NOTES FOR ACT 4
| Page & topic | Notes |
| 33: Adam Heslop birthplace | Adam's christening at Workington, 11 Jan 1761 (and the marriage of his father Thomas to Elizabeth Crosby, 19 Jun 1750) is listed in the International Genealogical Index |
| 33: Adam Heslop invention | Well described in Raistrick, Arthur "Dynasty of Ironfounders: The Darbys and Coalbrookdale" (1953) |
| 33: Adam's return | Lancaster & Wattleworth "Iron & Steel Industry" +
Morton, D.O. "The origins of Lowca engine works" in "The Industrial Locomotive, Vol 1 No 11" (1978) |
| 34: Heslops & Co. | Partnership deed: WRO T/BSC/1/10/1
Betty & Thomas details based on International Genealogical Index + deeds in CRO D Lons W.9/Box 1711 Betty Ritson was daughter of Robert Ritson and Mary (nee Jackson, daughter of Parton maltster Henry Jackson). Mary's sister Elizabeth married Caleb Fell, and had a daughter, also Mary, who in 1776 was married in Moresby church to the Rev. Joseph Milward, rector of Long Marton near Appleby (who had succeeded to the post after the death of his father, the Rev. Thomas Milward, in 1775). Thomas Milward was said to be about 60 when he died at the end of 1841, but he is almost certainly the Thomas, son of Joseph and Mary, who was baptised at Long Marton on 1 Aug 1777. |
| 34: description of site | [Manders] "Moresby Hall and its owners". Intriguingly, this book claims that the works was not built until 1804 |
| 34: by the way | I hope that the research now in progress on the history of the Lowca works will shed some light on William Stead, a 1/8 shareholder in the original company who famously claimed to have solved the problem of turning piston motion into rotary motion at about the same time as James Watt (though the Patent Office are apparently unable to locate any documentation for so much as an application, which makes one suspect that he was inspired to make his invention by rumours of Watt's success). |
| 34: blast furnaces | Fletcher "West Cumberland iron trade" (CWAAS 1-05); see also
"A Lowca Survey" by Lowca School pupils, (Workington Star article c1927, bound copy in Whitehaven Local Studies library) |
| 34: Whitehaven premises | Holden's Directory 1805-7: Heslops, Johnstone, Milward & Co., iron founders, Brick St. Whitehaven. |
| 34: Seaton takeover | Lancaster & Wattleworth "Iron & Steel Industry" |
| 34: Thomas departure | Share sale deed WRO T/BSC/1/10/1, dated 5 Jul 1803 +
Jollie's Directory of Cumberland, 1811, entry for Heslop, Mead & Co. ironworks on West Strand, Whitehaven. Described as "ironmonger" in Cumberland Pacquet report of his daughter's wedding, 5 Feb 1821 & obituary |
| 34: Deaths | Cumberland Pacquet, 1826 Jun 20, page 3d + 1833 Oct 22, page 3d + 1834 Dec 2, page 3e (in which Thomas is described as "late of Heslop, Mead & Co., ironmongers of Whitehaven") |
| 35: Share sales + takeover | Cumberland Pacquet adverts, 17 Mar 1835 & 15 Mar 1836 +
Lancaster & Wattleworth "Iron & Steel Industry" + Cumberland Pacquet article on Lowca, 7 Apr 1740 (takeover "about three years ago"). The Tulk and Ley story is a little confused in the early years because they seem on a couple of occasions (1839 and 1843) to have renegotiated their partnership. I await the new research on Lowca with great interest... |
| 35: Tulk & Ley background | Census 1851: Tulk gives age as 36, birthplace as Twickenham.
International Genealogical Index has christening of John Augustus, son of Charles Augustus Tulk & wife Susanna, 14 May 1814 at Brownlow Street, Holborn. Charles' biography can be found on the www.swedenborg.org.uk website, including his marriage to Susanna, daughter of Marmaduke Hart in 1807 and residence at Marble Hill House, Twickenham from 1812. Swedenborg's biography can be found on the same website, or in any good encyclopaedia. He started his scientific and philosophical career as a mineralogist and mining engineer... International Geneaolgical Index: James Peard Ley was son of James Smith Ley & wife Anne (christened at Bideford, 30 Jul 1807). Resources on the GENUKI website indicate that Ley senior was a banker at Allhalland Street, Bideford (Pigot directory 1822-3) and landowner at nearby Northam (Northam tithe apportionment 1838) |
| 35: Matthewson | Cumberland Pacquet article on locomotive, 7 Apr 1840 states that he was "formerly of the Tay Iron Works, Dundee" |
| 35: 1811 dispute | WRO YDX 297/30 (part of a very useful collection of documents gathered by local author Ian Kyle) includes the official summary of this case, with Judge G.S. Holroyd's opinion (Lancaster, 14 Sep 1811) |
| 35: Ayton | Ayton, Richard "A voyage round Great Britain...1813" (1815). Sadly, it seems Ayton's illustrator, William Daniell ARA, did not take the hint about "the eye of a painter" |
| 36: Williamson School | Allen, Rev H.J. "History of the Church & Benefice of Moresby" (c1907), also
WRO YPR 15/60 is the rules and inventory for the school, as at opening day |
| 36: Chilwell Willliamson | The statement in Parson & White's directory of Cumberland, 1828, that "The founder's nephew, Chilwell Williamson Esq., of Luton, in Bedfordshire, has since bequeathed a house, in Parton, for the residence of the master" seems a little premature in one respect:
CRO D/LONS/W.9/Box 1713 contains an Inland Revenue document relating to the Williamson inheritance in Parton, following the death of a co-heir, Miss Mary Williamson, 31 Jul 1855; relating to the succession duty payable by Edward Chilwell Williamson, gentleman of Luton, son of Joseph Williamson's brother, born 9 Mar 1786 |
