My name is Roger P. Ball and I live in Ayr, Ontario, Canada. All my working life was spent as a Pharmacist in England [where I was born], Bermuda and Canada and throughout that time, because of my love of woodworking, I became interested in British Woodworking Tool Manufacturers. I have used and collected MARPLES tools for over 65 years and only until very recently have I been involved in writing internet sites on other Sheffield tool manufacturers. [WS {wstoolsbirmingham.com} and WODEN {wodentools.com, now unfortunately off line due to insufficient funds to keep it going.}
Now my interests are to publish and disseminate the best reliable information on the firm of William Marples & Sons, since this firm goes far back into our British history and is infinitely more interesting as a family and as a firm than any other tool manufacturer in the UK. I will endeavour to inform you about the Tools, the Trade Marks, the History, the Catalogues/Literature and the Ancillary literature etc., all of which are totally absorbing to me.
I am desperately trying to contact ANY past employees of MARPLES or anybody who may have just a snippet of MARPLES information for me, however inconsequential it may appear to you. This information dies when that person dies, never to be known again. We are now at the absolute end of receiving any new [old] information before it is gone forever. Please help me retain this most valuable information for future generations, contact me!
IMPORTANT for users of this site: Basically there are 2 sections. The ‘Posts‘ section deals with the actual tools and the ‘Pages‘ section deals with marks, history etc. Sorry for the possible confusion, it is something to do with the direction that water runs down a drain above the equator…! I think.
August 2023. I have received word that a very dear friend and contributor to this MARPLES site has recently died. May he please be remembered here.
Mr. David Walker 
