Philip Foley
Encyclopedia
Philip Foley was the youngest of the three surviving sons of the British ironmaster Thomas Foley (1616–1677). His father transferred to him in 1668 and 1669 all his ironworks
in the Midlands
for £60,000. He also settled an estate at Prestwood near Stourbridge
on him on his marriage, to which Philip added the manor of Kinver
.
. He disposed of the last of them to two of his managers John Wheeler and Richard Avenant, and they also took over what had been Sir Clement Clerke's ironworks when some of those reverted to Philip Foley.
Wheeler and Avenant were more successful in running a rather reduced business and leased blast furnace
s in the Forest of Dean
from Philip's brother Paul
. In 1692, the two joined the managers in the business. Philip remained a partner for the rest of his life, but his family sold out of it shortly after his death. This business produced high quality pig iron
which was sent up the river Severn
for sale through a warehouse at Bewdley
, as well as supplying the firm's own forges such as Wilden Forge
on the river Stour
. In 1705, John Wheeler retired from managing the business in favour of William Rea
, and the firm gave up its remaining ironworks in the Stour valley.
Another iron making business became available with the death of Philip's uncle Henry Glover in 1689. This was handed over to John Wheeler, but in 1695, he and Philip decided that Philip had actually been a partner in it since 1689. This probably could not be openly declared earlier as Philip was one of Glover's executors. This had iron works consisting of Mearheath Furnace
(a little distance from the present Meir Heath), and Consall and Oakamoor Forges
. Further works were added, including a group in the east Midlands consisting of Staveley Furnace
and Forge
and Carburton Forge
, though that group were only used from 1695 to 1698 when they were handed over to Yorkshire
ironmaster
s. They also made a trade investment in ironworks in Cheshire
, in connection with securing a supply of pig iron from there. The Staffordshire and Cheshire businesses were amalgamated in 1708, but Philip probably sold out shortly after 1710.
. He was elected for Bewdley
in 1678. Though expelled on the grounds of bribery, he was elected there again in 1679, and for other seats after the Glorious Revolution
. There was a time when five of the family were in the House of Commons
together, the others being his brothers Thomas and Paul Foley
, and his nephews (their sons) both called Thomas, one of whom later became Lord Foley
. They belonged to the Country Whigs
, like their brother in law Robert Harley
.
, though evidently conforming to the Church of England
at least occasionally. He employed a series of domestic chaplains, who established Presbyterian congregations in several nearby towns.
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
in the Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
for £60,000. He also settled an estate at Prestwood near 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...
on him on his marriage, to which Philip added the manor of Kinver
Kinver
Kinver is a large village in South Staffordshire district, Staffordshire, England. It is in the far south-west of the county, at the end of the narrow finger of land surrounded by the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands. The nearest towns are Stourbridge in the West...
.
Ironworks
Philip ran the ironworks but found that they were not as profitable as they had been, and began from 1674 to sell them off. One group was bought by Sir Clement ClerkeClement Clerke
Sir Clement Clerke, 1st Baronet was an important English entrepreneur, whose greatest achievement was the application of the reverberatory furnace to smelting lead and copper, and to remelting pig iron for foundry purposes.-Background:Clement Clerke was the third son of George Clerke of...
. He disposed of the last of them to two of his managers John Wheeler and Richard Avenant, and they also took over what had been Sir Clement Clerke's ironworks when some of those reverted to Philip Foley.
Wheeler and Avenant were more successful in running a rather reduced business and leased blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
s in the Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
from Philip's brother Paul
Paul Foley (ironmaster)
Paul Foley , also known as Speaker Foley, was the second son of Thomas Foley of Witley Court, the prominent Midlands ironmaster.-Ironmaster:...
. In 1692, the two joined the managers in the business. Philip remained a partner for the rest of his life, but his family sold out of it shortly after his death. This business produced high quality pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
which was sent up the river Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
for sale through a warehouse at Bewdley
Bewdley
Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster...
