George Senior. Source: Picture Sheffield.
George Senior’s life was a classic rags to riches story. Born in 1838 he started work as a nail maker at the age of eight, before beginning an apprenticeship at 13 as a hammer man. By the time he was in his twenties he had married and was manager in charge of all the hammers at Neepside Rolling Mills. He went into business for himself in 1872 at Pond’s Forge. By the time he became Lord Mayor in 1901 his firm, George Senior & Sons Ltd, was one of the largest importers of Swedish steel in the country and manufactured steel to meet the needs of all the staple trades in Sheffield. He was elected Master Cutler in 1909. Energetic and forthright, he was much respected for his philanthropy as well as his business acumen. He was particularly interested in providing Sheffield with parks and open spaces, chaired the General Purposes and Parks Committee, and was able to persuade the Duke of Norfolk to present Norfolk Park to the city. He was also a JP, where he was known to be strict but fair. He and his wife Nancy had eight children of whom two died young. Twenty and twenty-one when they married, they lived through poverty, narrowly escaped death in the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864, and adapted to the expectations of their changed circumstances. One of their sons, Albert, took over the firm and was equally respected for his public service. Albert served on a number of advisory committees during the First World War, Albert’s son and George’s grandson was killed in Tunisia during the Second World War. He is buried in grave G1 7-8 in the Anglican area of the Cemetery,
You can read more about people who worked in the steel industry and who are buried in the Cemetery in the Sheffield General Cemetery Trust’s publication Made in Sheffield and follow the self-guided trail Industrial Connections.