Family of Jacob ROBERTS and Hannah SYKES

Husband:	Jacob ROBERTS (1726-1781)
Wife:	Hannah SYKES (1743- )
Children:	Jacob ROBERTS (1764-1820)
Marriage

Husband: Jacob ROBERTS

Name:	Jacob ROBERTS 3,4,5
Sex:	Male
Father:	Jacob ROBERTS (1697-aft1728)
Mother:	Mary HOYLAND ( -1770)
Birth	1726	Sheffield 6
Occupation		Cutler/Silversmith 7,8,9
Death	16 Jun 1781 (age 54-55)	Sheffield 10
Burial		St Paul's Church, Sheffield 11

Wife: Hannah SYKES

Name:	Hannah SYKES 2,5,6
Sex:	Female
Father:	John SYKES (1714-1777)
Mother:	Sarah BELDON (1722-1768)
Birth	16 Oct 1743	Sheffield 2,12

Child 1: Jacob ROBERTS

	Jacob ROBERTS, Jacob Roberts 1765-1820

Name:	Jacob ROBERTS 3,4,5,13
Sex:	Male
Spouse:	Mary Ann MORTON (1768-1849)
Birth	1764	Sheffield 3,4,14
Occupation		Cutler/Silversmith/Merchant 15,16,17,18,19
Death	23 Jun 1820 (age 55-56)	Sheffield 2,20
Burial	27 Jun 1820	All Saints, Ecclesall, Sheffield 20

Note on Husband: Jacob ROBERTS

Jacob's father had left Sheffield for a new life in London. His mother had taken the children to follow him, but gave up and returned to Sheffield. She and her four children lived next door to her father, one of the Hoyland cutlers.

 

There is an entry in the Cutler's Company minute book of 1728 that records: "Jacob Roberts, late of Sheffield cutler, having been absent from his family for a considerable time past and not yet returned (or likely to return) and Mary his wife being left in such extreme circumstances is incapable to continue the business hath (by Indenture) assigned over one John, son of Richard Goodlad.........for the remainder of his time upon which there acrews to the company, the Sum of Three Pounds, and they, having taken into consideration, and in regard to her Indigent Circumastances, have thought fit to return her 20s, and which was accordingly gave her".

 

Jacob became an apprentice cutler (apprenticed to Richard Kent) in 1740 at the remarkably young age of 14. He became a Freeman of the Cutler's Comapny in 1751.

 

He may have originally worked for the Hoylands who were silversmiths. In the early 1760's Jacob married Hannah Sykes, his brother having earlier married her sister Mary. Her father had married Sarah Beldon whose brother was Joseph Beldon, a successful cutler in Darnall. He had no children and took a keen interest in his nephews and nieces, including Jacob and Samuel Roberts. As the Memorials book relates "In fact it is this Joseph Beldon who dominated the family scene for the next thirty years. On him, and his business the Roberts family fortunes were to depend. No doubt the two Roberts brothers who had married Beldon's two nieces, would be willing entrants to the Beldon firm".

 

Jacob worked for Mr Beldon from 1760 to 1770 in Pond Hill. In 1765, a mark was registered for Jacob and Samuel Roberts as "JSR". In 1773 Samuel breaks away and joins with other partners including Richard Morton. Jacob remains, possibly in charge, working for Mr Beldon who had moved to London, leaving day to day production problems in Sheffield to Jacob.

 

The Memorials book of 1862, on page 34, says "Jacob and Samuel Roberts were partners in busines; and jointly they built the row of house which form the south side of Union Street, with workshops behind, in which they carried on their trades as silver platers and generl merchants, having transactions directly with various parts of the continent of Europe, especially Spain."

 

In Edward Law's "Sheffield Silversmiths - Part 1" he says: "Jacob and Samuel Roberts had been in partnership together from 1777, as makers of table knives and forks, in an agreement which was not due to expire until 1791. They would not be permitted to produce silver so long as they remained partners in Roberts, Eyre Beldon & Co. (Although they did register a mark in 1777 as "ISR"). This partnership was for 11 years from the 1st August 1780 and they entered their essay mark "SR&Co" on 8th January 1781".

