John Brogden (industrialist)
Encyclopedia
John Brogden was a cleansing, building and railway contractor, railway promoter, a miner of coal and iron and an iron smelter. He was brought up on a farm near Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...

, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

. As a young man he migrated to a rapidly growing Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 and applied his farmer's knowledge of horses as a cleansing contractor. He worked in partnership with Joseph Whitworth
Joseph Whitworth
Sir Joseph Whitworth, 1st Baronet was an English engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist. In 1841, he devised the British Standard Whitworth system, which created an accepted standard for screw threads...

 to use the latter's patent cleansing machines. He also started the same business in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...

. He seems to have extended his contracting work to building, for in 1838 he obtained contracts with the Manchester and Leeds Railway
Manchester and Leeds Railway
The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Midland Railway which it joined at Normanton....

 Company to build their Manchester station (now Manchester Victoria station
Manchester Victoria station
Manchester Victoria station in Manchester, England is the city's second largest mainline railway station. It is also a Metrolink station, one of eight within the City Zone...

) and the viaduct from there to Miles Platting
Miles Platting
Miles Platting is an inner city district of Manchester, England. It is east-northeast of Manchester city centre, along the course of the Rochdale Canal and A62 road...

. Other railway contracts followed.

As the eldest four of his five sons came of age and joined him to form John Brogden and Sons
John Brogden and Sons
John Brogden and Sons was a firm of Railway Contractors, Iron and Coal Miners and Iron Smelters operating from roughly 1837 to the bankruptcy in 1883. However the business essentially started when John Brogden moved from his father's farm near Clitheroe to set up in business in the rapidly...

 he took iron-mining leases in Furness
Furness
Furness is a peninsula in south Cumbria, England. At its widest extent, it is considered to cover the whole of North Lonsdale, that part of the Lonsdale hundred that is an exclave of the historic county of Lancashire, lying to the north of Morecambe Bay....

. They quickly saw that a rail link from Furness to the rest of England and Wales was critical to the industrial development of Furness so they promoted the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway
Ulverston and Lancaster Railway
The “Ulverstone” and Lancaster Railway Company was short-lived as a business but the line that it built is still in daily use. The line runs from Lindal-in-Furness to Carnforth where it joins what was then the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway...

 to run across Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is a large bay in northwest England, nearly due east of the Isle of Man and just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 310 km².-Natural features:The rivers Leven,...

 from Carnforth
Carnforth
- References :...

 to Ulverston
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria in north-west England. Historically part of Lancashire, the town is located in the Furness area, close to the Lake District, and just north of Morecambe Bay....

, receiving the Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...

 in 1851. This was an innovative, challenging and risky project but it was eventually completed in 1857 and soon purchased by the Furness Railway
Furness Railway
The Furness Railway was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England.-History:The company was established on May 23, 1844 when the Furness Railway Act was passed by Parliament...

.

Beginning in 1853 the family expanded into South Wales buying mining leases and an Iron Works in the Llynfi and Ogmore
Ogmore
Ogmore may refer to several places in south and southwest Wales:*Ogmore-by-Sea, a village in southwest Wales*River Ogmore, a river in south Wales*Ogmore Castle, a castle in south Wales*Ogmore , south Wales...

 Valleys. They developed these vigorously, also building a railway in the Ogmore Valley and a new harbour at Porthcawl
Porthcawl
Porthcawl is a town on the south coast of Wales in the county borough of Bridgend, 25 miles west of the capital city, Cardiff and 19 miles southeast of Swansea...

.

From an early age Brogden was a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...

 and in later life he contributed generously in time and money to Methodist and other good causes.

When John Brogden died in 1869, his business was outwardly strong and profitable. However it failed spectacularly within ten years, under the leadership of Alexander Brogden
Alexander 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...

, the eldest surviving son.

Early life

He was born on 2 February 1798 on his father's farm at Worston, near Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...

  in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

. He was educated at Clitheroe Grammar School
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
See Royal Grammar School for the other schools with the name RGS.Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is a co-educational secondary school in Clitheroe, Lancashire that used to be an all boys school...

.

As a young man he left home for the rapidly expanding town of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

. Whereas other young men at that time chose to work in the burgeoning cotton industry, Brogden was an outdoor man, fond of riding and hunting so he preferred to work in haulage and transport. For further details of his work see John Brogden and Sons
John Brogden and Sons
John Brogden and Sons was a firm of Railway Contractors, Iron and Coal Miners and Iron Smelters operating from roughly 1837 to the bankruptcy in 1883. However the business essentially started when John Brogden moved from his father's farm near Clitheroe to set up in business in the rapidly...

