J.G.GRAVES, pocket watch, 1904. (A).The "EXPRESS" ENGLISH LEVER, WATCHCASE HALLMARKED MANCHESTER 1904, SILVER ALBERT CHAIN, ALL PARTS HALLMARKED MANCHESTER 1887.

 John Graves was born in Lincolnshire, England, and went by the age of 14, in 1880, to Sheffield.

There he became a watchmaker and started his business.  At first in watch trading and later as businessman in different kinds of trades and manufacturing, furniture, tools, clothes. 

He started for example a mail order business,  the first one in Britain. About 3000 people he employed. He became extremely rich and lived from 1902 untill his death in 1945 at Riversdale House in Ranmoor, Sheffield. In 1926 he became lord mayor of Sheffield. During the years he donated a lot of money and properties to the community, for example Graves park, Tinsley playing field,Black moor, Ecclesoll woods, Concord park. 

  1887

20. (A)