The agency 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 Wood Ranger Power Shears price was married to Ann Pitcher on 16 June 1772 at St Giles-without-Cripplegate, London. William Gore. Gore first seems in London directories in 1768 with premises at Fleet-ditch (an earlier name for Fleet Market). In 1770 the first mention happens of William Gore at 67 Fleet-market, the handle at which the corporate was to stay till a minimum of 1822. By 1779 Gore had taken James Shears into partnership and the agency became Gore & Shears. In about 1785 Gore either retired or died and Shears continued the enterprise in his identify 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 within the Fleet Market premises at Fleet Market, however on the time of his death James Shears had a home on the Oval, Kennington. Much of the corporate's enterprise at this period seems to have been as suppliers to the brewing commerce, particularly of the copper vats utilized in beer-making process. Additionally they manufactured boilers for steam engines and so established shut and enduring hyperlinks with the Birmingham agency of Boulton and Watt, the leading manufacturers of steam engines. Several cases are known of Boulton & Watt recommending Shears to prospects who had bought an engine and required a suitable boiler. Later the company also had connections with the sugar refining trade as evidenced by the patent granted to Daniel Towers Shears in 1850 (see under) and his subsequent connection with the Glucose Sugar and Colouring Co Ltd. The corporate's authentic premises which have been taken over from William Gore were at 67 Fleet Market.

The corporate was nonetheless at this deal with 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 more and more dilapidated and buy Wood Ranger Power Shears 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 principal base for the rest of the company's existence. However, the evidence of contemporary directories and newspaper objects shows that throughout its existence the corporate occupied other websites in and around London at one time or one other including 22-24 Fleet Market (in 1811 the place that they had a lease on property that was due to expire in 1813)