Ernest Wright is a traditional scissors manufacturer in Sheffield, England.[1] The firm was established in 1902 by Ernest Wright Sr., the son of a local scissors-borer.[2]

Scissors and shears made by Ernest Wright are marketed to artisans, hobbyists and collectors. The brand’s range includes Turton kitchen scissors, stork-shaped embroidery scissors, and shears for tailors and dressmakers. The scissors are manufactured at a small workshop on Broad Lane, Sheffield.[3]

Five generations of the Wright family ran the business until 2018, when owner Nick Wright passed away in tragic circumstances.[4] The company went into receivership, but was saved from closure when two businessmen and admirers of the firm, Paul Jacobs and Jan-Bart Fanoy, purchased the assets of the company and rehired several of its staff.[5]

Since the takeover, Ernest Wright has enjoyed resurgent interest and publicity. A short video documentary about the firm was published on YouTube by BusinessInsider in April 2020, and has since been viewed over four-million times.[6] In October 2020, Ernest Wright won the Heritage Crafts Association’s inaugural President’s Award for Endangered Crafts, which was initiated by HRH The Prince of Wales.[7]

Ernest Wright has retained the use of traditional crafting methods and arcane technolect, despite a general decline in the UK handmade scissors trade.[8] The firm’s craftspeople are known as ‘putters’, or ‘master-putter-togetherers’.[9]

References

  1. ^ Desk, Help. "Ernest Wright | Handmade scissors since 1902 Sheffield England". https://www.ernestwright.co.uk/. Retrieved 2021-04-27. ((cite web)): External link in |website= (help)
  2. ^ Tweedale, Geoffrey (2010). Tweedale's Directory of Sheffield Cutlery Manufacturers 1740-2013 (2nd ed.). Sheffield: Geoffrey Tweedale. pp. 699–700.
  3. ^ "Ernest Wright". Ernest Wright. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  4. ^ "Sheffield scissor firm boss died after suffering years of stress". www.thestar.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  5. ^ "Joy as investors relaunch historic Sheffield scissor firm". www.thestar.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  6. ^ Floyd, Charlie. "Why Ernest Wright scissors are so expensive". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  7. ^ "The Heritage Crafts Awards » Ernest Wright – scissor makers". awards.heritagecrafts.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  8. ^ "Last craftsmen fight to save their trades". 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  9. ^ "The Putter and the art of putting together scissors". The Kid Should See This. 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
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