Harrison Ainslie
Encyclopedia
The firm of Harrison Ainslie & Co. was a British
firm of ironmaster
s and iron ore merchant
s, selling high quality haematite from their mine
s on Lindal Moor to smelters in Glasgow, Scotland, South Wales and the Midlands. From a 21st century perspective, they are more interesting as the last operators of charcoal
-fired blast furnace
s in Great Britain. Their furnaces were stone-built, water-powered, and much smaller than the coke-fired furnaces of the same era.
Newland Furnace was built in 1747 by Richard Ford, William Ford, Michael Knott and James Backhouse. Richard Ford was born in Middlewich in 1697. He was active in the Furness iron industry from 1722 as manager of Cunsey forge and a partner in Nibthwaite furnace. William Ford was his son. The partnership agreement at Nibthwaite prevented Richard Ford from building an ironworks within 10 miles, so the lease was taken in the name of his sister, Agnes Bordley. Agnes first bought Newland corn mill (still standing) to secure the water rights before applying to the Duke of Montagu for a lease on what is now the hamlet of Newland.
The company prospered under Richard Ford’s management. James Backhouse’s quarter share was worth £2000 when he sold it to William Ford in 1761. Richard Ford died in 1757. William Ford managed the company until his death in 1768. John Dixon was the managing partner from 1770 to 1775.
George Knott inherited Michael Knott’s share of the company and married Catherine Ford. With a majority shareholding, he was managing partner from 1775 until his death in 1784.
Matthew Harrison was appointed sole manager in 1784. In 1812 he bought the Knott family’s share of the company (19/32 or 59%) for £34000.
Dr Henry Ainslie
married Agnes Ford. He held shares in the company’s ships, but his main career was as a London physician.
Matthew Harrison died in 1824, leaving the management of the company to Benson Harrison the elder.
Richard Roper, of Backbarrow
, joined the company as a clerk in 1815. In 1820 he bought a share of the company. By the time of his death in 1860 he lived at Gawithfield and gave his occupation as "ironmaster". He was an active partner in the company, particularly as shipowner and shipping agent. There is conflicting evidence as to who ran the company after the death of Benson Harrison in 1863, but when William George Ainslie
died in 1893, it was stated that he had for the past 30 years had the entire control and management of the firm’s business. It was decided to turn Harrison Ainslie into a limited company in 1890, but it was 1893 before the limited company was formed. W G Ainslie was named as manager, but did not live to take an active part. The main shareholder in the limited company was Walter Dowson. He held 60% of the shares as trustee under the will of Benson Harrison. The limited company was in receivership
in 1903.
The liquidator was Alfred Fell, author of "The Early iron industry in Furness". He sold the remaining assets to a new company, trading under the same name. The shareholders in the new company were Richard Edwin Killeen, James Saunders, James Murray, George B Court, George Ernest Bicknell, Thomas Henry Derbyshire, and Francis Cheers, most of whom were from Liverpool. The new company was in receivership in 1913. The receiver, James Morgan White, set up the Charcoal Iron Co which ran Backbarrow furnace until 1966.
turned his mind to building blast furnaces and CS Kennedy
saw the prospects of the adjoining Roanhead
royalty. The ore at Park and Roanhead occurred in large three dimensional bodies (sops is the usual term). At Lindal Moor, the ore was in veins, flats and small pockets, much more expensive to work.
The first two furnaces at Barrow ironworks were blown in during 1859. In spite of an ever increasing demand for phosphorus
-free haematite for the Bessemer process
, exports of Furness ore ceased about 1870. Harrison Ainslie’s ships found other work and the railway took the ore to Hindpool.
The North Lonsdale Ironworks Company was established in 1873 with William George Ainslie
as chairman and Myles Kennedy
as vice chairman. With the Ainslie capital invested in a new, modern ironworks and a partner who owned fresh, efficient mines, the prospects for Harrison Ainslie & Co were now bleak.
’s Ulverston Mining Co. Mine reports exist from 1881, and they are always severely critical of Harrison Ainslie’s work.
They owned a fleet of carts, for which they bred their own horses. In the steam age, the mines were served by narrow and standard gauge railways.
Lorn furnace
was built by the Newland Company in 1753. It worked until 1874.
Backbarrow furnace was built in 1711 by Rawlinson, Machell and others, jointly known as the Backbarrow Company. The furnace stack was taken down in 1770 and replaced with a new one. It was bought by Harrison Ainslie in 1818. The blowing cylinders were operated by steam power in later years and the furnace fuelled by coke from 1921. It worked until 1966.
