The British Iron Co took over the ironworks of Edward Lloyd Rowland at
Acrefair, Denbs, in 1825.  It also had extensive works at Abersychan,
Monmouthshire, and Corngreaves, Staffs.  The firm was succeeded at all
three sites in 1843 by the New British Iron Co, which worked up to 1888.
You will find two articles on the firms by the historian of the iron
industry, the late Ifor Edwards, in the Denbighshire Historical Society
Transactions, Vol 31 (1982), pp 109-48, and Vol 32 (1983), pp 98-124.
The Acrefair works was taken over by a firm called Hughes and Lancaster,
and is now owned by Air Products, so I imagine that any later firm
called British Iron Co was not connected with the above.

Back numbers of the two journals may still be available from the
Denbighshire Record Office (10824 703077)  

 

In message <[log in to unmask]>, Mark Smith
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>Can anyone provide me with any additional information about the "New
>British Iron Company".
>
>At present the only information I can find is that the company was
>founded in 1829 under the name "British Iron Company" to run the
>Abersychan Iron Works together with its appended ironstone mines and
>collieries in the Afan Lwyd Valley, South Wales. The prefix "New " was
>added to the company name in 1843 by which time it may also have had
>operations in the Midlands (no details at present). The company went
>into bankruptcy in 1851 and its works were bought by the Ebbw Vale
>Steel, Iron & Coal Company a year later for only £8,500 (estimated as
>being only a fifth of the works true market value at the time). The name
>of the company continued to be partly preserved in that of the "British
>& Top Pits" an umbrella name for a series of coal levels and shafts that
>operated until at least 1910. As yet I have found no connection between
>the latter mentioned pits and those of the New British Rhondda Coal
>Company Limited who had collieries in the Vale of Neath until at least
>1934.
>
>I would particularly like to know if the name "New British Iron Company"
>was resurrected for any other ventures in the UK after 1851.
>
>Thanks in anticipation,
>
>Mark Smith.

________________________________________________

Christopher J Williams, 65 Stancliffe Avenue, 
Marford, Wrexham, Wales LL12 8LN

Tel: 01978 852601
________________________________________________


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