William Mathews
William Mathews (1796-1871) of Birmingham
1852 Joint secretary of the committee that originated and carried out the formation of the Birmingham and Midland Institute. [1]
1853 Ironmaster of Birmingham
1871 September 2nd. Died
1872 Obituary [2]
WILLIAM MATHEWS was born on 17th October 1796 at Hagley, Worcestershire; and having entered the office of Mr. Matthias Attwood, who founded the Corngreaves Steel Works near Halesowen, he subsequently became a partner with Mr. Finch in the Waterloo Furnaces, Westbromwich.
In 1833 he took the Corbyn's Hall Furnaces and Colliery, Kingswinford, which he retained to the end of his life.
He acquired a minute knowledge of all the practical details and the successive improvements in the manufacture of pig, iron from the South Staffordshire ores, as well as a very extensive acquaintance with everything relating to the iron and coal trades of that district ; and was constantly consulted upon all matters affecting these interests.
He took an active part in the promotion of various railways in the district, especially the Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, of which as well as of the South Wales Railway he was a director.
His death took place in Birmingham on 2nd September 1871, shortly after a sudden attack of paralysis, in the seventy-fifth year of his age.
He became a Member of the Institution in 1853, and in 1860 contributed a paper on the Ten Yard Coal of South Staffordshire and the mode of working (see Proceedings Inst. M. E. 1860 page 91).
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Obituary of William Prime Marshall
- ↑ 1872 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Obituaries