.

Family life

In 1822 he married Sarah Hannah McWilliams, only daughter of Alexander McWilliams of Hazelhurst near Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...

. She had been educated at the Moravian
Dukinfield Moravian Church
Dukinfield Moravian Church was founded in Dukinfield, Cheshire, England in 1755 following a period of evangelistic work in the area by Moravians from 1742...

 School in Dukinfield
Dukinfield
Dukinfield is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in central Tameside on the south bank of the River Tame, opposite Ashton-under-Lyne, and is east of the city of Manchester...



. Their children were:

John
John Brogden Jun. (industrialist)
John Brogden Junior was the eldest son of John Brogden . He was born in Manchester in 1823. He was educated at the academy in Blackburn and then studied chemistry in Manchester. He joined his father’s business in 1846 and was closely involved with all the work...

, born Manchester 1823, married Ellen Garstang 20 March 1849 at Manchester Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral is a medieval church on Victoria Street in central Manchester and is the seat of the Bishop of Manchester. The cathedral's official name is The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester...

, died suddenly on 6 November 1855 at his home, Lightburn House, Ulverston
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria in north-west England. Historically part of Lancashire, the town is located in the Furness area, close to the Lake District, and just north of Morecambe Bay....

, age 32. Lightburn House was later pulled down and replaced by the Coronation Hall.

Alexander
Alexander 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...

, born Manchester 3 November 1825, married Ann Garstang 6 September 1848 at Manchester Cathedral., died 26 November 1892 in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...

.

Henry
Henry Brogden (industrialist)
Henry Brogden was born in Manchester, the third son of John Brogden. He was educated at King’s College, London and spent a year at the locomotive works of George Stephenson, Newcastle-on-Tyne...

, born Manchester 1828, married Sarah Ann Marshall on 11 September 1862 in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...

, died at Hale Lodge, Hale
Hale, Greater Manchester
Hale is a village and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is contiguous with the southeast of Altrincham, approximately southwest of the city of Manchester....

, Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...

, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

 in 1913.

James
James Brogden (industrialist)
James Brogden ) was a British businessman, the fourth son of John Brogden . He spent most of his adult life in Mid-Glamorgan, first at Tondu and later at Porthcawl...

, born Manchester 7 April 1832, spent most of his adult life in Mid-Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...

, first at Tondu
Tondu
Tondu is a village in Bridgend County Borough, Wales, located about north of the town of Bridgend.Tondu lies on the A4063 from Bridgend to Maesteg, and was established in the late 18th century as a coal mining village servicing the Parc Slip Colliery...

 and later at Porthcawl
Porthcawl
Porthcawl is a town on the south coast of Wales in the county borough of Bridgend, 25 miles west of the capital city, Cardiff and 19 miles southeast of Swansea...

, where he died in January 1907.

George William Hargreaves Brogden, was born in 1842 and died in London in 1892.

All the above sons except George joined him in his business on reaching the age of 21.

Sarah Hannah, born in 1834, married Samuel Budgett on 5 June 1858, son and joint heir of the Bristol grocer Samuel Budgett
Samuel Budgett
Samuel Budgett was an English merchant.Rising from humble origins, Budgett built up a wholesale grocery business called H.H. & S. Budgett, based in Kingswood Bristol, covering a large area of Southern and Western England and South Wales, which outlasted him by over a century...

, died in 1905.

Mary Jane, referred to as Jenny, married William Billing in Manchester Cathedral on 18 December 1867 and at one time they lived at Dunham
Dunham Town
Dunham Town is a village in the civil parish of Dunham Massey in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It was historically a part of Cheshire.- History :...

 Grange, Bowdon
Bowdon, Greater Manchester
Bowdon is a suburban village and electoral ward in the Altrincham area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England.-History:...

, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

.

Death and afterwards

John Brogden (sen.) died at his home, Raglan House, Raglan Road, Sale
Sale, Greater Manchester
Sale is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, the town lies on flat ground on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of the city of Manchester...

 (then in Cheshire) on 9 December 1869.

In his will he had set up a trust for Mrs Billing of £7,250 and previously a marriage settlement of £10,000. The trustees were: Alexander, James and Henry Brogden and Samuel Budgett. For five years from his death the trustees were empowered to use the trust money in the business but after that they had to provide good assets that were independent of it. They failed to do this and in 1887, after the failure of the business and its partners, Mrs Billing sued the trustees for breach of trust in the action "Billing vs Brogden". She won the case and Samuel Budgett, as the only solvent trustee, had to supply the whole sum and the costs. This may have been a factor in his subsequent bankruptcy.

Sources

Online

Online
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