John Rowbotham – one of the founding Guardians of the Sheffield Assay Office – was one of the first Sheffield platers to register a mark.  The date was 20 September 1773 and the mark was the seventh in the register.  It was registered jointly from Norfolk Street with William Hancock, who was the son of Joseph Hancock.  Rowbotham’s partners also included William Birks, and Benjamin and Joseph Withers (see Birks, Withers & Sykes), John Wreaks, and Roger Wilson.  William Hancock withdrew in 1773 after a disagreement (Sheffield Public Advertiser, 29 January 1774).   The remaining partners dissolved their arrangement in 1776, but Rowbotham had already in 1774 registered three marks under his own name (variations on ‘IR Co’).  In 1776, he registered the mark ‘IR’ from Norfolk Street.   According to Law (2000)¹, the daybooks at the Assay Office show that he was producing mainly silver handles, alongside whip caps and tea tongs.  

Rowbotham became Master Cutler in 1780, but died during his year of office on 25 May 1781 (Leeds Intelligencer, 8 May 1781).  Josephus Parkin assumed his duties.  The name John Rowbotham appeared again in the Assay Office register in 1787 and 1793 – though this was apparently a cutlery maker associated with Wingfield, Rowbotham.   A link between these two branches of the Rowbotham family has not been discovered.

^1. Law, Edward J., ‘Sheffield Silversmiths’ (2000). Posted at: http://homepage.eircom.net/~lawed/index.htm