HENRY WRIGHT

OF THE GLOUCESTER RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND WAGON COMPANY

Gloucester RCW's 0-4-0ST shunter named "Henry Wright" with some recently outshopped 10 ton coal wagons for Rapps & Co in 1908, three years after the death of former GRCW Chairman Henry Wright. Ironically, the new wagons were destined to be based at Soho Pool, Birmingham, close to the home of engine makers Boulton & Watt where Henry Wright had served his apprenticeship.

One of the great blessings of the Internet is that it brings people with similar interests together over vast geographical distances to share information.

For example, until the early months of 2006 the only link I had between the name Henry Wright and the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Limited was a slightly puzzling legend on the saddle tank of Gloucester RCW's 0-4-0 steam shunting locomotive. However, thanks to an initial email and following correspondence from Henry Wright's great great grandson, Tom Gordon, a fascinating biography now unfolds. Thank you Mr Gordon once again!

Henry Wright (1807 - 1905 ) and his wife Eliza

53 year old Henry Wright became Secretary of the then new Gloucester Wagon Company in 1861 and in 1878 was elected Director and Deputy Chairman at the age of 71. In 1884 he rose to the position of Chairman and in 1887 oversaw the renaming of the Bristol Road based enterprise as the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Limited.

He only resigned the Chairmanship on 9 October 1901 aged 94 - due to a slight deafness - and it was recommended by a committee of shareholders that a gratuity be awarded to mark his services which was approved at an extraordinary general meeting and duly paid. At the time Henry Wright was recognised as the oldest Chairman of British limited companies ( if not the oldest such Chairman in the World ) and also the oldest mechanical engineer alive, with a career that stretched in time from Killingworth Colliery to Kitty Hawk.

Gloucester RCW Deputy Chairman Mr Vassar-Smith said that he felt it would be almost impossible to hope to get a Chairman to succeed Mr Wright to carry out the duties he as he had done for very many years. Mr Slater, the Managing Director, added that no Chairman in the country would have given the time Mr Wright had given to his duties for the money he had received.

Henry Wright died on 12 January 1905 in Small Heath, Birmingham, where he had lived for 35 years.

THE WILL TO STEAM POWER

Henry Wright's life began on 29 June 1807 in St Giles, Cripplegate, Middlesex. His father William and mother Sarah ( nee Ashworth ) were both 27 years old and already had a three year old daughter Mary Ann. They were later to become parents to William ( born 1811 and dead a year later ) and Henry's younger brother Thomas, born in 1821, who survived until 1906. Henry Wright was baptised at Cripplegate on 2 August 1807.

Henry's father William Wright had been apprenticed to Boulton & Watt of Soho, Birmingham in 1792 and had begun his work in erecting steam engines by working on a blowing engine for the furnaces of Mr John Guest of Dowlais, South Wales. The erection of steam engines for cotton and other mills soon followed, including the first mill engines in Glasgow, Greenock, Macclesfield, Halifax and Sowerby bridge and also the third and fourth steam engines in Manchester. William Wright was then sent to Middlesex to superintend the erection and repairs of steam engines, including the erection of those used on the county's New River. Other power generating projects included the East London Water Works, rope manufactories, flour mills and marine engines for boats on the Thames. William Wright did not retire until he was 70 years old.

Hoping that his first born son would also be a mechanical engineer, William Wright sent his son Henry to learn mathematics with the mathematics master of the Merchant Taylor's School and to learn mechanical and architectural drawing at the only such specialised school in London located in Banner Street, Bunhill Row.14 year old Henry Wright was then apprenticed to the sons of Boulton & Watt and was to spend 17 years with the pioneering steam engineers during which time he both became a qualified mechanical engineer and lost his mother Sarah, aged 53, in 1833.

WRIGHT IN CHARGE

In 1838 Henry Wright was appointed the first General Manager of The Patent Shaft and Axle-Tree Company in Wednesbury in the West Midlands and on 3 December 1840 he married Elizabeth Hobbins, second daughter of Joseph Hobbins of Wednesbury, at Wednesbury Old Church.

