Joseph Blackwell was born in Sheffield in about 1810.  He was the son of a Bradfield spring-knife cutler, John Blackwell (born c. 1785).   By 1833, Joseph had apparently started knife making in Radford Street.  In the Census (1841) he was a cutler in Jericho, living with his wife Easter (sometimes spelled Esther) and three sons.  (Intriguingly, two Joseph Blackwells were listed in the 1845 directory – one in New Jericho Street, the other in Jericho Street.)  By 1851, Joseph had moved to Stannington (Liberty Hill) to live and work with his father.  In 1861, Joseph Blackwell & Sons employed four men and three boys.  The sons were Alfred and Henry.  By 1868, Joseph Blackwell & Son was at Liberty Works, Edward Street, Sheffield, where it manufactured pen, pocket, sportsmen’s, and pruning knives.   Alfred apparently managed the business, but in 1879 the partnership with his father ended.  Joseph retired to Morecambe Bay.  He died in Stannington on 10 February 1884, aged 74, leaving an estate of £44.  Alfred Blackwell (1834-1911) continued to trade as a spring-knife manufacturer in Holly Street.