Edward Pritchard Martin (20 January 1844

Dowlais Dowlais () is a village and Community (Wales), community of the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. At the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census the electoral ward had a population of 6,926, The populati ...

- 25 September 1910

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...

) was a British

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

, and steel maker.

Life

His father was mining engineer to the Dowlais Iron Co. for 58 years. In 1860, he apprenticed with William Menelaus, who had worked with Sir

Henry Bessemer Sir Henry Bessemer (19 January 1813 – 15 March 1898) was an English inventor, whose steel-making process would become the most important technique for making steel in the nineteenth century for almost one hundred years. He also played a sig ...

. In 1864, he worked at the London office of the Dowlais Iron Co. In 1869, he was deputy general manager of the

Dowlais Ironworks The Dowlais Ironworks was a major ironworks and steelworks located at Dowlais near Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. Founded in the 18th century, it operated until the end of the 20th, at one time in the 19th century being the largest steel producer ...

under Menelaus. At the end of 1870, he became manager of the Cwmavon Works. Later he worked at the

Blaenavon Ironworks Blaenavon Ironworks is a former industrial site which is now a museum in Blaenavon, Wales. The ironworks was of crucial importance in the development of the ability to use cheap, low quality, high sulphur iron ores worldwide. It was the site o ...

. He became associated with the Thomas-Gilchrist attempts to make a satisfactory metal from phosphoric ores. He made commercial trials of the process. He was awarded the Bessemer Gold Medal, by the

Iron and Steel Institute The Iron and Steel Institute was a British association originally organized by the iron trade of the north of England. Its object was the discussion of practical and scientific questions connected with the manufacture of iron and steel. History The ...

in 1884, with Edward Windsor Richards. After the death of Menelaus, he became General Manager of the Dowlais Iron Works, from 1882 to 1902. He supervised the erection of new works at East Moors Steelworks,

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

beginning in 1888;

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure. In a ...

s were blown in February 1891, and the works and

steel mill A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-fini ...

started production in 1895. He was elected President of the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 110,000 member ...

in both 1905 and 1906. and of the

in 1897–98. He was also President of the

South Wales Institute of Engineers South Wales Institute of Engineers was founded in 1857 as a learned society for engineers and scientists in the area, arranging lectures and publishing the Proceedings of the South Wales Institute of Engineers. William Menelaus founded the orga ...

and the Monmouth and South Wales Colliery-Owners’ Association. He served as

High Sheriff of Monmouthshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Monmouthshire, an office which was created in 1536 but not fully settled until 1540. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972, the shrievalty of Monmouthshire was abolished, and replaced ...

in 1903.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Edward Pritchard 1844 births 1910 deaths People from Dowlais Welsh mechanical engineers Bessemer Gold Medal High sheriffs of Monmouthshire