In the 19th century, Savage, Lyman & Co. was one of Canada's largest silver merchants. George Savage, born in 1767 in Huddersfield, England, went into business in Canada around 1818. About 1840, he formed a partnership with his eldest son, Joseph Savage. The firm sold fine silverware imported from the leading English makers and from the best Montreal silversmiths, including Peter Bohle and Robert Hendery. Joseph Savage later partnered with his brother-in-law Joseph Lyman, followed by Charles W. Hagar and Henry Birks.