Company of Mineral and Battery Works
Encyclopedia
The Company of Mineral and Battery Works was, (with the Society of Mines Royal
), one of two mining monopolies created by Queen Elizabeth I of England in the mid-1560s. The Company's rights were based on a patent granted to William Humfrey
on 17 September 1565. This was replaced on 28 May 1568 by a patent of incorporation, making it an early joint stock company. The Society of Mines Royal was incorporated on the same day.
right:
less dependent on foreign goods, Elizabeth I in 1568 granted a patent of incorporation to William Humfrey
, (a former Assay master of the Royal Mint), who had worked closely with William Cecil
in setting up the first British wireworks at Tintern
, Monmouthshire
in 1567-8.
in addition to the iron wire
which was necessary for producing the cards (combs) required by the British wool industry, which had previously been imported. Due in part to difficulties with local materials however, the production of brass at the wireworks went poorly, and the more profitable production of iron wire became paramount.
of Madeley
(from 1627).
The farmers were sometimes accused of poor management, and although the import of foreign cards was affirmed to be illegal in 1597, wire was at that time permitted to be imported from abroad, perhaps affirming the complaints of manufacturers of wire goods, who maintained that English wire was often of poor quality and in insufficient supply.
The Company built a further wireworks at Whitebrook
, (north of Tintern), in 1607. Due to competition from the import of foreign cards (which was supposed to be illegal), his son (another Thomas Foley) reduced the rent that he was prepared to pay to the Company in the 1680s. The Tintern
wireworks operated successfully until about 1895.
In 1646, the Company accepted the offer of Thomas Foley
of Stourbridge
and later of Great Witley
, Worcestershire
to take over the wireworks, probably buying out the existing farmers. However wire made at Tintern was suffering competition from imported wire, and the company was unable to enforce the prohibition on its import. Foley died in 1677, leaving the wireworks to his son another Thomas, for whom they were managed by Henry Glover. With the competition from foreign wire, Foley was able to persuade the company that its privileges were of little value, and that his rent to them for Whitebrook should only be £5. The Tintern works reverted to the Duke of Beaufiort as landlord in 1689, but Foley continued the Whitebrook works. Thomas Foley continued the Whitebook works until at least 1702, with Obadiah Lane as manager.
in 1587 to a group of company members led by John Brode. They set up brass works at Isleworth
, but a decade later the company obstructed them from mining calamine.
The company also engaged in litigation over lead
mining in Derbyshire
, which it alleged to be infringing its monopoly.
effectively removed the monopoly mining rights of both companies, and joint company became moribund.
In 1693, Moses Stringer was admitted to shares in both companies, being esteemed a person 'ingenious and propence to chemistry and mineral studies'. However nothing much happened until Stringer recovered the minute books in 1709 and called a meeting at his 'elaboratory'
and foundry in Blackfriars, which delegated complete power to him as 'Mineral Master Gerneral'. Some effort was made to exploit the companies' monopoly, by licensing mining, but probably with little success.
. This was founded in 1717 and invited subscriptions for shares between August 1717 and January 1718 as the 'Mercer's Hall Marine Company' or the 'Undertaking kept at the Royal Exchange for insuring ships and merchandise at sea'. They petitioned the Attorney-General
for incorporation, but this was refused. They then bought the shares in the united Mines Royal and Mineral and Battery Works companies for £2904. 14 shillings and operated through this. However the House of Commons concluded that this was illegal (and similar insurance schemes) were illegal. Ultimately, by agreeing to pay £300,000 off George I's Civil List
debts, they were able to obtain a charter of incorporation as the Royal Exchange Assurance.
.
Wood patented a new process for making iron (which proved not to be economically effective). They raised money to finance this by agreeing to sell thousands of tons of iron
to the united companies. Wood and his associates would receive £60,000 and a block of shares. However Wood was unable to deliver anything like the quantity agreed. He sought the incorporation of the "Company of Ironmasters of Great Britain", but this was not granted. The affair was the subject of an enquiry by the Privy Council, but Wood died in 1730 and two of his sons were ultimately made bankrupt. £18,000 of the £40,000 actually advanced by the company was from Sir John Meres in the form of shares in the Charitable Corporation
, another company soon to collapse. The company's advances were probably largely lost.
The Mineral and Battery is recorded as mining in Ireland in 1741. It may also have had a copper battery work at (or near) Rogerstone
near Newport
. It is also recorded
A company called Mines Royal, which may (or may not) have been the same, had a copper works at Neath Abbey
in Glamorgan
from 1757.
Society of Mines Royal
The Society of Mines Royal was one of two mining monopoly companies incorporated by royal charter in 1568, the other being the Company of Mineral and Battery Works.-History:...