, as well as supplying the firm's own forges such as Wilden Forge
Wilden Ironworks
The village of Wilden is in the English county of Worcestershire. It was for many years the location of an ironworks.-Wilden Mill:Wilden was part of the demesne of the Bishop of Worcester's manor of Hartlebury. A mill was built on the River Stour in 1511 by William Baylly, a fuller...
on the river Stour
River Stour, Worcestershire
The Stour is a river flowing through the counties of Worcestershire, the West Midlands and Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England. The Stour is a major tributary of the River Severn, and it is about in length...
. In 1705, John Wheeler retired from managing the business in favour of William Rea
William Rea (ironmaster)
William Rea of Monmouth is probably best known to history as the compiler of a list of British ironworks.- Ironmaster :His importance to the coal iron of the early 18th century was as the managing partner of the Goley family's steelworks in and about the Forest of Bob from 1990 to 1725.In this...
, and the firm gave up its remaining ironworks in the Stour valley.
Another iron making business became available with the death of Philip's uncle Henry Glover in 1689. This was handed over to John Wheeler, but in 1695, he and Philip decided that Philip had actually been a partner in it since 1689. This probably could not be openly declared earlier as Philip was one of Glover's executors. This had iron works consisting of Mearheath Furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
(a little distance from the present Meir Heath), and Consall and Oakamoor Forges
Finery forge
Iron tapped from the blast furnace is pig iron, and contains significant amounts of carbon and silicon. To produce malleable wrought iron, it needs to undergo a further process. In the early modern period, this was carried out in a finery forge....
. Further works were added, including a group in the east Midlands consisting of Staveley Furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
and Forge
Finery forge
Iron tapped from the blast furnace is pig iron, and contains significant amounts of carbon and silicon. To produce malleable wrought iron, it needs to undergo a further process. In the early modern period, this was carried out in a finery forge....
and Carburton Forge
Finery forge
Iron tapped from the blast furnace is pig iron, and contains significant amounts of carbon and silicon. To produce malleable wrought iron, it needs to undergo a further process. In the early modern period, this was carried out in a finery forge....
, though that group were only used from 1695 to 1698 when they were handed over to Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
ironmaster
Ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....
s. They also made a trade investment in ironworks in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, in connection with securing a supply of pig iron from there. The Staffordshire and Cheshire businesses were amalgamated in 1708, but Philip probably sold out shortly after 1710.
Politics
Philip was also involved in politics, as a Member of ParliamentMember 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,...
. He was elected for Bewdley
Bewdley
Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster...
in 1678. Though expelled on the grounds of bribery, he was elected there again in 1679, and for other seats after the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
. There was a time when five of the family were in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
together, the others being his brothers Thomas and Paul Foley
Paul Foley (ironmaster)
Paul Foley , also known as Speaker Foley, was the second son of Thomas Foley of Witley Court, the prominent Midlands ironmaster.-Ironmaster:...
, and his nephews (their sons) both called Thomas, one of whom later became Lord Foley
Thomas Foley, 1st Baron Foley (1673–1733)
Thomas Foley, 1st Baron Foley was the eldest son of Thomas Foley and inherited the Great Witley estate on his father's death...
. They belonged to the Country Whigs
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
, like their brother in law Robert Harley
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer KG was a British politician and statesman of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods. He began his career as a Whig, before defecting to a new Tory Ministry. Between 1711 and 1714 he served as First Lord of the Treasury, effectively Queen...
.
Religion
Like most of his family, he was a PresbyterianPresbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
, though evidently conforming to the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
at least occasionally. He employed a series of domestic chaplains, who established Presbyterian congregations in several nearby towns.
Family
- Philip's eldest son was Paul Foley of Prestwood (died 1717). He married in 1705 Elizabeth Turton, but only outlived his father by a short time, leaving a son William and two daughters. The son left a son William (who died unmarried) and a daughter Elizabeth. In 1759, she married John Hodgetts of Shut End in Kingswinford. Their only child Eliza Maria Foley Hodgetts married her distant cousin Hon Edward Foley (1747-1803). The Prestwood estate followed this descent, being settled on her marriage to descend to her second son John Hodgetts Hodgetts-FoleyJohn Hodgetts-FoleyJohn Hodgetts Hodgetts-Foley , born John Hodgetts Foley, of Prestwood House in Staffordshire was a British MP....
. - There were several other children.