Barwell and Co

of the Eagle Foundry, Bridge Street, Northampton

1823 Eagle Foundry established by John Brettell and Edward Harrison Barwell (d.16 March 1870).

1826 Brettell and Harwell, ironfounders, Northampton - dissolution of partnership

1830 'BARWELL and HAGGER, IRON & BRASS FOUNDERS, IMPRESSED with Gratitude for past Favors, respectfully beg to acquaint the Nobility, Gentry, and their numerous Friends, they have declined all Connexion with Mr. Brettell, Ironmonger, of Northampton, and that it is their intention, in addition to their Stock of Foundry Goods, to keep a choice Assortment of furnishing Goods, and Ironmongery generally, which they pledge themselves shall be of the best quality, and sold at the lowest possible prices. B. & H. in soliciting future favors, beg to assure their friends that it will be their earnest endeavour to deserve the confidence reposed in them.
Kitchen Ranges of every description on the most approved principles, with steam apparatus, for cooking; hot closets, hot plates, &c.
Register and half-register stoves, of every variety, for dining and drawing rooms, &c. &c. with fenders to suit, in iron, bronze, steel, brass, &c.
Iron fencing, plain and ornamental, with gates for parks, pleasure grounds, public buildings, houses, &c.
Conservatories,hothouses, melon, pine, cucumber, and mushroom pits, fitted complete, upon the best construction, and heated in the most approved plan with hot water.
Churches, halls, and any other building heated with hot air, hot water, or steam.
Agricultural implements and machinery of every description.'

1830 Barwell and Haggar supplied a cast iron arch bridge for Luton Hoo Warren Drive Bridge, East Hyde, Bedfordshire. Note: The maker's name is given as Barwell & Haggar in some sources, including the Historic England listing.

1831 Barwell & Hagger supplied iron railings, total length 300 yds, around All Saints churchyard, Northampton.

1833 'Eagle Foundry, Northampton, 4th June, 1833. NOTICE is hereby given, and the Public are respectfully informed, that the PARTNERSHIP lately subsisting between EDWARD HARRISON BARWELL and THOMAS HAGGER, of the town of Northampton, in the County of Northampton, Iron and Brass Founders, trading under the firm of Barwell and Hagger, was FINALLY DISSOLVED on the 31st day of May last, and that in future the business will be carried on by the said Edward Harrison Barwell on his own account. All debts due and owing to or by the said firm will be received and paid by the said Edward Harrison Barwell, who is duly authorised to receive the same.
E. H. BARWELL. Avails himself of the present opportunity to return his sincere thanks to the Nobility, Gentry, and his numerous friends for the very liberal support which he has received during his residence at Northampton, and in respectfully soliciting a continuance of those favors he begs to state that he has made such arrangements for the future management of the business as will enable him to execute all orders with accuracy and dispatch, and in the best style of workmanship.
P.S. An extensive assortment Kitchen Ranges, Stove Grates, and every other article connected with the trade always on sale at the manufactory.'

1838 Presented a plan for an iron arch for a bridge at Hythe, Northants. A counter proposal was made by R. Coleman, a Colchester ironfounder (was this Richard Coleman?).

