George Perry (engineer)
Encyclopedia
George Perry was an English engineer, ironmaster, merchant, draughtsman and cartographer.
and was related to Micajah Perry, Lord Mayor of London
in 1747. His family was well known in the area and Perry was "intended for the church". However Perry joined the iron works at Coalbrookdale
, where he worked with John Wilkinson
. While there, he made successful trials for boring cannon
from solid iron. With Thomas Smith of Derby
he designed views of Coalbrookdale which were engraved by François Vivares
. These are among the earliest industrial landscapes.
Perry later became the first manager of Liverpool
's Phoenix Foundry. A man of many talents, outside his work as an iron founder and merchant his energy was directed towards many diffuse interests, such as map-making, the history of Liverpool, and the writing of poetry.
Perry was an early promoter of the benefits of new canals
. In 1758, shortly after the opening of the early Sankey Canal
, Perry wrote an article which appeared in The Gentleman's Magazine
in which he proposed the construction of an "inland water conveyance from London to Gloucester
, Worcester
and Bristol
, or from Liverpool to Hull
".
In 1758 Perry founded a Liverpool branch of the Ironbridge
foundry, later to become the Fawcett, Preston Engineering Company, although initially simply a warehouse.
In 1765, Perry married Lydia Ann Lacroy (or De La Croix), who was of a family of Huguenots. The street in which his foundry stood was named in her honour Lydia Ann Street.
With Peter Perez Burdett
Perry had planned a map of Liverpool, together with a history and views by Michael Angelo Rooker
, though the latter project did not all come together in its initial conception before his death. In 1769, assisted by William Yates, Perry produced his masterpiece as a cartographer, a large map entitled 'The New and Accurate Plan of the Town and Port of Leverpool'. In 2008 this was on public display at the Walker Art Gallery
and proved to be a centre of attention.
Perry died on 3 February 1771 at the age of fifty-two, to be buried at Toxteth Park
in the Park Chapel, also called the 'Ancient Chapel'. On a wall of the chapel is a memorial tablet, reading
An Essay towards the History of Leverpool [sic] (1773) by William Enfield
was based on Perry’s collections, and has been called the first history of Liverpool.
Biography
Perry was a native of SomersetSomerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and was related to Micajah Perry, Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1747. His family was well known in the area and Perry was "intended for the church". However Perry joined the iron works at Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. This is where iron ore was first smelted by Abraham Darby using easily mined "coking coal". The coal was drawn from drift mines in the sides...
, where he worked with John Wilkinson
John Wilkinson (industrialist)
John "Iron-Mad" Wilkinson was an English industrialist who pioneered the use and manufacture of cast iron and cast-iron goods in the Industrial Revolution.-Early life:...
. While there, he made successful trials for boring cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
from solid iron. With Thomas Smith of Derby
Thomas Smith (Derby)
Thomas Smith was a landscape painter and father of John Raphael Smith of Derby. Smith painted many landscapes including historic houses like Chatsworth and views of the Lake District....
he designed views of Coalbrookdale which were engraved by François Vivares
François Vivares
François Vivares was a French landscape-engraver, active in England.-Life:He was born at Saint-Jean-du-Bruel, near Montpellier, France, on 11 July 1709, and brought up in Geneva. At the age of 18 he went to London....
. These are among the earliest industrial landscapes.
Perry later became the first manager of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
's Phoenix Foundry. A man of many talents, outside his work as an iron founder and merchant his energy was directed towards many diffuse interests, such as map-making, the history of Liverpool, and the writing of poetry.
Perry was an early promoter of the benefits of new canals
History of the British canal system
The British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...
. In 1758, shortly after the opening of the early Sankey Canal
Sankey Canal
The Sankey Canal, which is also known as the Sankey Brook Navigation and the St Helens Canal, is a canal in Cheshire, extending into Merseyside, in the northwest of England, connecting St Helens with the River Mersey...
, Perry wrote an article which appeared in The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine was founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term "magazine" for a periodical...
in which he proposed the construction of an "inland water conveyance from London to Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
and Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, or from Liverpool to Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
".
In 1758 Perry founded a Liverpool branch of the Ironbridge
Ironbridge
Ironbridge is a settlement on the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, in Shropshire, England. It lies in the civil parish of The Gorge, in the borough of Telford and Wrekin...
foundry, later to become the Fawcett, Preston Engineering Company, although initially simply a warehouse.
In 1765, Perry married Lydia Ann Lacroy (or De La Croix), who was of a family of Huguenots. The street in which his foundry stood was named in her honour Lydia Ann Street.
With Peter Perez Burdett
Peter Perez Burdett
Peter Perez Burdett was an 18th century cartographer, surveyor, artist, and draughtsman originally from Eastwood in Essex where he inherited a small estate and the name Perez from his maternal grandfather who was the clergyman there.He would have been notable just for his many appearances in...
Perry had planned a map of Liverpool, together with a history and views by Michael Angelo Rooker
Michael Angelo Rooker
Michael "Angelo" Rooker was an English oil and watercolour painter of architecture and landscapes, illustrator and engraver. He was also the principal scene painter at the Haymarket Theatre.-Life and work:...
, though the latter project did not all come together in its initial conception before his death. In 1769, assisted by William Yates, Perry produced his masterpiece as a cartographer, a large map entitled 'The New and Accurate Plan of the Town and Port of Leverpool'. In 2008 this was on public display at the Walker Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
and proved to be a centre of attention.
Perry died on 3 February 1771 at the age of fifty-two, to be buried at Toxteth Park
Toxteth
Toxteth is an inner city area of Liverpool, England. Located to the south of the city, Toxteth is bordered by Liverpool City Centre, Dingle, Edge Hill, Wavertree and Aigburth.-Description:...
in the Park Chapel, also called the 'Ancient Chapel'. On a wall of the chapel is a memorial tablet, reading
An Essay towards the History of Leverpool [sic] (1773) by William Enfield
William Enfield
William Enfield was a British Unitarian minister who published a bestselling book on elocution entitled The Speaker .-Life:...
was based on Perry’s collections, and has been called the first history of Liverpool.