 

However, Jacob died in 1781 and left his share of the partnership to his wife and son.^11,13,21,22

Sources

1	Samuels (3) and Peter Roberts, "Some Memorials of the Family of Roberts" (Published 1971). Page 20.

2	Charles Augustus Roberts, "Genealogy of the Family of Roberts of Sheffield 1937". Assessment: Primary evidence.

3	Samuels (3) and Peter Roberts, "Some Memorials of the Family of Roberts" (Published 1971).

4	Charles Augustus Roberts, "Genealogy of the Family of Roberts of Sheffield 1937".

5	Joseph Hunter, "Hunter's Pedigrees" (Published 1894-1896).
	Sheffield Archives.

6	Samuels (3) and Peter Roberts, "Some Memorials of the Family of Roberts" (Published 1971). Assessment: Primary evidence.

7	Ibid. Page 23. Assessment: Primary evidence. Text From Source: From 1760 to 1770, Jacob and Samuel Roberts worked under the benevolent eye of "Uncle" Beldon at the works in Pond Hill. After Samuel decides to break away in 1773, Jacob remained, possibly in charge, working for Mr Beldon.

8

Edward Law, "Sheffield Silversmiths and The Origins of The Silver Trade in Sheffield" (Internet website). Part 1. Assessment: Primary evidence. Text From Source: Jacob and Samuel Roberts had been together in partnership from 1777, as makers of table knives and forks...........they would not be permitted to produce silver as long as they remained partners in Roberts, Eyre, Beldon & Co.

9	sheffieldrecordsonline.org.uk, "Hallamshire Cutlers Apprentices Index". Assessment: Primary evidence. Apprenticed in 1740 Master was Richard Kent

10	Samuels (3) and Peter Roberts, "Some Memorials of the Family of Roberts" (Published 1971). Pages 17 and 23. Assessment: Primary evidence. Text From Source: In 1871 Jacob Roberts died aged 55. This must have been a tragedy for his wife and son, young Jacob, aged 17.

11	Ibid. Assessment: Primary evidence. Page 17

12	Ibid. Page 20. Assessment: Primary evidence.

13	R E Leader, "History of the Cutlers' Company".

14	SDFHS, "All Saints Church, Ecclesall" (Disk). Burial Index. Assessment: Secondary evidence. Burial Index states he was 56, which means he would have been born about 1764

15	Samuels (3) and Peter Roberts, "Some Memorials of the Family of Roberts" (Published 1971). Pages 22 to 38. Assessment: Primary evidence.

16	Joseph Hunter, "Hunter's Pedigrees" (Published 1894-1896). Assessment: Primary evidence. Merchant
	Sheffield Archives.

17	"Gales and Martin Directory of Sheffield". Assessment: Primary evidence. Text From Source: Roberts, Jacob (cutlers) - Residing in Union Street in 1787

18	sheffieldrecordsonline.org.uk, "Hallamshire Cutlers Apprentices Index". Apprenticed in 1785 (F). Jacob about 20 years old.

19

Sheffield Mercantile and Manufacturing Union, "The Cutlery Trades: An Historic Essay in the Economics of Small Scale Production". Appendix X11 Page 463. Cit. Date: 28 March 1814. Assessment: Primary evidence. Text From Source: At the frist meeting of the general commitee of the Sheffield Mercantile and Manufacturing Union, held this day at Cutlers Hall, the following resolutions were passed unanimously: The following gentlemen to be appointed as Officers to this Union in conformity to the 2nd Resolution: Peter Brownwell Esq Chairman Jacob Roberts Esq Treasurer etc.

20	SDFHS, "All Saints Church, Ecclesall" (Disk). Burial Index. Assessment: Primary evidence.

21	Clive Binfield and David Hey, "Mesters to Masters : A history of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire".

22	Archivist - Dr Joan Unwin, "Archives of the Cutler's Company".