemetery reveal a dismal history: John Oxley’s wife, Elizabeth, and a daughter, Jane, died in the following year.  Harriet Oxley, another daughter, had died in 1863.  The business was last listed in 1868.