Duddon furnace
was built in 1736 by Kendall & Co, otherwise known as the Duddon Co. The Duddon company built the furnace at Argyll or Craleckan furnace in 1755. Craleckan furnace closed in 1813 but Duddon Furnace was bought by Harrison Ainslie in 1828. It worked until 1867, but according to one source, there was a final campaign in 1873 while Newland was under conversion to hot blast.
Warsash Furnace, Hampshire was built by Harrison Ainslie in 1868, more than 100 years later than any other charcoal blast furnace in Britain. It closed in 1877.
Dyfi Furnace
, Cardiganshire, was built in 1755, by Kendall & Co., the owners of Duddon. It was not worked by Harrison Ainslie, but has many features in common with Newland, Bonawe, Craleckan and Duddon, namely:
All the blast furnaces mentioned except Warsash are still standing, but Backbarrow is in very poor condition at present.
was built here in 1751 and operated by the Newland Company until 1840. The premises were sold in 1850 and a bobbin mill erected on the site.
The Newland Company bought Spark Bridge forge from the Backbarrow Company in 1798. It worked until 1848 and the premised were dismantled and sold in 1853.
A forge was built at Newland in 1783, close to the weir. In 1799 a rolling mill was added, but this was short-lived. The forge closed in 1807.
The corn mill bought by Agnes Bordley in 1747 continued to grind corn, but at some stage a large brick extension was built on top of the stone building. There was some speculation that the corn mill had been moved to the new extension and a forge built on the ground floor. Evidence for this was found in 2008 when the building was converted to a private house. The head of a forge hammer was found built into the wall.
In February 1853, Mr W. Kirk auctioned 150 tons of best charcoal bar iron. The reason given for the sale was that Harrison Ainslie had ceased to produce charcoal bar iron and billets.
refinery and a cooperage. Three explosions occurred at the works; the second, in 1860 killed six men. The works closed in 1874.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
firm of ironmaster
Ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....
s and iron ore merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s, selling high quality haematite from their mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
s on Lindal Moor to smelters in Glasgow, Scotland, South Wales and the Midlands. From a 21st century perspective, they are more interesting as the last operators of charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
-fired blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
s in Great Britain. Their furnaces were stone-built, water-powered, and much smaller than the coke-fired furnaces of the same era.
The Managers
At various times the company was known as Richard Ford & Co, the Newland Co, George Knott & Co, Knott, Ainslie & Co, Harrison Ainslie & Co, Harrison Ainslie, Roper & Co, and finally as Harrison Ainslie & Co Ltd. Associated companies were the Hampshire Haematite Iron Co, Melfort Gunpowder Co, Lorn Furnace Co and Barrow & Ulverston Rope Co.Newland Furnace was built in 1747 by Richard Ford, William Ford, Michael Knott and James Backhouse. Richard Ford was born in Middlewich in 1697. He was active in the Furness iron industry from 1722 as manager of Cunsey forge and a partner in Nibthwaite furnace. William Ford was his son. The partnership agreement at Nibthwaite prevented Richard Ford from building an ironworks within 10 miles, so the lease was taken in the name of his sister, Agnes Bordley. Agnes first bought Newland corn mill (still standing) to secure the water rights before applying to the Duke of Montagu for a lease on what is now the hamlet of Newland.
The company prospered under Richard Ford’s management. James Backhouse’s quarter share was worth £2000 when he sold it to William Ford in 1761. Richard Ford died in 1757. William Ford managed the company until his death in 1768. John Dixon was the managing partner from 1770 to 1775.
George Knott inherited Michael Knott’s share of the company and married Catherine Ford. With a majority shareholding, he was managing partner from 1775 until his death in 1784.
Matthew Harrison was appointed sole manager in 1784. In 1812 he bought the Knott family’s share of the company (19/32 or 59%) for £34000.
Dr Henry Ainslie
Henry Ainslie
Henry Ainslie was a physician. Educated at Hawkshead Grammar School and then Pembroke College, Cambridge , he became a fellow of Pembroke in 1782, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1795...
married Agnes Ford. He held shares in the company’s ships, but his main career was as a London physician.
Matthew Harrison died in 1824, leaving the management of the company to Benson Harrison the elder.
Richard Roper, of Backbarrow
Backbarrow
Backbarrow is a village in the Lake District National Park in England. It lies on the River Leven about 5 miles northeast of Ulverston in the Furness, traditionally and historically part of Lancashire and still part of Lancashire County Palatine, now also in the region of the county of...
