Joseph Cheaney, previously factory manager at B. Riley, started his own boot and shoemaking business in Desborough, Northamptonshire in 1886, working from small premises on Station Road. His son Arthur joined in 1890, prompting a move to a purpose-built factory in 1896, and once a second son, Harold, joined too, the company became J. Cheaney & Sons in 1903. It survived both World Wars by making boots for military officers, and cousins William and Jonathan Church bought the brand from a Prada subsidiary in 2009, keeping production in the same Northamptonshire factory.