Electric Telegraph Company
Encyclopedia
The Electric Telegraph Company was the world's first public telegraph company founded in the United Kingdom
in 1846 by Sir William Fothergill Cooke
and John Lewis Ricardo, MP
for Stoke-on-Trent
.
At creation the company purchased all the patents Cooke and Wheatstone
had obtained to date.
It merged with the International Telegraph Company in 1855 to become the Electric and International Telegraph Company.
C.F. Varley was chief engineer in the 1860s.
When the British government took over in 1868 the board of directors, apparently, ordered the destruction of all of its historic documents, records and files.
It was subsequently taken over by the British General Post Office
in 1870.
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1846 by Sir William Fothergill Cooke
William Fothergill Cooke
Sir William Fothergill Cooke was, with Charles Wheatstone, the co-inventor of the Cooke-Wheatstone electrical telegraph, which was patented in May 1837...
and John Lewis Ricardo, MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-upon-Trent (UK Parliament constituency)
Stoke-upon-Trent was a parliamentary borough in Staffordshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1832 until 1885, and then one member from 1885 until 1918, when the borough was enlarged, renamed Stoke-on-Trent, and split into three single-member...
.
At creation the company purchased all the patents Cooke and Wheatstone
Charles Wheatstone
Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS , was an English scientist and inventor of many scientific breakthroughs of the Victorian era, including the English concertina, the stereoscope , and the Playfair cipher...
had obtained to date.
It merged with the International Telegraph Company in 1855 to become the Electric and International Telegraph Company.
C.F. Varley was chief engineer in the 1860s.
When the British government took over in 1868 the board of directors, apparently, ordered the destruction of all of its historic documents, records and files.
It was subsequently taken over by the British General Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
in 1870.
Historical documents
Records of the Electric Telegraph Company (33 volumes), 1846-1872, the International Telegraph Company (5 volumes), 1852-1858 and the Electric and International Telegraph Company (62 volumes), [1852]-1905 are held by BT ArchivesBT Archives
BT Archives is an archive preserving the documentary heritage of BT and its public sector predecessors. It is designated an official place of deposit for Public Records, for those records created prior to BT's privatisation in 1984....
.
External links
- Distant Writing - The History of the Telegraph Companies in Britain between 1838 and 1868
- Distant Writing - Detailed history of the Electric Telegraph Company
- BT Archives official site
- BT Archives online catalogue