The History of Tofields solicitors

We can trace the history of Tofields back over 100 years to the late 19th century when Edwin Tofield one of six children of a saw manufacturer from Handsworth Woodhouse (now called Woodhouse) began to practice as a solicitor from a one room office at the back of St James' Row in Sheffield having been admitted as a solicitor on the 9th April 1889 (click here for a look at his original admission certificate).

At around the same time Raymond Meeke, the eldest of four children of Joseph Meeke, a draper of Snig Hill, was setting up his own practice on Campo Lane in a building long since demolished at the junction of Paradise St.

In 1908 one William Ashcroft Lambert began the firm of W. A. Lambert & Co on Bank St.

At the outbreak of the First World war in 1914 Raymond Meeke became a second lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve which manned the anti aircraft guns at Wincobank until the army took over and he was enlisted into the Royal Garrison Artillery and went to France ending the war as a major in that unit.

Edwin Tofield was too old for military service but the war affected him as well because his partner, Mr. Williams (reputed to be the nephew of Lloyd George) was killed in action at Gallipoli.

William Lambert joined the Inns of Court regiment and spent an unremarkable war.

At the end of the war Raymond Meeke returned to Sheffield in order to build up his practice which had evaporated during his absence and was introduced to Edwin Tofield by two silversmiths by the name of Tom and Arthur Bowker.

So began the firm of Tofield & Meeke, who established offices on Fig Tree Lane in Sheffield. They had two typists by the name of Rossington and Sweeting who typed on rather unusual machines called yosts which used no ribbons but had the keys lying on an inked pad which by some mechanical miracle unfurled to strike the paper. These machines were all that solicitors could use because the West Riding Deeds Registry refused to accept any document that had been typed on a ribbon typewriter.

Life was not particularly hectic for solicitors in those days. Partners would never arrive at their offices before about 10.00 am and would always leave at 5.00 pm. A young solicitor with some experience could expect to earn about £4 per week and a partner could expect £500 or so a year.

In 1929 Mr. Tofield suffered a severe illness brought on by a rather ill-advised stock market venture and as a result aged rapidly although he continued in the firm.

In 1931 Mr. Meeke's son Edward became articled to the firm of Tofield & Meeke, whilst his father left the practice to become the Registrar of Sheffield County Court. Edward was admitted as a solicitor in November 1936. When the second world war broke out Edward joined the army and the firm was put into the hands of Mr. Keeble Hawson as a caretaker. At the outbreak of war all of the title deeds which the firm held were deposited at the Midland Bank on Bank St, which on the 12th December 1940 sustained a direct hit from a German bomb which completely destroyed the building and melted most of the deeds which were written on vellum (some of which we still have today).

Within a few years of the end of the war, Mr. Tofield retired and Edward Meeke continued as a sole principal. Meanwhile over at W A Lambert & Co, Mr. Lambert had taken on his nephew Thornton Lambert as an articled clerk.

Around the same time another firm was establishing itself. George Swann and Henry Dodson had entered into partnership under the style of Swann Dodson & Co from offices on Queen St. One other practice that would later become part of the present firm was also beginning, set up by Basil Laitner on Bank St, Sheffield.

In 1950 Thornton Lambert qualified and was taken into partnership by his uncle who died in 1956. Norman White had by this time joined the partnership of Tofield & Meeke and when in 1960 Edward Meeke left the firm to become the Registrar of Sheffield County Court (a position now known as a District Judge), Roger Foster who had been practicing on his own also joined the firm.

In 1961 W. A. Lambert & Co merged with Tofield & Meeke to form the practice of Tofield Lambert & Meeke and moved to spacious new offices next to the Cutler's hall on Church St. Basil Laitner took on a partner Godfrey Smythe and that firm's name was changed to Laitner & Smythe. Thus by the mid 1960's the three firms that would later merge had all been established, Swann Dodson & Co, Laitner & Smythe and Tofield Lambert & Meeke.

Tofield Lambert & Meeke continued to supply the Judiciary with new recruits when Thornton Lambert left the firm to become Registrar of Sheffield County Court in 1973, followed in 1978 by Roger Foster who was appointed to the same position at Doncaster County Court.

In the late 1980's the firms of Laitner and Smythe and Tofield Lambert & Meeke merged and moved into the offices which we still occupy today at 14 Figtree Lane. The building itself has an interesting history as the original Sheffield Hospital for Women (that later became Jessops) was founded there on the 29th June 1864 with 6 beds. The stone mortuary slabs can still be seen today in our cellars. Our offices also contain the largest stone spiral staircase of any secular building in Sheffield (see the photo to the right).

Our next merger took in the firm of Swann Dodson & Co which took place in the early 1990's the new firm taking the name of Tofield Swann & Smythe.

In 2003 we dropped the Swann & Smythe from our name and became Tofields.

Finally in September 2007 we merged with Wake Smith to produce the firm we are today, Wake Smith & Tofields