Wilsons of Sharrow, now named Wilsons & Company (Sharrow) Ltd, based at
Sharrow Mills
Sharrow Mills are a collection of industrial buildings in Sheffield, England, which have been used for the production of snuff by the firm of Wilsons of Sharrow since the mid 18th century. The mills stands on the Porter Brook in the Sharrow Vale ...
in the
Sharrow
Sharrow is a suburb of Sheffield located directly southwest of Sheffield city centre. The district lies within the Nether Edge and Sharrow ward of the City.
Sharrow Ward's back to back terraced housing in ''Little Sheffield'' was redevelo ...
district of
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, is a manufacturer of
snuff
Snuff may refer to:
Tobacco
* Snuff (tobacco), fine-ground tobacco, sniffed into the nose
** Moist snuff or dipping tobacco
** Creamy snuff, an Indian tobacco paste
Media and entertainment
* Snuff film, a type of film that shows a murder
Literat ...
tobacco since 1737.
Since 1982 Wilsons now also manufactures the renowned
Fribourg & Treyer
Fribourg & Treyer was a British snuff manufacturer and retailer. It was founded by Mr Fribourg in 1720 at 34 Haymarket, London.
They were famous for retailing Turkish tobacco.
The business became Fribourg & Treyer, after the German-born Gottli ...
snuff blends who were producing snuff since 1720.
In the early 1740s, Joseph Wilson succeeded his father Thomas Wilson, a shearsmith, as tenant of Sharrow Mills (then a
cutlers wheel). The mill suffered a fire in 1746, when his stock in trade included "tobacco snuff".
In 1833, Joseph and Henry Wilson parted company with their cousins William and George (who retained Sharrow Mills), setting up a rival business at Westbrook Mill nearby on Sharrowvale Road. That remained a family business incorporated as Joseph and Henry Wilson Ltd in 1895. It remained in family ownership until 1953, when its elderly proprietors sold the business to
Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Brands plc (formerly Imperial Tobacco Group plc), is a British multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is the world's fourth-largest international cigarette company measured by market share after Philip Mor ...
. Its archives are now deposited in the
Sheffield Archives.
At Sharrow Mills
steam power
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
was introduced in 1897, but the water wheel remains operational. The company is currently still owned by the Wilson family, the sixth generation since Thomas, still based at
Sharrow Mills
Sharrow Mills are a collection of industrial buildings in Sheffield, England, which have been used for the production of snuff by the firm of Wilsons of Sharrow since the mid 18th century. The mills stands on the Porter Brook in the Sharrow Vale ...
, in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
.
References
Further reading
* M. H. F. Chaytor, ''The Wilsons of Sharrow'' (1962)
* D. Crossley and others, ''Water Power on Sheffield Rivers'' (1989), 81-2.
External links
Wilsons of Sharrow WebsiteAccess to Archives - search for snuff mills
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilsons Of Sharrow
1737 establishments in England
Manufacturing companies based in Sheffield
Tobacco companies of the United Kingdom
People from Fulwood, Sheffield
British companies established in 1737