Author: Paul Rone-Clarke

A Birmingham Company

 A Birmingham Company Prospect of Birmingham c. 1730 Birmingham Museums Trust CCO. Although Joseph Webster and James Horsfall entered into partnership in 1855 to become, Webster & Horsfall and then, 40 years later amalgamated with Latch and Batchelor the origins of the business can be traced back to the 1720s. The names of Webster, Horsfall,…

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The Atlantic Telegraph Cable

A wealthy American entrepreneur, Cyrus West Field (1819-1892), dared to dream of creating a Transatlantic Telegraph Cable between the United States and Europe. Since the first successful commercial cable between Dover and Calais in 1851, submarine telegraph cables were being laid with increasing frequency, but over relatively short distances. From 1854, he was inspired by…

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War and the Home Front at Hay Mills

The company’s long history means that it has continued trading throughout much social and technological change; through economic difficulties; as well as through many periods of war. It is inevitable that this history will include direct and indirect links to the making of weapons and military equipment. The company and family papers can offer some…

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Power at Hay Mills

Throughout its long history, the company has followed the development in power sources; from water-power to electricity and gas. For the first half of the twentieth century the company produced their own electricity and gas at Hay Mills; a century later there is now a biomass plant on site. Water-power The earliest type of power…

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Hay Mills Family Histories

John Webster (1687-1757) John, the founder of the business in 1720, was born in Normanton-on-Soar, Nottinghamshire. He was the second son of Thomas Webster, who was born in London but moved to Normanton after 1680. John’s great-grandfather, William was a London merchant, but the family ancestors can be traced back to the sixteenth century and…

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Living and Working at Hay Mills

Production at Hay Mills has included the finest music wire, the armour wire for communication cables, spring wire for armaments and locked-coil ropes. These are but a few of the products made there and they have been sold around the globe. This could not have been achieved without a skilled and dedicated workforce. In this…

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