Edward Clarke first ran a forge in 1859 in Lincoln, producing agricultural equipment. Clarke began to specialise in the production of crankshafts for steam engines and patented his own design in 1872. In the 1870s Clarke moved his rapidly expanding business to larger premises in Coultham Street, Lincoln.

During the First World War the company supplied large numbers of marine crankshafts , and in 1917 the Admiralty funded an expansion of the factory to produce heavy forgings for ships.

Mitchell, Shackleton & Company of Manchester took over Clarke's in 1948. Mitchell, Shackleton subsequently merged with Walters Somers of Halesowen in 1964. Clarke's remained a subsidiary company until it was taken over by Folkes Plc in 1990. In 2003 the Folkes Group announced the closure of the Coultham Street factory.