Stones Brewery - William Stones

William Stones

William Stones was born in Sheffield on 29 December 1826. His parents were Eliza and Joseph, both cabinet case makers. By 1870 Stones was living in Sheffield's Lowfield area. Stones purchased a "spacious" terraced house in 1883, although he had been renting the property for several years prior to this. Stones died aged 68 on 14 November 1894, having devoted his whole life to brewing. He was a bachelor, and one of the richest men in Sheffield, leaving over £150,000 in his will (£12,662,361 in 2013 adjusted for inflation). He left his wealth to his sister, friends and various charitable concerns. Stones is said to have earned his success through clever marketing and a consistently good product. He was also fortunate in that Sheffield water was of an exceptionally high standard, with the British Medical Journal asserting in 1857 that: "he taste is agreeable: and few towns have purer or better water than Sheffield."