British Manufacturing History

My exploration of the history of British manufacturing from before the Industrial Revolution to the present day, looking at industries, companies, people and places.

People from elsewhere who shaped British manufacturing

<a href="https://www.rawpixel.com/image/9085668/photo-image-ships-line-art-cigar-industrial-revolution" rel="nofollow">Isambard Kingdom Brunel Standing Launching</a> by <a href="" rel="nofollow">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</a> is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/" rel="nofollow">CC-CC0 1.0</a>

Everyone who lives in the British isles is descended from someone who came from elsewhere be they original homo sapiens migrating from Africa, or Romans, Saxons, Vikings or Normans. There were however identifiable individuals and groups who played a particular part in the story.

The Huguenots were French protestants who in the 16th, 17th and 18th century fled persecution. Refugees from Lorraine came to Stourbridge bringing with them their skills in glass making. They came also to Spitalfields in East London and then to Braintree bringing skills of silk work. Eleanor of Anjou brought silk workers from her native Rouen to also Spitalfields. It was a Huguenot refugee who brought his pottery skills to Derby to help found Crown Derby Porcelain. Earlier French refugees brought the blast furnace to the Weald.

Flemish weavers came to East Anglia bringing their textile skills.

French printers brought one of the first printing presses to Edinburgh where they shared their expertise.

The Brunel family came from France. Marc set up the first manufactory producing pulleys for the Royal Navy at Portsmouth. His son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, built railways amongst much more.

There were many others, including:

  • Benzon, Ernst (Vickers’ American partner): HBSTMW 5, Sheffield
  • Burroughs, William – mechanical adding machine: Nottingham, Glasgow (Strathleven)
  • Burroughs, Silas Mainville – Burroughs, Wellcome HBSTMW 8
  • Edison, Thomas (electricity): HBSTMW11, America
  • Ferranti, Sebastian de, : Inner London , Oldham HBSTMW 11
  • Hollerith, Herman – punch card – inspired British Tabulating Company – Letchworth
  • Jacquard, Joseph – programmed loom – HBSTMW 4
  • Koenig, Friedrick – steam driven printing machine HBSTMW 6
  • Krupp, Alfred: Germany competition in steel making!
  • Leblanc, Nicholas – process for making alkali Widnes HBSTMW 4
  • Marconi, Guglielmo: Bologna, London, Chelmsford, HBSTMW 7, 11
  • Maxim, Hiram (machine gun, Vickers): HBSTMW 7, Crayford
  • Mond, Ludwig (ICI): Northwich
  • Moya, Hidalgo – Imperial Typewriters, Leicester
  • Nobel, Alfred: Sweden, Ardeer, Scotland, HBSTMW 7, 14
  • Reuter, Paul Julius – telegraph HBSTMW 6
  • Scholes, Christopher Lathan – typewriter HBSTMW 6
  • Singer, Isaac: America, Glasgow HBSTMW 9
  • Sobell, Michael : eventually GEC
  • Solvay, Ernest (process for making alkali) : Widnes – HBSTMW 4
  • Thorn, Jules: North London VTV 8
  • Wellcome, Henry Solomon – Burroughs, Wellcome HBSTMW 8, 14
  • Westinghouse, George: Manchester, America
  • Weston, Garfield (Associated British Food): Canada, VTV 19