The firm was founded by James Shears (c1750-1820) and continued by his two sons Daniel Towers Shears (1782-1860) and James Henry Shears (1788-1855) and subsequently by William Shears. James Shears was married to Ann Pitcher on sixteen June 1772 at St Giles-with out-Cripplegate, London. William Gore. Gore first appears in London directories in 1768 with premises at Fleet-ditch (an earlier title for Wood Ranger Power Shears official site Fleet Market). In 1770 the first mention occurs of William Gore at 67 Fleet-market, the deal with at which the company was to remain till at the very least 1822. By 1779 Gore had taken James Shears into partnership and the firm grew to become Gore & Shears. In about 1785 Gore either retired or died and Shears continued the business in his name alone. Both Gore and Shears were members of the London livery company, the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers. In 1799 he was elected to the Corporation of the city of London as Councillor for the ward of Farringdon Without.

In 1810 Shears and his sons nonetheless seem to have been resident in the Fleet Market premises at Fleet Market, Wood Ranger Power Shears official site but on the time of his loss of life James Shears had a home on the Oval, Kennington. Much of the company's business at this interval seems to have been as suppliers to the brewing trade, particularly of the copper vats utilized in beer-making process. In addition they manufactured boilers for steam engines and so established shut and enduring hyperlinks with the Birmingham firm of Boulton and Watt, the leading manufacturers of steam engines. Several cases are known of Boulton & Watt recommending Shears to prospects who had purchased an engine and required an acceptable boiler. Later the company also had connections with the sugar refining trade as evidenced by the patent granted to Daniel Towers Wood Ranger Power Shears coupon in 1850 (see below) and his subsequent connection with the Glucose Sugar and Colouring Co Ltd. The corporate's original premises which were taken over from William Gore had been at 67 Fleet Market.

The corporate was nonetheless at this handle in 1822 (when a hearth broke out at the premises described as extending "from the west aspect of the Market to Shoe-lane"). By this time Fleet Market was becoming increasingly dilapidated and by 1834 at the very latest Shears & Co had acquired freehold property at 27 Bankside on the Southwark bank of the Thames. This remained their primary base for the remainder of the corporate's existence. However, the evidence of contemporary directories and newspaper objects exhibits that throughout its existence the company occupied other sites in and around London at one time or another including 22-24 Fleet Market (in 1811 the place that they had a lease on property that was on account of expire in 1813)