The “Norden” Morse Key by S. J. Mitchell, Blackburn. Circ 1900 – 1922.
This British hand key is made of brass and mounted on a timber base. The base bears the stamp of S. J. Mitchell, Blackburn, in a circle and “Norden” on the opposite side which is the trademark of Mitchell & Kenyon who were in business between 1897 and 1922 and dates this key nicely during this period. This key is original apart from the knob which is a replacement.
Sagar Jones Mitchell was born on 28 October 1866 and died on 2 October 1952. He was a pioneer of cinematography in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The son of John and Eliza Mitchell, he was educated at a private academy and apprenticed as a cabinet maker. In 1887 Sagar and his father John founded the firm of S. & J. Mitchell, a photographic apparatus manufacturing and dealing business.
Sagar was associated in partnership with James Kenyon since 1897. Mitchell & Kenyon were early film makers and manufacturers of cinematograph equipment. The success of their early films encouraged Mitchell to give up his shop and in September 1901 Mitchell and Kenyon moved into premises in Clayton Street, Blackburn, to concentrate on film production. Mitchell and Kenyon used the trade name of “Norden”, the company became one of the largest film producers in the United Kingdom in the 1900s, producing a mixture of topical films of street scenes, sporting events, rides through towns on the top of trams, and ordinary life, which were extremely popular as people loved to see moving pictures of themselves), fiction, and fake war films. Many of these films were produced for travelling showmen.
Mitchell was a manufacturer of cameras and photographic equipment, this side of the business continued after the merger in some form, possibly as retailers. Kenyon was a manufacturer of automatic machines (i.e. penny-in-the-slot apparatus), this side of the business was still listed in 1920.
In May 1907 Sagar Mitchell resumed possession of his original business S. & J. Mitchell, at 40 Northgate, Blackburn. The volume of film production seems to have tailed off from this date, and from 1909 was increasingly restricted to local events. Mitchell was joined in his business by his son John in 1921 and his partnership with Kenyon was formally dissolved around 1922, Kenyon died in 1925. Sagar lived to the age of 85, and died on 2 October 1952. John continued to run the business until he retired in 1960.