), one of two mining monopolies created by Queen Elizabeth I of England in the mid-1560s. The Company's rights were based on a patent granted to William Humfrey
William Humfrey
William Humfrey was a goldsmith and Assay Master to Queen Elizabeth I of England.He had a patent from the Queen for the mining of various ores and the extraction of metals from their ores. These rights were transferred to the Company of Mineral and Battery Works in which he was a leading...
on 17 September 1565. This was replaced on 28 May 1568 by a patent of incorporation, making it an early joint stock company. The Society of Mines Royal was incorporated on the same day.
Monopoly
The Company of Mineral and Battery Works had the monopolyMonopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
right:
- to make "battery ware" (items of beaten metal), cast work, and wire of lattenLattenThe term Latten refers loosely to copper alloys, much like brass, employed in the Middle Ages and through to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, for items such as decorative effect on borders, rivets or other details of metalwork , livery and pilgrim badges and for funerary effigies. It was...
, ironIronIron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and steelSteelSteel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
. - to mine calamineCalamine (mineral)Calamine is a historic name for an ore of zinc. The name calamine was derived from the Belgian town of Kelmis, whose French name is "La Calamine", which is home to a zinc mine...
stone and use it to make 'latten' and other mixed metals - to mine 'royal metals' in various English counties, most of which in fact contained little of those minerals. (Most of the metal used by the Company of Mineral and Battery works was mined by the Society of Mines Royal, with which the Mineral and Battery Works maintained a close relationship).
Wireworks
Determined to make EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
less dependent on foreign goods, Elizabeth I in 1568 granted a patent of incorporation to William Humfrey
William Humfrey
William Humfrey was a goldsmith and Assay Master to Queen Elizabeth I of England.He had a patent from the Queen for the mining of various ores and the extraction of metals from their ores. These rights were transferred to the Company of Mineral and Battery Works in which he was a leading...
, (a former Assay master of the Royal Mint), who had worked closely with William Cecil
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
in setting up the first British wireworks at Tintern
Tintern
Tintern is a village on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about 5 miles north of Chepstow...
, Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
in 1567-8.
German expertise
Humfrey hired and brought to England a German copper maker, Christopher Schutz, along with his entire workshop. Initial goals included the production of brassBrass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
in addition to the iron wire
Wire
A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...
which was necessary for producing the cards (combs) required by the British wool industry, which had previously been imported. Due in part to difficulties with local materials however, the production of brass at the wireworks went poorly, and the more profitable production of iron wire became paramount.
Farmers in charge
The works were eventually let to 'farmers,' the first being Sir Richard Martyn, Richard Hanbery, and a Mr. Palmer, in 1571. Later farmers included Richard Hanbury, Thomas Hackett (from 1613), Sir Basil BrookeBasil Brooke (metallurgist)
Sir Basil Brooke , English metallurgist and recusant, inherited the manor of Madeley from his father. This contained iron and steel works and coal mines...
of Madeley
Madeley
-People:* Anna Madeley , actress* Chloe Madeley , television presenter* Darrin Madeley , ice hockey player* Keith Madeley, businessman* Paul Madeley , footballer* Richard Madeley , television presenter...
(from 1627).
The farmers were sometimes accused of poor management, and although the import of foreign cards was affirmed to be illegal in 1597, wire was at that time permitted to be imported from abroad, perhaps affirming the complaints of manufacturers of wire goods, who maintained that English wire was often of poor quality and in insufficient supply.
The Company built a further wireworks at Whitebrook
Whitebrook
Whitebrook is a small village in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, United Kingdom. It is located four miles south east of Monmouth in the Wye Valley.- History and amenities :...
, (north of Tintern), in 1607. Due to competition from the import of foreign cards (which was supposed to be illegal), his son (another Thomas Foley) reduced the rent that he was prepared to pay to the Company in the 1680s. The Tintern
Tintern
Tintern is a village on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about 5 miles north of Chepstow...
wireworks operated successfully until about 1895.
In 1646, the Company accepted the offer of Thomas Foley
Thomas Foley (1616-1677)
Thomas Foley was the eldest son of the second marriage of Richard Foley , a prominent Midlands ironmaster. He took over his father's business and made great profits from it in the 1650s and 1660s, which he used to buy estates. He then handed his business over to his sons, another Thomas Foley,...
of Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
and later of Great Witley
Great Witley
Great Witley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the northwest of the county of Worcestershire, England...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
to take over the wireworks, probably buying out the existing farmers. However wire made at Tintern was suffering competition from imported wire, and the company was unable to enforce the prohibition on its import. Foley died in 1677, leaving the wireworks to his son another Thomas, for whom they were managed by Henry Glover. With the competition from foreign wire, Foley was able to persuade the company that its privileges were of little value, and that his rent to them for Whitebrook should only be £5. The Tintern works reverted to the Duke of Beaufiort as landlord in 1689, but Foley continued the Whitebrook works. Thomas Foley continued the Whitebook works until at least 1702, with Obadiah Lane as manager.
