Richard Thomas and Baldwins
Encyclopedia
Richard Thomas and Baldwins Ltd (RTB) was a major United Kingdom
iron, steel and tinplate producer, formed in 1948 by the merger of Richard Thomas & Co Ltd with Baldwins Ltd. It was absorbed into British Steel
in 1967. The business now forms part of Corus
, a subsidiary of Tata Steel
.
died 1916), leased the Lydbrook
tinplate works in Gloucestershire
in 1871 and from 1876 also leased the Lydney
tinplate works. He went on to acquire local collieries and in 1888 the Melingriffith works near Cardiff
. Richard Thomas & Co, in which Richard was succeeded as managing director by his son Richard Beaumont Thomas
in 1888, became one of the principal tinplate manufacturers in the country. The Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron & Coal Company was taken over in 1936 and a new steel plant and strip mill was erected in the town.
, afterwards Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
into the business. The firm was incorporated as E. P. & W. Baldwin Ltd in 1898, and gradually acquired a number of tinplate works, mainly in south Wales
.
tinplate works.
In 1951 RTB was nationalised and placed under the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain
. Under Conservative rule in 1953 it passed to the Iron and Steel Holding and Realisation Agency in readiness for privatisation. However, its size - it was the UK's largest steel company - inhibited its sale. It was still in public ownership when the industry was re-nationalised under British Steel
in 1967.
The major event during public ownership as a separate company was the official opening in 1962 of the Spencer Steelworks
at Llanwern
, a wholly new plant on a greenfield site to the east of Newport
. This was named after H F Spencer, managing director of RTB at the time construction of the works was announced in 1956.
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...
iron, steel and tinplate producer, formed in 1948 by the merger of Richard Thomas & Co Ltd with Baldwins Ltd. It was absorbed into British Steel
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
in 1967. The business now forms part of Corus
Corus Group
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
, a subsidiary of Tata Steel
Tata Steel
Tata Steel is a multinational steel company headquartered in Jamshedpur, India and part of Tata Group. It is the world's seventh-largest steel company, with an annual crude steel capacity of 31 million tonnes, and the largest private-sector steel company in India measured by domestic production...
.
Richard Thomas & Co
Richard Thomas & Co Ltd was an iron, steel and tinplate producer and colliery proprietor. The founder, Richard ThomasRichard Thomas (tin plate manufacturer)
Richard Thomas was an English tin plate manufacturer. He was the founder of Richard Thomas & Co., which later merged with Baldwins Ltd to become Richard Thomas and Baldwins, which in turn was absorbed into British Steel in the 1960s.-Biography:...
died 1916), leased the Lydbrook
Lydbrook
Lydbrook is a civil parish in the Forest of Dean, a local government district in the English county of Gloucestershire. It comprises the districts of Lower Lydbrook, Upper Lydbrook, and Joys Green.-Introduction:...
tinplate works in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
in 1871 and from 1876 also leased the Lydney
Lydney
Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn, close to the Forest of Dean. The town lies on the A48 road, next to the Lydney Park gardens with its Roman temple in honour of Nodens.-Transport:The Severn Railway...
tinplate works. He went on to acquire local collieries and in 1888 the Melingriffith works near Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. Richard Thomas & Co, in which Richard was succeeded as managing director by his son Richard Beaumont Thomas
Richard Beaumont Thomas
Richard Beaumont-Thomas was the Managing Director of a major South Wales iron, steel and tinplate manufacturing company named Richard Thomas and Co Ltd which eventually merged with Baldwins to become Richard Thomas and Baldwins....
in 1888, became one of the principal tinplate manufacturers in the country. The Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron & Coal Company was taken over in 1936 and a new steel plant and strip mill was erected in the town.
Baldwins
Baldwins Ltd began as E., P. & W. Baldwin, ironfounders of Stourport. In 1870 Alfred Baldwin bought out his relatives to become the sole proprietor of the firm, but continued to trade under the old name. In 1888, he brought his 21-year-old son Stanley BaldwinStanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
, afterwards Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
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...
into the business. The firm was incorporated as E. P. & W. Baldwin Ltd in 1898, and gradually acquired a number of tinplate works, mainly in south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Richard Thomas & Baldwins
In 1948 RTB introduced the first continuous tinning line at its Ebbw ValeEbbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
tinplate works.
In 1951 RTB was nationalised and placed under the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain
Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain
The Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain was a nationalised industry, set up in 1949 by Clement Attlee's Labour government.The Iron & Steel Act 1949 took effect on 15 February 1951, the Corporation becoming the sole shareholder of 80 of the principal iron and steel companies...
. Under Conservative rule in 1953 it passed to the Iron and Steel Holding and Realisation Agency in readiness for privatisation. However, its size - it was the UK's largest steel company - inhibited its sale. It was still in public ownership when the industry was re-nationalised under British Steel
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
in 1967.
The major event during public ownership as a separate company was the official opening in 1962 of the Spencer Steelworks
Llanwern steelworks
Llanwern Steelworks is located in Llanwern, east of the City of Newport, South Wales.Built by Richard Thomas & Baldwin Ltd, the works was originally referred to locally as "The RTB", before being called Spencer Works and later Llanwern...
at Llanwern
Llanwern
Llanwern is an electoral ward and community in the urban-rural fringe of the City of Newport, South Wales. Llanwern ward is bounded by the M4 and Langstone to the north, Ringland, Liswerry and the River Usk to the west, the River Severn to the south and the city boundary to the east...
, a wholly new plant on a greenfield site to the east of 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...
. This was named after H F Spencer, managing director of RTB at the time construction of the works was announced in 1956.
Sources
- Whitaker's Almanack (various dates)
- Celtic Royal Genealogyhttp://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~davtur/index.html
- Thomas of Begelly http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~davtur/thomasofb/index.htm