Spear & Jackson
Encyclopedia
Formation
In 1760, Alexander Spear and John Love formed a company in Sheffield called Spear & Love. In 1814, John Spear, the nephew of Alexander, took on an apprentice called Sam Jackson. In 1830, the partnership Spear & Jackson was formed.Eclipse
In 1889, James Neill patented composite steel - steel-backed iron. He registered his composite steel products under the Eclipse trademark in 1909. The name was taken from the famous racehorse EclipseEclipse (horse)
Eclipse was an outstanding, undefeated 18th-century British Thoroughbred racehorse who was later a phenomenal success as a sire.-Breeding:...
, who even though he had died over a hundred years earlier was still famous for his dominating success. The phrase "Eclipse first and the rest nowhere" was still in such common use that Neill adopted it as a marketing slogan for his products.
Eclipse made the world's first composite steel hacksaw
Hacksaw
A hacksaw is a fine-tooth saw with a blade under tension in a frame, used for cutting materials such as metal or plastics. Hand-held hacksaws consist of a metal arch with a handle, usually a pistol grip, with pins for attaching a narrow disposable blade. A screw or other mechanism is used to put...
blade in 1911. The company began manufacturing hacksaws in 1924. All hacksaws are now built according to their design.
Ownership
Neill Tools bought Spear & Jackson in 1985, when known as Spear & Jackson International plc. In 1995, Neil Tools renamed itself Spear & Jackson plc. Its headquarters have always been in Sheffield.Tools
The company made handsaws form the beginning (1760); in 1833 Henry DisstonHenry Disston
Henry Disston was an English American industrialist who founded the Keystone Saw Works in 1840 and developed the surrounding neighborhood of Tacony in Philadelphia, beginning in 1872. He was the father of industrialist Hamilton Disston.-Early life and rise to prominence:Disston was born in...
, a toolmaker, emigrated to the United States and in 1840 started manufacturing saws. The Disston "skew-back" saw was introduced in 1874 and Spear and Jackson introduced a skew-back design, og panel and hand-saw in the mid-twentieth century.