Lead and brass
The company licensed its right to use calamine to make brassCalamine brass
Calamine brass is brass produced by a particular alloying technique using the zinc ore calamine directly, rather than first refining it to metallic zinc...
in 1587 to a group of company members led by John Brode. They set up brass works at Isleworth
Isleworth
Isleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...
, but a decade later the company obstructed them from mining calamine.
The company also engaged in litigation over lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mining in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, which it alleged to be infringing its monopoly.
Union with Mines Royal
In the 17th century the company was not particularly active, but periodically granted licences for mining or industrial activities that would infringe its rights. It probably informally amalgamated with the Society of Mines Royal in about 1669. Ultimately in 1689, the passing of the Mines Royal ActMines Royal Act 1689
The Mines Royal Act 1689 was an act of the Parliament of England with the long title An Act to prevent Disputes and Controversies concerning Royal Mines. The act repealed the 1404 Act Against Multipliers The Mines Royal Act 1689 was an act of the Parliament of England (1 Will. & Mar. sess. 1 c....
effectively removed the monopoly mining rights of both companies, and joint company became moribund.
In 1693, Moses Stringer was admitted to shares in both companies, being esteemed a person 'ingenious and propence to chemistry and mineral studies'. However nothing much happened until Stringer recovered the minute books in 1709 and called a meeting at his 'elaboratory'
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
and foundry in Blackfriars, which delegated complete power to him as 'Mineral Master Gerneral'. Some effort was made to exploit the companies' monopoly, by licensing mining, but probably with little success.
Onslow's Insurance
The companies' shares were bought in 1718 by a syndicate known as Onslow's Insurance, who wished to operate through a joint stock companyJoint stock company
A joint-stock company is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more individuals that own shares of stock in the company...
. This was founded in 1717 and invited subscriptions for shares between August 1717 and January 1718 as the 'Mercer's Hall Marine Company' or the 'Undertaking kept at the Royal Exchange for insuring ships and merchandise at sea'. They petitioned the Attorney-General
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
for incorporation, but this was refused. They then bought the shares in the united Mines Royal and Mineral and Battery Works companies for £2904. 14 shillings and operated through this. However the House of Commons concluded that this was illegal (and similar insurance schemes) were illegal. Ultimately, by agreeing to pay £300,000 off George I's Civil List
Civil list
-United Kingdom:In the United Kingdom, the Civil List is the name given to the annual grant that covers some expenses associated with the Sovereign performing their official duties, including those for staff salaries, State Visits, public engagements, ceremonial functions and the upkeep of the...
debts, they were able to obtain a charter of incorporation as the Royal Exchange Assurance.
Enterprises with William Wood
The incorporation of the Royal Exchange Assurance rendered the patent of the united companies redundant. Very shortly after it opened its subscriptions, subscriptions were sought for the Grand Lessees of ... Mines Royal and Mineral and Battery Works. A pamphlet entitled, The present state of Mr Wood's partnership, refers to it having a lease of mines in 39 counties, which may be those of the two companies. The promoter of this was William WoodWilliam Wood (Mintmaster)
William Wood was a hardware manufacturer and mintmaster, noted for receiving a contract to strike an issue of Irish coinage from 1722 to 1724. He also struck the 'Rosa Americana' coins of British America during the same period....
.
Wood patented a new process for making iron (which proved not to be economically effective). They raised money to finance this by agreeing to sell thousands of tons of iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
to the united companies. Wood and his associates would receive £60,000 and a block of shares. However Wood was unable to deliver anything like the quantity agreed. He sought the incorporation of the "Company of Ironmasters of Great Britain", but this was not granted. The affair was the subject of an enquiry by the Privy Council, but Wood died in 1730 and two of his sons were ultimately made bankrupt. £18,000 of the £40,000 actually advanced by the company was from Sir John Meres in the form of shares in the Charitable Corporation
Charitable Corporation
The Charitable Corporation was an institution in Britain intended to provide loans at low interest to the deserving poor, including by large-scale pawnbroking. It was established by charter in 1707. Its full title was "Charitable Corporation for the relief of the industrious poor by assisting them...
, another company soon to collapse. The company's advances were probably largely lost.
Obscure later history
Subsequent references to the two companies are to them separately.The Mineral and Battery is recorded as mining in Ireland in 1741. It may also have had a copper battery work at (or near) Rogerstone
Rogerstone
Rogerstone is both a ward and community of the city of Newport, south-east Wales. The area is governed by the Newport City Council.The parish lies at the gateway to the Sirhowy valley, to the north of Newport on the eastern side of the Ebbw River...
near Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
. It is also recorded
A company called Mines Royal, which may (or may not) have been the same, had a copper works at Neath Abbey
Neath Abbey
Neath Abbey was a Cistercian monastery, located near the present-day town of Neath in southern Wales, UK.It was once the largest abbey in Wales. Substantial ruins can still be seen, and are in the care of Cadw...
in Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
from 1757.