Dennis Williams
Gone but not forgotten
The Russells: A Dynasty of Birmingham Iron Men.
Part One (1650-1750).
Birmingham has long been known for it's iron manufacture: in about 1538 John Leland passed through, and recorded in his Itinerary:
Thomas Russell, always described as a "Birmingham ironmaster", is otherwise unknown. The use of the epithet "ironmaster" is interesting, as that word is usually reserved for those who make iron: with all the crafty and alchemical connotations that practice conjures up. It is a term of great respect. Some unkind historians insist on accuracy, and prefer to call the Russells "ironmongers", a term with a tad less brio. But our Thomas Russell, who flourished in the second half of the seventeenth century, quite probably had a hand (or a quid) in ironmaking in Staffordshire at least. Anyroadup, ironmaster Thomas Russell had a son named William, about whom we know quite a bit more.
William Russell (died 1742) was probably in his fifties when he first invested in the new Principio Company, which was established in about 1722 to make iron in North America. Russell's English partners included William Chetwynd (gentleman of Grindon, Warwickshire), Joshua Gee (Quaker merchant of London) and John England (Quaker ironmaster of Tamworth, Staffordshire). Americans were later invited to invest in the company, including two gentlemen (both named Augustine Washington) who just happened to be the father and brother of George Washington (later the first president of the United States of America).
Now William Russell had a son named Thomas Russell (1696-1760), who was dispatched to the colony of Maryland to help establish the first Principio iron furnaces there in the years 1722-1724. Progress was dogged by difficulties, but eventually the ironworks was a going concern. Thomas Russell returned to England, and after his father's death expanded the Birmingham business, diversifying into threadmaking and skinning. I'm not sure how much Russell ironmongery was going on at this time. In the 1730s, Thomas married Frances Pougher (1713-1767), a local gentlelass. They had many daughters (about whom we are told next to nothing) and three sons: William Russell (1740-1818), Thomas Russell (1741-1786) and George Russell (1744-1825). It is with this generation of Russell iron men that the story gets really interesting ...
[To be continued ...]
Part One (1650-1750).
Birmingham has long been known for it's iron manufacture: in about 1538 John Leland passed through, and recorded in his Itinerary:
- I cam thoroughe a praty strete or evar I enteryd into Bremischam toune. This strete, as I remember, is caullyd Dyrtey [Deritend], in it dwelle smithes and cuttelers, and there is a brooke [Rea] that devydithe this strete from Bremisham. Dyrtey is but an hamlet or membre longynge to [Aston] paroche therby and is clene seperated from Bremischam paroche. There is at the end of Dyrtey a propre chaple [St Johns] and mansion howse of tymbar [Old Crown], hard on the rype [bank] as the brooke cummithe downe, and as I went thrwghe the forde by the bridge, the watar ran downe on the ryght hond, and a fewe miles lowere goithe into Tame rypa dextra [by the right bank]. This broke risethe, as some say, a four or five miles above Bremicham toward the Blake [Clent] hills in Worcestershire. This broke above Dyrtye brekethe into two armes that a litle benethe the bridge close agayne. The bewty of Bremischam, a good market towne in the extreme partes that way of Warwikeshire, is in one strete goynge up alonge almoste from the lefte ripe of the broke up a mene hille by the lengthe of a quartar of a mile. I saw but one paroche churche in the towne. There be many smithes in the towne that use to make knives and all maner of cuttynge tooles, and many lorimars that make byts, and a greate many naylors. So that a great parte of the towne is mayntayned by smithes. The smithes there have yren [iron] out of Staffordshire and Warwikeshire and see coale out of Staffordshire.
Thomas Russell, always described as a "Birmingham ironmaster", is otherwise unknown. The use of the epithet "ironmaster" is interesting, as that word is usually reserved for those who make iron: with all the crafty and alchemical connotations that practice conjures up. It is a term of great respect. Some unkind historians insist on accuracy, and prefer to call the Russells "ironmongers", a term with a tad less brio. But our Thomas Russell, who flourished in the second half of the seventeenth century, quite probably had a hand (or a quid) in ironmaking in Staffordshire at least. Anyroadup, ironmaster Thomas Russell had a son named William, about whom we know quite a bit more.
William Russell (died 1742) was probably in his fifties when he first invested in the new Principio Company, which was established in about 1722 to make iron in North America. Russell's English partners included William Chetwynd (gentleman of Grindon, Warwickshire), Joshua Gee (Quaker merchant of London) and John England (Quaker ironmaster of Tamworth, Staffordshire). Americans were later invited to invest in the company, including two gentlemen (both named Augustine Washington) who just happened to be the father and brother of George Washington (later the first president of the United States of America).
Now William Russell had a son named Thomas Russell (1696-1760), who was dispatched to the colony of Maryland to help establish the first Principio iron furnaces there in the years 1722-1724. Progress was dogged by difficulties, but eventually the ironworks was a going concern. Thomas Russell returned to England, and after his father's death expanded the Birmingham business, diversifying into threadmaking and skinning. I'm not sure how much Russell ironmongery was going on at this time. In the 1730s, Thomas married Frances Pougher (1713-1767), a local gentlelass. They had many daughters (about whom we are told next to nothing) and three sons: William Russell (1740-1818), Thomas Russell (1741-1786) and George Russell (1744-1825). It is with this generation of Russell iron men that the story gets really interesting ...
[To be continued ...]