James Allen Ransome (6 July 1806 – 29 August 1875), known as Allen Ransome, was an English agricultural-implement maker and agricultural writer, known for his 1843 publication ''The Implements of Agriculture.''

Early life

James Allen Ransome was born in 1806 in

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

, the eldest son of the agricultural-implement maker James Ransome (1782–1849) and his wife Hannah (Née Hunton), and grandson of Robert Ransome (1753–1830), who co-founded Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies. In 1809 the family moved to Ipswich where he completed his education at Colchester in 1820."James Allen Ransome"
in: ''The Farmer's Magazine'', Rogerson and Tuxford, Vol. 11th, 3rd Series, January to July 1857. p. 1-2.

Career

After leaving school, he became apprenticed to his grandfather, father, and uncle, who were then carrying on business in Ipswich as Ransome and Sons. From 1826 to 1839 he resided at Yoxford, Suffolk, where a branch of the business was established that he managed. He started a farmers' club there which was the precursor of many similar institutions, notably the Farmers' Club of London, of which Ransome was one of the founders. In 1829 he became partner in the firm then trading under the name J. R. and A. Ransome. He joined the Royal Agricultural Society in 1838 and served on its council. In 1839 he moved permanently to Ipswich to reside as one of the leading partners of a firm now known as Ransomes and Sims. Under his direction the business increased in size. In 1843 he published a history of 'The Implements of Agriculture,' part of which had been prepared as a prize essay for the Royal Agricultural Society. He was described in his obituary as "one of the leaders in a movement which, by bringing the science of the engineer to bear on the manufacture of implements for tilling the ground, has wrought, during the present century, an almost complete revolution in the practice of agriculture."

Political career

Allen was a Councillor for the

Ipswich Corporation Ipswich Corporation was the local authority which ran the town of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. It was founded in 1200 and abolished in 1974, being replaced by Ipswich Borough Council. The corporation's formal name until 1835 was the "bailiffs, bu ...

. He was an alderman of Ipswich from 1865 until his death.

Personal life and death

On 4 September 1828 he married Catherine, daughter of James Neave of Fordingbridge, Hampshire, with whom he had two sons, Robert James and Allen Ransome, and three daughters, one of whom married J. R. Jefferies, an active member of the firm. Catherine died on 17th April 1868. Annual Monitor, 1869 p. 147, 1876 p. 146. Ransome died on 29 April 1875 at his house in Carr Street, Ipswich.

Selected publications

* James Allen Ransome.
The Implements of Agriculture
'' J. Ridgway, 1843 * James Allen Ransome. ''On Principle Strikes'' Wise & freeman. 1890

References

;Attribution

This article incorporates public domain material from:

External links

J Allen Ransome
at oldpond.com
James Allen Ransome
at gracesguide.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Ransome, James Allen 1806 births 1875 deaths People from Great Yarmouth English agricultural writers English industrialists People of the Industrial Revolution English mechanical engineers English inventors Agricultural engineers History of Ipswich English railway mechanical engineers British railway pioneers People from Yoxford 19th-century English businesspeople