Evans and Askin
of Birmingham, smelters and refiners of nickel, cobalt, etc
1834 Charles Askin formed a partnership with Brooke Evans at George Street
Askin and Evans, with the assistance of Edward White Benson, developed a wet refining process to separate nickel and cobalt from the most abundant available ores. As well as refining nickel the firm produced a nickel alloy, German silver, which was used in metalware, and supplied cobalt to the pottery and glass industries as a dye.
1842 Henry Wiggin joined the business.
1847 When Charles Askin died, Henry Wiggin became a partner
1848 They moved to new premises beside the Birmingham Canal
1849 Directory: Listed as refiners
c.1850 The firm had upwards of ten nickel mines in Norway
1855 David Forbes was made a partner in the firm
1862 After Evans' death, Wiggin took total control of the business
1870 The business was renamed Henry Wiggin and Co