The couple were eventually to produce twelve children and the first of these, Sarah Hobbins, was born in Rawmarsh - near the Rotherham iron works that Henry was now managing - on 6 December 1841. Sadly the little girl died on 1 September 1842 and is buried in Rawmarsh Church. Professionally, too, Henry was set back when he was made redundant from the iron works due to a trade depression.

However, between 1842 and 1853 Henry Wright accepted new professional engagements as an independent valuer of railway stores. The fall of "The Railway King " - George Hudson of York - led the public to fear the possibility of errors in the valuation of railway balance sheets: especially those of stores, raw materials and tools. Yet valuing such items would have been an impracticably time consuming experience for the railway companies concerned. In view of this, in 1847 the auditors of the London & North Western Railway Company appointed Henry Wright to make a valuation of their stock of stores, loose plant and tools at the whole of their numerous stations. The directors were satisfied, and published his report and valuation with their report in that year. Next he was appointed by Lord Kinnaird to make a valuation of the rolling stock of the Perth and Dundee and Dundee and Arbroath Railways, which were then united but intended to separate. Other valuations of extensive ironworks followed.

THE WATER OF LIFE

The 1851 Census records his family as having moved from Yorkshire back to the West Midlands. They lived at 14 New Road, Tipton, where Henry gave his occupation as "engineer and pawnbroker" and his age as 43. Also in the house were his wife Elizabeth ( known as Eliza ), aged 31, and their children Emily Hobbins Wright (aged 6), William Henry Wright (4) Elizabeth Josephine Wright (3) Frances Ker Wright (1) and Mary Ann Wright ( 6 months old ).

In 1852 Henry Wright also acted as Secretary to a group of South Staffordshire ironmasters in their attempt to obtain an Act of Parliament remedying the shortage of pure water in the area. This had been caused by mining activities in the Black Country and eventually a new waterworks was built.

Henry Wright, his wife and two of his daughters

Although Henry Wright had found much well paid work, its sporadic nature encouraged him - along with other related families and their servants - to emigrate to the city of Madison, the seat of government of the American State of Wisconsin. The party sailed for 16 days aboard the vessel "City of Glasgow" to the port of Philadelphia and then travelled by train via Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, and Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio, to Chicago, Illinois. A steamboat then took the party to Milwaukee and then by another train to Milton. The final 36 mile journey to Madison was made by covered wagon.

The new Wright family home was to be 134 West Wilson Street on the shore of Lake Monona - once Henry had spent $ 600 on the land and a further $ 2 631 on the building of the house. Having put a roof over the head of his kinfolk, Henry then helped other people do the same as he established a land office to which he added the parcel carrying agency of Wells Fargo, New York.

He later became City and County Assessor for taxation, City Clerk and City Treasurer as well as working with Professor Joseph and Dr William Hobbins in 1856 to found the St George's Society for the purposes of releiving their brethren in distress and to promote social intercourse between members.

BACK TO BRITAIN

Due to serious ill health, Henry Wright returned to Britain in 1860 aboard the Cunard Line ship "Canada", sailing from Boston on 11 May that year. After disembarkation at Liverpool, he moved to the home of Joseph Hobbins Senior at Clarence Villa, Sandwell Park, West Bromwich on 21 May 1860. The house - built on land bought from the Earl of Dartmouth - was named after the Duke of Clarence, under whom Joseph Hobbins Senior had served as a Royal Marine.

By 1861 however, Henry Wright had moved again - this time to 8 Theresa Place, Bristol Road, Gloucester to be close to his new job as Secretary of the Gloucester Wagon Company Limited. He also became manager of the Patent File Company Ltd for the manufacture of files entirely by machinery. This was a technical success but the company failed in October 1866 from the effects of previous injudicious management and want of sufficient capital.

The 1861 census records the household of 53 year old Henry and 41 year old Eliza as also containing daughters Emily (16) Elizabeth Josephine (13) Frances Ker (11) Mary Ann ( 10 ) Katherine Allport (8) and Syndonia (2). All of these children - apart from Madison Wisconsin born Syndonia - were registered in Great Bridge, Tipton, and Marie Hill of Tipton is listed as their unmarried governess.

