Fattorini & Sons was a jewellery

Jewellery

Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...

 business established by a family of Italian

Italian people

The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...

 immigrants who arrived in the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 city of Leeds

Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

, in Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in the early 19th century. Antonio Fattorini opened a shop in Harrogate

Harrogate

Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...

 to take advantage of seasonal trade in Harrogate in 1831, this business is today owned and run by descendants of the founders. In the 1850s he opened a shop in Bradford

Bradford

Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

 with two of his sons. In 1883 The firm made the first ever chess clock comprising two linked pendulum clocks.

Trophy work

They made great inroads into the local and then national market for sports trophies and medals. They made such famous trophies as the FA Cup

FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 and the Rugby League Challenge Cup

Challenge Cup

The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....

 - both in use to this day. Fattorini and Sons also marketed sewing machines manufactured by Varley. Thomas Fattorini Ltd, emblematic jewellers, still manufacture specialist bespoke sports trophies, awards and medals today.

Manningham Rugby Club

The family became heavily involved with Manningham Rugby Club. Indeed, Tony Fattorini represented Manningham when the club became part of the breakaway from Rugby Union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 in 1895 which resulted in the birth of what we know today as the Rugby League

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

. Manningham were the new game's first champions in 1896. After a period of decline Manningham changed games and became the football club Bradford City

Bradford City A.F.C.

Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....

 in 1903. Once again the Fattorinis were at the forefront of the switch to football.

Today

Fattorini & Sons was sold to Thomas Fattorini Ltd in 1984. Thomas Fattorini Ltd and Fattorini & Sons were friendly rivals for many years, both businesses being owned and managed by descendants of Antonio Fattorini. Thomas Fattorini Ltd is still alive and well, is located in the Birmingham Jewellery quarter, and managed by the 6th generation of the Fattorini family. The Harrogate jewellery shop is owned and run by the Tindalls, descendants via the female line. The Bradford shop is now owned by the national jewellers Goldsmiths

Goldsmiths (store)

Goldsmiths is a jewellery retailer of the United Kingdom.- History :Goldsmiths was established in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1778 under the name Reid & Sons, and the original store is still trading. Goldsmiths is the largest retailer of Rolex, Cartier, Omega, Tag Heuer and Gucci in Britain. Goldsmiths...

.

External links

• Photograph "Tony Fattorini" at rugbyleagueheritageproject.com