A Gazetteer of the British Iron Industry, 1490–1815, Volumes I and II

Description

A new process of making iron, using a blast furnace and a forge, both powered by water, was introduced into the Weald in the 1490s, and spread to other parts of England and Wales from the 1550s. This book provides a history of every ironworks of the charcoal blast furnace period, except the Weald. It also covers early coke ironworks (built before 1815) and water-powered bloomeries (of the previous technology). After introductory material on the industry generally, each chapter deals with the ironworks of one district, including also other water-powered mills processing iron, steel furnaces, early ironworks powered by steam engines, and a few other works. Blade mills (and cutlers wheels), which provided the initial cutting edge for tools are not included in those areas where they are ubiquitous. The period covered is an era in the technology of an important industry in Great Britain. Front Cover: Volume I Title Page Copyright Acknowledgements Contents Key Maps List of Maps List of Tables List of Family Trees Note on Weights and Measures Abbreviations Abstract 1 Introduction Part I. Southeast 2 Weald 3 The Thames Valley 4 Hampshire Part II. Northeast 5 Northeast England 6 North Yorkshire Moors 7 Northern West Riding 8 The Pennine Dales of West Yorkshire 9 Sheffield District 10 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Part III. Northern Midlands 11 The Trent Valley 12 North Staffordshire 13 Cheshire 14 Wrexham and Flintshire 15 Montgomeryshire and the Border 16 Shropshire West of the Severn Gorge 17 North Shropshire 18 Coalbrookdale and the Shropshire Coalfi eld 19 Broseley and below the Gorge 20 The Worfe Valley Front Cover: Volume II Title Page Copyright Contents List of Maps List of Family Trees Part IV. Southern Midlands 21 Penk Valley 22 Cannock Chase 23 The Tame Valley and the Northeast Black Country 24 The Stour Valley and Southwest Black Country 25 The Clee Hills 26 The South Midlands Part V. Southwest and Wales 27 Around the Severn Estuary 28 The Forest of Dean 29 Tintern and the Lower Wye Valley 30 The Middle Wye Valley 31 Upper Wye and Upper Usk Valleys 32 North Monmouthshire 33 Northern Glamorgan 34 The Cardiff and Newport Area 35 The Bristol Area 36 The Southwestern Penninsula 37 Western Glamorgan 38 Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire 39 The Coasts of West and North Wales Part VI. Northwest England 40 South Lancashire 41 Furness and North Lancashire 42 West Cumberland and Beyond Part VII. Scotland 43 The Scottish Highlands 44 The Scottish Lowlands 45 Conclusion Bibliography Appendix. Patents of Invention Index