1840 'COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, Thursday, June 25 Before Mr. Justice Coltman and a Special Jury. BARWELL V. ADKINS. This was action for libel. .... The Attorney General stated that the plaintiff was on extensive iron founder in Northampton, and agent for an ingenious apparatus for warming bouses and large buildings means of warm water, invented by a gentleman of high scientific acquirements, named Perkins. In the year 1837, the magistrates of Bedford having erected a Lunatic Asylum near that town, were desirous of having an apparatus of this description erected in that institution. For such purposes it was peculiarly well adapted, on account of the security which it afforded against accidents by fire. Accordingly a contract was entered into with Mr. Barwell, and the apparatus was erected in the autumn of 1838. Mr. Barwell received great credit for it, and obtained in consequence several other orders. But he had, it appeared, enemies also, to whom he was sorry to say, Mr. Adkins, the defendant this action, had lent himself. Mr. Adkins, the defendant, was proprietor and editor of newspaper called The Northampton Herald. He could not say Mr. Adkins was himself particularly implicated in the conspiracy against Mr. Barwell. He acquitted him of that. But he had most culpably lent himself to the furtherance of their purposes. The apparatus in question had answered admirably, and to the satisfaction of the magistrates, but it appeared that plan had been laid to attack the character of Mr. Barwell, and to occasion an explosion, for the purpose of shewing that his work had failed. All went on well, however, until Saturday, Dec. 1, on which day a paragraph appeared in the Northampton Herald, utterly without foundation, but written perhaps in anticipation of an event which afterwards did actually occur. He would read the paragraph in question to the jury. was as follows:— "Bursting of one of Barwell's Hot Water Pipes, at the Beds Lunatic Asylum." [This was the title of it.] " On the evening of yesterday week one of the pipes of this man's comfortless invention burst at the above institution." [Mark the malignity of the parties who penned these words. The jury would be told that Mr. Adkins had said he had taken the sting out; but they would see that quite enough venom had been left behind]. Fortunately none of the patients were near at the time; and as the vigilant eye of the matron made the discovery immediately on the accident taking place, no one sustained any injury. From the above accident, it behoves the magistrates of Bedfordshire to protect the unhappy inmates of the County Asylum from being scalded, in addition to their other afflictions.— (From a Correspondent.)" It purported, they would see, to come from " a Correspondent." Mr. Barwell and his friends were naturally much surprised at seeing the paragraph, and messengers were immediately sent to Bedford to enquire into the alleged explosion, when the story was found to he without the slightest foundation. It contained not the colour of a truth. Of course it became important to Mr. Barwell to learn who had originated the statement, and an enquiry was accordingly made of Mr. Adkins on the subject. The Jury would hear the conversation which took place on that occasion. The defendant treated the complaint with great levity, and said that Mr. Barwell might have complained if the paragraph had been inserted just as it had been received, but that he (Adkins) had taken the sting out of it. Thus it would seem that the intention of the paragraph was originally yet plainer than when it was published". Ought not the defendant then to have at once seen that an enemy had done this, and to have made some enquiry respecting its truth There was ample time, for the paragraph was published on the 1st of December, and the explosion was alleged to have taken place eight days before. The least that could have been done, was to give up the name of the Correspondent, but this the defendant refused to do, saying he never did give up a Correspondent's name without the permission of the party. [The article continued at great length, and little will be gained by reproducing it here, other than to include the statement that 'William Parrott is foreman to Mr. Barwell. Mr. Barwell's business as an iron-founder is very extensive. Has known him to employ as many as 150 men. ....'

1842 'At an Adjourned Quarter Session held on the 6th inst. the subject of St. Peter's Bridge, near this town [Northampton], was brought forward. Most of our readers are probably aware that it has been found necessary to remove the old bridge, and to replace it by iron bridge of 50 feet span, at the expense of the county. The contract for the new bridge was taken Mr. Barwell, of the Eagle foundry, and Mr. Ireson, the former contracting for the iron-work, the latter for the masonry. It was represented to the Magistrates that Mr. Barwell's castings were not in strict accordance with the specifications of the contract, and that the effect of the deviation would be to raise the crown ot the arch nine inches too high. Mr. Barwell suggested that the evil might be remedied by slightly lowering the bridge-piers. Mr. Miln, the County Surveyor, objected to any such alteration, on the ground that part of the iron-work would be placed the water. After some discussion, the Magistrates having first ascertained that no inconvenient delay would be produced by postponing the question for a fortnight, adjourned the decision till this day, in order that the subject might in the mean time be more fully inquired into, and in the expectation that there would be a fuller attendance of magistrates. ....' . The article continued at length, and the case was further aired in October.

1844 Produced the iron gates for the old Cemetery, Southampton.

1864 Produced the cast iron fountain for Northampton’s Market Square.

1869 Calamitous fire at the Eagle Foundry. Described in detail.

1871 The Eagle Foundry was taken over by Rice and Co.

Early in the twentieth century they moved to South Bridge Road, where they continued until 1997.

See Also

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Sources of Information

• [1] Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group: Barwell - Early 19th century Iron Founder, by Peter Perkins: EMIAC 93: 'Engineered in Northampton': NTAR, Northampton, 14 October 2017