, joined the company as a clerk in 1815. In 1820 he bought a share of the company. By the time of his death in 1860 he lived at Gawithfield and gave his occupation as "ironmaster". He was an active partner in the company, particularly as shipowner and shipping agent. There is conflicting evidence as to who ran the company after the death of Benson Harrison in 1863, but when William George Ainslie
William George Ainslie
William George Ainslie MP JP was a British Conservative politician, magistrate, ironmaster and stockbroker.-Early life:...
died in 1893, it was stated that he had for the past 30 years had the entire control and management of the firm’s business. It was decided to turn Harrison Ainslie into a limited company in 1890, but it was 1893 before the limited company was formed. W G Ainslie was named as manager, but did not live to take an active part. The main shareholder in the limited company was Walter Dowson. He held 60% of the shares as trustee under the will of Benson Harrison. The limited company was in receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
in 1903.
The liquidator was Alfred Fell, author of "The Early iron industry in Furness". He sold the remaining assets to a new company, trading under the same name. The shareholders in the new company were Richard Edwin Killeen, James Saunders, James Murray, George B Court, George Ernest Bicknell, Thomas Henry Derbyshire, and Francis Cheers, most of whom were from Liverpool. The new company was in receivership in 1913. The receiver, James Morgan White, set up the Charcoal Iron Co which ran Backbarrow furnace until 1966.
Developments 1850 - 1873
The nature of the Furness iron industry changed dramatically in 1850 when Schneider & Davis discovered the large deposits of ore at Park. Henry SchneiderHenry Schneider
Henry William Schneider was a British industrialist, and politician, who played a leading role in the development of the new town of Barrow-in-Furness.-Brief biography:...
turned his mind to building blast furnaces and CS Kennedy
Myles Burton Kennedy
Myles Burton Kennedy was a Furness ironmaster, proprietor of Roanhead mines and chairman of the North Lonsdale Iron & Steel Co.-Parentage:...
saw the prospects of the adjoining Roanhead
Roanhead
Roanhead refers to the limestone outcrop of Roanhead Crag and the farmland behind it, but in recent years the term has been taken to mean the sandy beaches ajoining Sandscale Haws extending to Snab Point, and as this meaning is used on official websites, it must be accepted.The Irish Sea lies to...
royalty. The ore at Park and Roanhead occurred in large three dimensional bodies (sops is the usual term). At Lindal Moor, the ore was in veins, flats and small pockets, much more expensive to work.
The first two furnaces at Barrow ironworks were blown in during 1859. In spite of an ever increasing demand for phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
-free haematite for the Bessemer process
Bessemer process
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron. The process is named after its inventor, Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the process in 1855. The process was independently discovered in 1851 by William Kelly...
, exports of Furness ore ceased about 1870. Harrison Ainslie’s ships found other work and the railway took the ore to Hindpool.
The North Lonsdale Ironworks Company was established in 1873 with William George Ainslie
William George Ainslie
William George Ainslie MP JP was a British Conservative politician, magistrate, ironmaster and stockbroker.-Early life:...
as chairman and Myles Kennedy
Myles Burton Kennedy
Myles Burton Kennedy was a Furness ironmaster, proprietor of Roanhead mines and chairman of the North Lonsdale Iron & Steel Co.-Parentage:...
as vice chairman. With the Ainslie capital invested in a new, modern ironworks and a partner who owned fresh, efficient mines, the prospects for Harrison Ainslie & Co were now bleak.
Mines
Richard Ford began partnerships in several mines in the Lindal and Marton area from 1746. The mines were expanded in 1799 when Knott, Ainslie & Co took the lease of the Muncaster royalty, near Lindal. Another large area of ground was gained in 1885 when the company spent £22,000 on the lease of Crossgates and Lindal Cote mines. These mines had been run down by the previous owners, Alexander BrogdenAlexander Brogden
Alexander Brogden was born in Manchester on 3 November 1825, the second son of John Brogden and educated at Blackburn, New College Manchester and King's College London, where he read mathematics. He married Anne Garstang on 6 September 1848 at Manchester Cathedral. He joined his father’s...
’s Ulverston Mining Co. Mine reports exist from 1881, and they are always severely critical of Harrison Ainslie’s work.
Transport
The company built the fist pier at Barrow in 1780, and another at Greenodd in 1781. They built an ore quay on the Ulverston canal about 1799. The Lancaster shipping registers record the ownership of vessels from 1786. Between 1786 and 1890 the company owned at least 25 ships entirely, but they held shares in many more. Most of their ships were bought new and sold long before they were worn out.They owned a fleet of carts, for which they bred their own horses. In the steam age, the mines were served by narrow and standard gauge railways.
Blast Furnaces
Newland furnace was built in 1747. There were some modifications in 1854 and the furnace was converted to hot blast in 1873. It closed in 1891.Lorn furnace
Bonawe
Bonawe is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland opposite Taynuilt on the north shore of Loch Etive, most famous for Bonawe Quarry . Bonawe is primarily a linear settlement along on the B845 road and the coast.-Etymology:...
was built by the Newland Company in 1753. It worked until 1874.