| 36: Test borings | CRO D/LONS/W.10 plan albums: plan of Parton marked with bore sites ( one near the Holy Well by Spout House; one in the Earl of Lonsdale's vacant plot a few metres south-west of the Lowther Arms; one at the foot of the cliffs, at the southern boundary of the village). Intriguingly, Greenwood's map of Cumberland, published in 1823, shows that the "waggon road" which later connected Parton Pit with Whitehaven already extended to roughly the Parton boundary (the Redness Point tunnel is indicated) and had a coal pit at its northern end. Was this the beginning of work on the Parton Drift, or just the southern borehole? |
| 36: Test borings- details | Since the book was published, I have found the original reports on the boreholes (CRO ref. D/Lons/W7/1/351) dating them rather earlier than I had believed. All were carried out for Peile by Stephen Blacket, as follows (NB measurements have been roughly converted from fathoms, yards, feet & inches to metres; all "high tide" references assume a 16 foot/5 metre tide). Note that there were other seams above the Bannock Band, but under Parton they were usually quite thin. For example one at about 20 metres above was only about 30cm thick, whereas the Bannock Band itself consisted of several coal seams close together, totalling about 2 metres in thickness, and the Main Band was similar but even thicker, the lowest of its several seams being some 140cm thick in places: No. 25- foot of cliffs south of village, 2 metres above high tide, Apr-Nov 1815. Bannock Band coal at 50 metres depth; Main band coal at 81 metres No. 26- the Earl's old staith yard near the Lowther Arms, 2 metres above high tide, Nov 1815 - Feb 1816. Bannock band at 25 metres; Main Band at 52 metres (upper part only, lacking the thickest seam, due to a "Hitch or Dyke Cliff") No. 27- behind Spout House (Mr Birkett's) in Moresby Church Field, 5.5 metres above high tide, begun Aug 1816. Bannock Band at 13 metres; Main Band (complete) at 38 metres. No. 28- on the rocks near Redness Point (i.e. not in Parton), 4 metres above high tide, Nov 1816 - Mar 1817. Bannock Band at 66 metres; bottom of bore 69.5 metres. LATER BOREHOLES, ENGINEER & ELEVATION UNKNOWN: No. 27a- East side of Parton street "near runner leading from Smithy", started Mar 1829? Bannock band at 7 metres. No. 123- in Parton Tunnel Drift, 440 metres in from entrance, 1830. Bannock Band at 67 metres, bottom of bore 69 metres. Memo added to above entry- March 1831 "Old Pit opened in the Gill above Brewery for Air" No. 124- in meadow east of Moresby Hall, Apr 1831 - Feb 1832. Bannock Band at 88 metres. Here seams above the Bannock Band were worth pursuing- there was one at 43.5 metres depth which was worked from the Parton Drift, and another at 53 metres which was described "burns well but coarse cinder". No. 138- in Parton Branch Drift, Apr-May 1839. No useful seams found, stopped at 15.5 metres depth. No. 141- in Parton Drift, begun Sep 1841. Coal at 20 metres depth- 2 seams close together, 50cm and 180cm thick. Stopped at bottom of lower seam. |
| 36: Parton Drift | Wood "West Cumberland Coal" |
| 36: Parton Pit picture | From panoramic view of Parton in illustrations collection at JLC. Though very sketchy, this may be the work of the same artist as the contemporary view reproduced in Hair, Nick & Cotton, Julian "Excavations at Parton Colliery" (CWAAS 2-100) |
| 36: plan c1861 | based on Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 first edition + accompanying Book of Reference for Moresby parish |
| 37: Waggon way | Greenwood map 1823 (as above) +
Parson & White directory 1829 (Parton introductory material) + Hair & Cotton "Excavations at Parton Colliery" (CWAAS 2-100) |
| 37: Countess Pit | Wood "West Cumberland Coal" +
"Victoria History" of Cumberland mining chapter + plan of workings by W. Gaythorp, 1833, in D/LONS/W.10 plans album 1 |
| 37: Census | See abstract |
| 38: Directories | See extracts |
| 38: Meeting house | Parson & White "Directory of Cumberland" 1829 (Parton introduction) +
WRO DH 276, map of Parton 1835, (see online interpretation) |
| 38: Robinson schools | Mannix & Whelan "Directory of Cumberland", 1847 (see extract) + other directory introductions to Parton + Allen "History of the Church ... Moresby" |
| 38: Societies | Notices in "Cumberland Pacquet" : Friendly Soc. 1838 Jun 5, page 2c; Floral Soc. 1841 May 4, page 3d |
| 38: Pubs | CRO Q/L/3/1, Licensing records 1822-24 +
trade directories 1828-34 |
| 38: Jackson charity | Allen "History of the Church ... Moresby" |
| 38: M & C Railway | Joy, David "A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Volume 14: The Lake Counties" (1983) |
| 39: West Cumberland railway | WRO D/WM/1/189/2, plans of proposed route, 1839 |
| 39: George Stephenson | Joy "Railways of Great Britain 14" |
| 39: Route through Parton | Whitehaven and Maryport Railway Act, 1844 (numbered schedule of properties, with separate plan) |
| 40: Effects of railway | "Private residents" sections of directory listings |
| 40: Avalanche Alley | Kirkman, Richard & van Zeller, Peter "Rails Round the Cumberland Coast" (1988) |
| 40: Steam Navigation Co. | More work needed on this. Mentioned in
Slater's Directory of Cumberland, 1848 |