Thomas Jessop (1804-1887)

On the article I wrote on Sheffield's Jessop's Hospital for Women, I could not help but notice the prominent role played by Thomas Jessop in establishing and funding the Hospital at Leavygate Road.

Thomas Jessop, was born on 30th January 1804 at the family home in Blast Lane, Sheffield. The family was a large one - Thomas had three brothers and four sisters. The family house was situated next to William Jessop’s works which he had established in 1793, the company, taking the name of the partners, Mitchell, Raikes, and Jessop. It should be pointed out that Blast Lane at the turn of the nineteenth century bore no comparison to what it was later to become - an a classic Victorian urban slum. At the time the company was started the area was predominantly rural.

Thomas was initially apprenticed to a local edge tool maker called Billy Jenkinson, but with the expansion of his fathers business Thomas and his brothers to be taken on as partners in 1830. Thomas and his brothers joined the business in 1830 and just two years later the small crucible steelmakers became William Jessop & Sons.

With expanding markets in the United States especially for the company's cutlery steel, the business moved to a site in the Brightside area of Sheffield in 1845and later a works at Kilnhurst, was added.

The Brightside works eventually covered 30 acres and included the site of the former water works. Following the deaths of his father and brothers, Thomas was in sole charge of the business by 1871. The company which was originally established in 1793 became a Limited Company in 1875. .

The Jessop works at Brightside became one of the biggest steelworks in the country and in 1875 the firm became a limited company with a share capital of £400,000. Jessops specialised in Crucible steel for cutlery, edge tools, and engineering and also gained a reputation in America, particularly for cutlery steel.

Jessop was a well known public figure and held many important civic posts including Master Cutler (1863), Mayor (1863-4), Alderman (1864), Town Trustee (1862) and JP (1863). As Mayor in 1864 Jessop had to deal with the aftermath of the great Sheffield flood. He became treasurer of a compensation fund of around £50,000. Jessop was also a member of Sheffield's first town council when the town became a corporate borough in 1843.

Thomas Jessop died on 30th November 1887 and is buried in Ecclesall All Saints Parish Churchyard in Sheffield.

The funeral received extensive coverage in the local press. The Sheffield & Rotherham Independent (Sheffield, England), dated Monday, December 05, 1887 printed the following report

Thomas's last resting place in Ecclesall Churchyard Sheffield - taken March 2012

Name	Relation	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Birthplace	Occupation
Thomas JESSOP	Head	Married	Male	77	Sheffield, York, England	Magistrate Retired Steel Manftr
F.Y.JESSOP	Wife	Married	Female	63	Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Catherine MAKON	Serv	U	Female	31	Monaghan Glebe	Cook (Dom)
Elizabeth STANLEY	Serv	U	Female	16	Carlton, Nottingham, England	Housemaid (Dom)
Lucy DURRAN	Serv	U	Female	23	Greasbro, York, England	Housemaid (Dom)
Maria COOK	Serv	U	Female	23	Sheffield, York, England	Chamber Maid (Dom)
Elleanor NORBURN	Serv	U	Female	24	Rotherham, York, England	Cook (Dom)