Joseph Lucas
Encyclopedia
Joseph Lucas was a lamp manufacturer and the founder of Lucas Industries.
, in Birmingham's famous Jewellery Quarter
and educated at a local Church Sunday School, Joseph Lucas was apprenticed to H. & G.R. Elkington
, Silversmith
s, in 1847.
In 1860 he established a business selling bucket
s, shovel
s and other oddments. In 1872 he admitted his son, Harry, into his business and within three years they opened the Lamp Works in Little King Street in Birmingham
. They concentrated on the new types of lamp burning paraffin
and petroleum
for which there was considerable demand. The business became Lucas Industries.
He died in Naples
of typhoid after drinking contaminated water (he was a devout teetotaller and would not drink wine). while on a Mediterranean tour with his third wife. His body was brought back to England for burial, which took place on January 14, 1903 at St. Mary's Church, Moseley
.
Career
Born in Carver Street, Hockley, BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, in Birmingham's famous Jewellery Quarter
Jewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
and educated at a local Church Sunday School, Joseph Lucas was apprenticed to H. & G.R. Elkington
Elkington & Co.
Elkington & Co. was a silver manufacturer from Birmingham, England.It was founded by George Richards Elkington and his brother, Henry Elkington, in the 1830s. It operated under the name G. R. Elkington & Co. until 1842, when a third partner, Josiah Mason, joined the firm. It operated as Elkington,...
, Silversmith
Silversmith
A silversmith is a craftsperson who makes objects from silver or gold. The terms 'silversmith' and 'goldsmith' are not synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product varies greatly as does the scale of objects created.Silversmithing is the...
s, in 1847.
In 1860 he established a business selling bucket
Bucket
A bucket, also called a pail, is typically a watertight, vertical cylinder or truncated cone, with an open top and a flat bottom, usually attached to a semicircular carrying handle called the bail. A pail can have an open top or can have a lid....
s, shovel
Shovel
A shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Shovels are extremely common tools that are used extensively in agriculture, construction, and gardening....
s and other oddments. In 1872 he admitted his son, Harry, into his business and within three years they opened the Lamp Works in Little King Street in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. They concentrated on the new types of lamp burning paraffin
Paraffin
In chemistry, paraffin is a term that can be used synonymously with "alkane", indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20 ≤ n ≤ 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature and begin to enter the...
and petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
for which there was considerable demand. The business became Lucas Industries.
He died in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
of typhoid after drinking contaminated water (he was a devout teetotaller and would not drink wine). while on a Mediterranean tour with his third wife. His body was brought back to England for burial, which took place on January 14, 1903 at St. Mary's Church, Moseley
St. Mary's Church, Moseley
St. Mary's Church, Moseley is a parish church in the Church of England located in Moseley, Birmingham.-History:St. Mary's Church, Moseley was licensed by the Bishop of Worcester in February 1405, and the 600th anniversary was celebrated in 2005 with a series of special events.The church is medieval...
.