Richard Smith (January 30, 1783 – July 21, 1868) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national id ...
-born mining engineer, industrialist and politician. He represented Cape Breton County in the
Nova Scotia House of Assembly
The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia
Each General Assembly of the ...
from 1833 to 1834. Between 1836 and 1864, Smith was the mineral agent for the estate of the Lords of Dudley.
Life
Richard Smith was born in
Tipton
Tipton is an industrial town in the West Midlands in England with a population of around 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham.
Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country, w ...
,
Staffordshire, the son of Thomas Smith and Mary Morris, and was educated at the
Royal School of Mines
The Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London. The Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics and parts of the London Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Bioe ...
.
In 1811, he married Elizabeth Fereday. Smith and his father-in-law suffered financial losses when the coal and iron market collapsed at the end of the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. He subsequently set himself up in business again in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and also managed coal operations in Wales and Portugal. In 1824 he was engaged by Baron Rothschild to manage his estates in North and South Wales.
In 1827, Smith was hired to establish coal mining operations in Nova Scotia for the
General Mining Association
The General Mining Association was a London coal mining company operating in Nova Scotia. It was formed by Rundell & Bridge in 1827. It held a mining monopoly in Nova Scotia until 1858.
History
In 1788, King George III
George III (Geo ...
. He established sites at Albion Mines (later
Stellarton
Stellarton is a town located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is adjacent and to the south of the larger town of New Glasgow. In pioneer times the area was called Coal Mines Station, and from 1833 until 1889, it was known as Albio ...
),
Sydney Mines
Sydney Mines ( Scottish Gaelic: ''Mèinnean Shidni'') is a community and former town in Canada's Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
Founded in 1784 and incorporated as a town in 1889, Sydney Mines has a rich history in coal produ ...
,
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...
and
Little Bras d'Or. Smith contested a new assembly seat for Cape Breton in a violent election held in 1832 where
William Young William, Will, Bill or Billy Young may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* William Young (composer) (died 1662), English composer and viola da gambist
* William Young (architect) (1843–1900), Scottish architect, designer of Glasgow City Chamber ...
's supporters intimidated voters at some polls; he was declared elected to the assembly in 1833 after Young's election was overturned.
In 1834, he returned to England. Smith managed the mineral holdings of the Earl of Dudley from 1836 to 1864, taking over from Francis Downing.
The Dudley Estate was extensive and included coal, limestone and iron ore mines and blast furnaces in the
Black Country
The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during it ...
region of England. Richard Smith oversaw the construction of a
private railway network for the estate.
as well as the construction of the
Round Oak Ironworks.
Richard Smith retired as the Earl of Dudley's mineral agent in 1864,
being succeeded in the post by his son, Frederick Smith. Richard's final residence was Berry Hill, near Lichfield.
He died near
Lichfield
Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west ...
, Staffordshire at the age of 85.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Richard
1783 births
1868 deaths
People from Tipton
Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs
Canadian mining engineers
British emigrants to Canada