Reuben Farley
Encyclopedia
Reuben Farley was born in West Bromwich
on 17 January 1826 and died in 1899. He was the eighth of ten children of the mining engineer Thomas Farley (1781-1830).
Farley was a pupil at Borwicks Heath Academy and an active member of the West Bromwich Institution for the Advancement of Knowledge.
, and the firm won a medal at the 1897 Brussels Exhibition
.
Farley played a leading role in several local limited companies. He was a leading shareholder and Chairman in Fellows Morton and Clayton
, a large canal carrier which his brother-in-law Joshua Fellows had founded, and Edwin Danks & Co. an important local maker of boilers and boats. He was a director of the Sandwell Park Colliery Co. and later an active Chairman of the Hamstead Colliery
Co.
His labour relations attitudes were stern. He condemned the eight-hour day as ‘interference with the liberty of the subject’ He also criticised union organisers at the Summit Foundry for alienating employers from workmen. However, Farley provided excursions and pensions in his own firm and experienced little labour trouble.
acquired its own seat in 1885, but Farley declined the opportunity. Instead he channelled his formidable energies into the betterment of his native town. He felt obliged to ‘make the lives of the people brighter and happier’ He believed civic improvement assisted prosperity and prevented business irresponsibility and excessive demands by working men.
He bought Oak House, West Bromwich
with the intention of making it his private residence, but resolved to present it to the town as a museum.
Farley played a key role in William Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth
’s gift to the town of Dartmouth Park in 1878. He was a county magistrate from 1879, and one of the first borough JPs of West Bromwich
. When West Bromwich was incorporated in 1882 Farley’s was the only name suggested for the mayor’s chair. He filled it four more times and received particular credit for discouraging partisanship in council affairs.
Voluntary societies as diverse as the Rifle Volunteers, friendly societies, a choral society and West Bromwich Albion Football Club
found Farley an active officer and major contributor. For a quarter of a century he attended almost every committee meeting of the West Bromwich Building Society
.
West Bromwich made Farley its first freeman in 1896 and erected a clock tower in his honour a year later.
He married 3 times:
He died in 1899 age 73 and is buried in the churchyard of All Saints Church.
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
on 17 January 1826 and died in 1899. He was the eighth of ten children of the mining engineer Thomas Farley (1781-1830).
Farley was a pupil at Borwicks Heath Academy and an active member of the West Bromwich Institution for the Advancement of Knowledge.
Business interests
After a mining apprenticeship, Farley took over Dunkirk Colliery when he was twenty-one. By 1861 he bought the Summit Foundry with his brother-in-law George Taylor. The foundry became one of the largest of its kind in South StaffordshireSouth Staffordshire
South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. The district lies to the north and west of Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, bordering Shropshire to the west and Worcestershire to the south...
, and the firm won a medal at the 1897 Brussels Exhibition
Brussels International (1897)
The Brussels International Exposition of 1897 was a World's Fair held in Brussels, Belgium, from May 10, 1897 through November 8, 1897...
.
Farley played a leading role in several local limited companies. He was a leading shareholder and Chairman in Fellows Morton and Clayton
Fellows Morton and Clayton
Fellows Morton & Clayton Ltd was, for much of the early 20th century, the largest and best-known canal transportation company in England. The company was in existence from 1889 to 1947.-Origins:...
, a large canal carrier which his brother-in-law Joshua Fellows had founded, and Edwin Danks & Co. an important local maker of boilers and boats. He was a director of the Sandwell Park Colliery Co. and later an active Chairman of the Hamstead Colliery
Hamstead Colliery
Hamstead Colliery in Hamstead, England, was operated by the Hamstead Colliery Company and produced coal between 1878 and 1965.-Background:It was situated on the north west border of Birmingham. In 1928, due to boundary changes, it became part of West Bromwich. In 1876 the Hamstead Colliery Company...
Co.
His labour relations attitudes were stern. He condemned the eight-hour day as ‘interference with the liberty of the subject’ He also criticised union organisers at the Summit Foundry for alienating employers from workmen. However, Farley provided excursions and pensions in his own firm and experienced little labour trouble.
Civic work
He had been urged to stand for parliament when West BromwichWest Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
acquired its own seat in 1885, but Farley declined the opportunity. Instead he channelled his formidable energies into the betterment of his native town. He felt obliged to ‘make the lives of the people brighter and happier’ He believed civic improvement assisted prosperity and prevented business irresponsibility and excessive demands by working men.
He bought Oak House, West Bromwich
Oak House, West Bromwich
Oak House in Oak Road, West Bromwich, England, is a large half-timbered Yeoman's farmhouse dating back to the sixteenth century. It is one of the finest timber framed buildings in the West Midlands and was given to the people of West Bromwich by Alderman Reuben Farley...
with the intention of making it his private residence, but resolved to present it to the town as a museum.
Farley played a key role in William Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth
William Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth
William Walter Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth was a British peer and Conservative politician, known before 1853 as Viscount Lewisham....
’s gift to the town of Dartmouth Park in 1878. He was a county magistrate from 1879, and one of the first borough JPs of West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
. When West Bromwich was incorporated in 1882 Farley’s was the only name suggested for the mayor’s chair. He filled it four more times and received particular credit for discouraging partisanship in council affairs.
Voluntary societies as diverse as the Rifle Volunteers, friendly societies, a choral society and West Bromwich Albion Football Club
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
found Farley an active officer and major contributor. For a quarter of a century he attended almost every committee meeting of the West Bromwich Building Society
West Bromwich Building Society
West Bromwich Building Society is a UK building society, with its headquarters in West Bromwich, in the West Midlands of England. It is a member of the Building Societies Association. It was the official club sponsor of West Bromwich Albion F.C...
.
West Bromwich made Farley its first freeman in 1896 and erected a clock tower in his honour a year later.
Personal life
He lived with his mother, Elizabeth, in Oldbury Road, Greets Green, until he married in 1867 at the age of 42.He married 3 times:
- Hannah Duce, 1867. The 38 year old daughter of a General Lock Manufacturer.
- Elizabeth Haines 1879, The daughter of a Coal and Iron Master.
- Harriet Fellows, 19 October 1887 at Sedgley, Staffs. They had five children, 3 sons and 2 daughters.
He died in 1899 age 73 and is buried in the churchyard of All Saints Church.