Joseph Cheaney was founded in 1886 in Northamptonshire (an area well-known for its shoe factories), originally making high-quality shoes for upmarket retailers. The founder's grandson, Joseph Humphrey Cheaney, realised that the future of the company depended on establishing their own brand, and so sold the business to Church's English Shoes in 1964. From there, Cheaney became an award-winning brand available to retailers all over the globe, and still is today.