Joseph Goddard, son of a local banker, was born at Market Harborough in 1813. He joined the Pharmaceutical Society in 1842. His first pharmacy was in Stangate, Leicester, and in 1839 he moved his business to 16 Gallowtree Gate. Among his own brand medicines was a cure for foot-rot in sheep called 'Halt Remedy', destined for use by farmers in Britain and New Zealand.

In 1839 he marketed his 'Non-Mercurial Plate Powder'.

Michael Faraday published results of his experiments in electrolysis in 1833. Soon afterwards cutlery was being silver-plated and Goddard saw an opportunity. A cleaner was required that would not remove the very thin layer of silver. It therefore had to be softer than the silver, hard enough to remove tarnish and able to polish to a good shine. He produced a product that he called 'Goddard's Non-Mercurial Plate Powder'.

At first he sold it through his own pharmacy but, when the product increased in popularity, he took on agents to promote it to other retailers. Despite competition from a London based company called Rumsey, his plate powder was soon sold throughout the country.

Goddard sold his pharmacy and concentrated his efforts on his polish. His son Joseph joined him and, as he had been trained as an architect, he designed a new factory.

Joseph Goddard died in 1877.