Grace's Guide
British Industrial History
Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 146,047 pages of information and 231,597 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.
Wright, Butler and Co
From Graces Guide
Wright, Butler and Co. Ltd., Gowerton, near Swansea, steel manufacturers and colliery owners.
Wright, Butler & Co. was registered on 29 December 1887 (and formed in March 1889) [1]
It was owned not only by Col. John Roper Wright (1843-1926) and Isaac Butler (1837-1917) but also by Roger Beck (1841-1923) as well as several others [2]
Ernest Jones's father, Thomas Jones (1853-1922), was “the general secretary” of Messrs. Wright, Butler & Co., which originally emerged from the Elba Steel Works Company which was formed in 1878 [3]
Although to be more precise Wright Butler & Co were steel manufacturers and colliery owners who also had an interest in the Pont-y-moel tin-plate works as well as other related businesses.[4]
1892 The Pont-y-moel tin-plate works was restarted by E. P. and W. Baldwin in conjunction with Wright, Butler and Co. The business relationship between Alfred Baldwin and Colonel Roper Wright later led to a fusion of their business interests.
Although Beck’s name does not often appear in connection with Wright & Butler he was just as active as his eponymous partners and apart from being an important shareholder Beck was also actively involved in their various other enterprises, like the Landore Blast Furnaces and the Swansea Hematite Iron Co. [5][6]
Furthermore Beck would also become a significant shareholder as well as a director of Baldwins Limited when it was created, also through amalgamation, in March 1902. [7]
By 1896, Elba Colliery was again producing coal and was in the hands of Wright, Butler and Co, employing 83 men.
1897 Sales catalogue of properties to be auctioned at Wright, Butler and Co's depot foundry, 27th and 28th Sept 1897.
1902 By this time, Wright, Butler and Co incorporated Elba Steel Works, Gowerton; Landore Blast Furnace and Steel Works near Swansea; Cwm Avon Iron and Steel Works, Port Talbot; Primitive and Monges Iron Ore Mines; Aberbaiden Colliery, Port Talbot[8].
1902 Baldwins Ltd was established and registered on 7 April to acquire a number of businesses of including Wright, Butler and Co[9].
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ South Wales News, 10th April 1889, p.4
- ↑ South Wales Daily News 9 January 1888, p.4
- ↑ Western Mail, 28 May 1888, p.3; Parry 2011, p.30
- ↑ Philip Kuhn (Dec 2017)
- ↑ South Wales Daily, 8 March 1889, p.2
- ↑ Philip Kuhn (Dec 2017)
- ↑ Cardiff Times, 24 March 1888, p.6; South Wales News 8 March 1889, p.2; The Cambrian 12 April 1889, p.6; Evening Express 5 March 1902, p.2; South Wales Echo, 10 June 1891, p.4
- ↑ The Times, 17 April 1902
- ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
- Parry, S., 2011, History of the Steel Industry in the Port Talbot Area 1900-1988. University of Leeds, School of History; PhD
- Sakula, A., 1985, Marcus Beck Library: who was Marcus Beck. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, Vol. 78. December 1985, pp.1047-1049