Backbarrow furnace was built in 1711 by Rawlinson, Machell and others, jointly known as the Backbarrow Company. The furnace stack was taken down in 1770 and replaced with a new one. It was bought by Harrison Ainslie in 1818. The blowing cylinders were operated by steam power in later years and the furnace fuelled by coke from 1921. It worked until 1966.
Duddon furnace
Duddon furnace
The Duddon furnace is a surviving charcoal-fueled blast furnace near Broughton-in-Furness in Cumbria. It is on the west side of the River Duddon in the parish of Millom and formerly in Cumberland.-History:...
was built in 1736 by Kendall & Co, otherwise known as the Duddon Co. The Duddon company built the furnace at Argyll or Craleckan furnace in 1755. Craleckan furnace closed in 1813 but Duddon Furnace was bought by Harrison Ainslie in 1828. It worked until 1867, but according to one source, there was a final campaign in 1873 while Newland was under conversion to hot blast.
Warsash Furnace, Hampshire was built by Harrison Ainslie in 1868, more than 100 years later than any other charcoal blast furnace in Britain. It closed in 1877.
Dyfi Furnace
Dyfi Furnace
Dyfi Furnace is a restored mid 18th century charcoal fired blast furnace used for smelting iron ore. It has given its name to the adjoining hamlet of Furnace .-Location:...
, Cardiganshire, was built in 1755, by Kendall & Co., the owners of Duddon. It was not worked by Harrison Ainslie, but has many features in common with Newland, Bonawe, Craleckan and Duddon, namely:
- A battered (tapered) furnace stack, circular inside, built of stone and lined with firebrick.
- A blowing chamber uphill of the furnace driven by a waterwheel on the side of the blowing chamber.
- A charging house above the blowing chamber.
- Large charcoal barns uphill of the furnace stack.
All the blast furnaces mentioned except Warsash are still standing, but Backbarrow is in very poor condition at present.
Forges
Richard Ford was a partner in the Nibthwaite furnace. A finery forgeFinery forge
Iron tapped from the blast furnace is pig iron, and contains significant amounts of carbon and silicon. To produce malleable wrought iron, it needs to undergo a further process. In the early modern period, this was carried out in a finery forge....
was built here in 1751 and operated by the Newland Company until 1840. The premises were sold in 1850 and a bobbin mill erected on the site.
The Newland Company bought Spark Bridge forge from the Backbarrow Company in 1798. It worked until 1848 and the premised were dismantled and sold in 1853.
A forge was built at Newland in 1783, close to the weir. In 1799 a rolling mill was added, but this was short-lived. The forge closed in 1807.
The corn mill bought by Agnes Bordley in 1747 continued to grind corn, but at some stage a large brick extension was built on top of the stone building. There was some speculation that the corn mill had been moved to the new extension and a forge built on the ground floor. Evidence for this was found in 2008 when the building was converted to a private house. The head of a forge hammer was found built into the wall.
In February 1853, Mr W. Kirk auctioned 150 tons of best charcoal bar iron. The reason given for the sale was that Harrison Ainslie had ceased to produce charcoal bar iron and billets.
Gunpowder
The Melfort Gunpowder Co was established in 1853. At the same time as the mills were built, the company sought permission to build powder magazines at Headen Haw, Poaka and Queensferry. Another magazine was built at Dudley. The works included a saltpetrePotassium nitrate
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Its common names include saltpetre , from medieval Latin sal petræ: "stone salt" or possibly "Salt...
refinery and a cooperage. Three explosions occurred at the works; the second, in 1860 killed six men. The works closed in 1874.
Electrification
The second Harrison Ainslie & Co Ltd built Maskels power station and fitted electric pumps at Lowfield, Grievenson, Bercune, Diamond, and Gillbrow pits.See also
- Dyfi FurnaceDyfi FurnaceDyfi Furnace is a restored mid 18th century charcoal fired blast furnace used for smelting iron ore. It has given its name to the adjoining hamlet of Furnace .-Location:...
- Charcoal ironCharcoal ironCharcoal iron is the substance created by the smelting of iron ore with charcoal.All ironmaking blast furnaces were fueled by charcoal until Abraham Darby introduced coke as a fuel in 1709. The more economical coke soon replaced charcoal in British furnaces, but in the United States, where timber...
- Furnace, Argyll and Bute
- William George AinslieWilliam George AinslieWilliam George Ainslie MP JP was a British Conservative politician, magistrate, ironmaster and stockbroker.-Early life:...
- TaynuiltTaynuiltTaynuilt is a large village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland located at the western entrance to the narrow Pass of Brander.-Location:The village is situated on the River Nant about a kilometre before the river flows into Loch Etive at Airds Bay. This is just to the west of a narrowing of the loch down...