Sirhowy Ironworks in its Heyday
Built in 1778 the furnace was possibly
in production as early as 1750.
In 1778 Charles Henry Burgh granted
a lease of forty years to a group of London businessmen for:
"With full liberty to build such
and so many furnaces, Forges, Mills, Engines, Storehouses etc., to make
Weirs and impound the water of the Sirhowy stream or any brooks where they
flow through his lands for the purpose of carrying water to the use of
such Ironworks to be erected."
The London businessmen were: Thomas
Atkinson, William Barrow, Bolton Hudson and John Sealey.
The yeild of iron was about four
tons at first but in its heyday in this picture it had risen to 100 hundred
tons per month. At this time a new partnership was running the ironworks,
their names need no introduction: Richard Fothergill and Matthew Monkhouse.
Much greater detail can be found
in:
Oliver Jones Early Days of Sirhowy
and Tredegar.
Evan Powell's History of Tredegar.
Both these publications though
out of print are in the Tredegar library.
This photograph was taken around
1870
This was the cutting edge of technology
at the time of the
American War of Independence 1775
1783
Napoleonic War 1796 1815
