John Russell (collier)
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John Russell (c.1788 – 1 March 1873)Although some sources give his date of birth as 1796, in Worcestershire, census records from 1851, 1861 and 1871 all give his place of birth as Broseley, Shropshire, in about 1788. was a British coal and iron master, who had extensive industrial interests especially in the
South Wales valleys The South Wales Valleys () are a group of industrialised peri-urban valleys in South Wales. Most of the valleys run northsouth, roughly parallel to each other. Commonly referred to as "The Valleys" (), they stretch from Carmarthenshire in the ...
in the mid-nineteenth century. He was
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 1855.


Biography

Russell was born in1796 at
Broseley Broseley () is a market town in Shropshire, England, with a population of 4,929 at the 2011 Census and an estimate of 5,022 in 2019. The River Severn flows to its north and east. The first iron bridge in the world was built in 1779 across the ...
,
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
, but moved to
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...
early in his life. In 1817, at St John the Baptist,
Claines Claines is a village to the north of Worcester in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is located on the east bank of the River Severn. Claines is situated in the heart of Worcestershire on the A449 between Worcester and Kidderminster. It ...
, he married Mary Downes (1796–1878), daughter of Bejimin Downes of Alton Court, Herefordshire. Her family were said to look down on Russell's relatively humble origins; he vowed "that his wife would always have a carriage and pair".Peter Verity, ''John Russell'', Friends of Claines Church
Retrieved 25 September 2013
In 1820, he was recorded as a
tobacco pipe A tobacco pipe, often called simply a pipe, is a device specifically made to smoke tobacco. It comprises a chamber (the bowl (smoking), bowl) for the tobacco from which a thin hollow stem (shank) emerges, ending in a mouthpiece. Pipes can range ...
maker at Cripplegate in Worcester.E. Roper and R. Jeffries, "John Russell, Iron and Coal Master", ''Journal of the Worcestershire Industrial Archaeology and Local History Society'', no.37, 2009, pp.26–29
Retrieved 25 September 2013
By the 1830s he was the owner of Worcester Pipe Works, Russells Brickworks, and many properties in the city. He developed commercial interests in the Russell and Brown
Risca Risca () is a town in the Caerphilly County Borough and within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire in south-east Wales. It is split into two Community (Wales), communities; Risca East an ...
Coal and Iron Joint Company, John Russell and Co., Blaina Iron Works, and later the South Wales Colliery Company. In 1836, John Russell and Co. bought Waunfawr Colliery near Risca with a site of , and in 1841 had a new mineshaft, known as Black Vein, sunk there. In partnership with Thomas Brown, he also took over the
Blaina Blaina ( ) is a small town, situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Brynmawr and Abertillery in the unitary authority of Blaenau Gwent, ancient parish of Aberystruth, preserved county of Gwent and historic county of Monmouthshi ...
Iron Works in 1839. Many of his interests in South Wales were developed in partnership with George Randle Hookey of Ludlow (1808–1877), who in 1840 married Russell's daughter Susannah. In 1842, Risca Colliery employed 250 adults, 50 youths under 18, and 15 boys under 13 years of age. George Hookey gave evidence to the commissioners enquiring into the employment of children in mines, saying:
"In working the narrow seams we are compelled to use the labour of children as men are too large for the work, and, from the necessity of the case, boys from 11–15 years of age are employed to draw with the girdle and chain; distances not exceeding 300 yards, the weight drawn from 50 lb to 1 cwt. Very young children are of no service to us, as their strength is insufficient; they rarely commence until 10 years of age."
In 1842, John Russell and Co. were awarded the contracts to provide the steam coal to the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
, the Peninsular & Orient Company, and the
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was a British shipping company founded in London in 1839 by a Scot, James MacQueen. The line's motto was ''Per Mare Ubique'' (everywhere by sea). After a troubled start, it became the largest shipping grou ...
. He took over the
Cwmtillery Cwmtillery (; ) (population 2011. 4800) is a ward of Abertillery. Located within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire, it is part of the administrative area of the county borough of Blaen ...
Colliery in 1852, sinking new shafts there in 1853 and 1858, and in 1864 incorporated Cwmtillery into his South Wales Colliery Company. It was said that Russell's collieries in South Wales were so prone to accidents that he had to bring workers in from
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
,
Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
,
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
and
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
. In 1846, an explosion at the Blackvein colliery at Risca resulted in the deaths of 35 men; more were killed in explosions in 1849 and 1853. The worst disaster occurred on 1 December 1860, when 146 men were killed in an explosion at the Blackvein colliery. As a result of the loss of life and legal arguments over rights with Lord Tredegar, the Risca Colliery Company was bankrupted, and the Blackvein colliery was sold. Russell also had business interests in iron workings in the
Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the Counties of England, county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangle, triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and no ...
, and in the
Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company The Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company was a canal and railway company that operated a canal and a network of railways in the Western Valley and Eastern Valley of Newport, Monmouthshire. It started as the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation and ...
. He was involved both in the development of
Coalbrookdale Coalbrookdale is a town in the Ironbridge Gorge and the Telford and Wrekin borough of Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. It lies within the civil parish called The Gorge, Shro ...
near his birthplace, and, with Sir Charles Morgan, 1st Baron Tredegar, in developing port facilities at Newport. During his activities in South Wales, Russell moved between Risca House, Wyelands near
Chepstow Chepstow () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the ...
, and Terhill House in
Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
. Having leased the neighbouring estate of Piercefield Park for several years Russell bought it 1855, but later sold it in 1866 to set up a trust for the families of the miners killed in the 1860 disaster at Blackvein and returned to Terhill. In 1867, he bought Badgeworth Court near
Churchdown Churchdown is a large village in Gloucestershire, England, situated between Gloucester and Cheltenham in the south of the Tewkesbury Borough. The village has two centres. The older (Brookfield or "village") centre is in Church Road near St An ...
,
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
. He also owned a house in Westbourne Park in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Russell was appointed as a Justice of the Peace in 1842, and
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 1855. He died in Cheltenham in 1873, and was buried at St Clements at the centre of his Worcester estates. His memorial is the east window of the church at
Badgeworth Badgeworth is a village and civil parish in the Tewkesbury district of Gloucestershire, England, between Gloucester and Cheltenham. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,206, increasing to 1,286 at the 2011 census. ...
. Russell's eldest daughter Susannah married in 1840 his partner Georrge Randale Hookey. In 1854 Russell's daughter Eleanor (1821–1884) married Thomas Henry Maudslay, grandson of the great engineer Henry Maudslay, with whom Russell had business interests. In 1856, Russell's son John Richard Russell JP (1831–1910) married Maria Frances, daughter of Sir Hugh Owen Bt of Orielton and niece of Sir Charles Morgan, 1st Lord Tredegar. They lived at The Lodge, Risca, and later at Coldbrook Park, Abergavenny. His second wife was Annette Willoughby-Hill, daughter of the banker Arnaud Clarke ( Robarts,Lubbock,Bosanquet and Clark - later Coutts) and Anna Brett.Burke's PB Viscounts Esher. Russell's daughter Ellen (1828–1902) married Col John Selwyn Payne, whose niece Rosina married Lt. Col Lawrence Heyworth and was to be Chairman of what had been John Russell's South Wales Colliery Company.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, John (industrialist) 1780s births 1873 deaths People from Broseley British industrialists British businesspeople in the coal industry Businesspeople from Worcester, England 19th-century English businesspeople