After six years working for the Gloucester Wagon Company he left to seek advancement elsewhere and in November 1870 Henry Wright moved back to Birmingham, calling his house at 535 ( previously 235 ) Coventry Road, Small Heath, Monona House after his American abode.

The 1871 census records the new household of 63 year old Henry and 51 year old Eliza as also containing daughters Elizabeth Josephine (23) Katherine Allport (18) and Syndonia (12). No governess is recorded, but there is mention of 6 year old Gloucester born Elizabeth W. Ward, a grand daughter of Henry Wright. Interestingly, Henry Wright is described as "living on income from dividend" raher than having an occupation as such.

Henry Wright's son in law Edwin Ward also worked as an accountant for the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company from its commencement until his death aged 40 in 1876. Edwin Ward was buried in Hempstead. The Company sent Edwin Ward's widow a letter of condolence dated 13 September 1876, and to express their sympathy in a practical manner the Directors unanimously agreed that a sum of £116.3.4d, equivalent of 4 months salary, should be paid from the funds of the Company for her and her family.

BACK TO BRISTOL ROAD

In September 1878 however, the 71 year old Henry Wright was elected a Director of the Gloucester Wagon Company Limited and then, on 18 September 1878, was elected Deputy Chairman of the Company. The late 1870s were a time of severe depression in the railway wagon building trade and shareholders were ready to listen to Henry Wright's thoughts on improving matters, based both on his knowledge of the Wagon Works gained in the 1860s and his extensive knowledge of other businesses.

In July 1881 he also became Chairman of the Dudley, Sedgeley and Wolverhampton Tramway Company Limited before replacing Mr Joseph Reynolds as Chairman of the Gloucester Wagon Company in 1884.

The 1881 census records the population of Monona House to have shrunk to just four: 73 year old Henry ( Now listed as "Retired Civil Engineer" ) and 61 year old Eliza, Syndonia (22 and listed as a Governess) and Henry's five year old Birmingham born grand daughter Gertrude M. Johnson.

In February 1886 Henry Wright was also appointed as Director of the Balaghat Mysore Gold Mining Company Limited. In September he further became Chairman of the Birmingham Compressed Air Power Company which through engineering defect in design and execution went into liquidation in 1891.

Meanwhile, such was the esteem that Henry Wright had earned at the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company that the Directors, management and staff funded - at their own expense - banquets and costly gifts for both his Golden wedding anniversary in 1890 and his Diamond celebrations in 1900. The Diamond banquet saw 93 people sitting down to feast and presented gifts included a silver salver, candlesticks, tea and coffee services and a hot water jug.

The 1891 census records the household of 83 year old Henry ( Now listed as "Retired Mechanical Engineer" ) and 71 year old Eliza as also containing daughters Syndonia (33) and Mary Ann Johnson ( 40, Widow) and Henry's Birmingham born 18 year old grand daughter Hilda M. Johnson.

On 7 January 1896 Henry Wright was elected a Director of the mining company Monarch Syndicate Limited which then failed through the mismanagement of the Chairman.

On 9 October 1901, 94 year old Henry Wright resigned Chairmanship of the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company. A committee of shareholders recommended a gratuity of 1 500 guineas which was approved at a General Meeting and duly paid. With more time on his hands, Henry Wright then completed a 2 volume autobiographical notebook, a detailed family history he had started many years before.

The 1901 census records the household of 93 year old Henry ( Now listed as "Chairman, Railway & Wagon Co." ) and 81 year old Eliza as also containing daughters Syndonia (42) Katherine Allport (49) and Henry's 11 year old grandson Cyril Arblaster, born in Winsford, Cheshire.

After Henry Wright died on 12 January 1905 he was survived by his wife, a son and three daughters. Probate was granted to his spinster daughter Syndonia and Frank Ward for effects to the value of £ 15 983 7/3.

Henry Wright was buried in section 4 grave 510 of Yardley Cemetery, Birmingham, with his predeceased daughter Frances Ker. Henry's wife Elizabeth and his grandson Godfrey Arblaster were buried with him and the plot also contains a memorial to Henry Wright's grandson Cyril Arblaster who fell in France in 1916.