Brassey and Field

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Thomas Brassey and William Field were railway contractors and also brothers-in-law. Field worked as an agent for Brassey on some of his railway construction projects, including the Severn Valley Railway. They also worked in partnership as Brassey and Field on the construction of a number of UK railways in the 1850s and 1860s. In Worcestershire and Shropshire these included the Tenbury Railway, the Tenbury and Bewdley Railway, and the majority of the Wellington to Craven Arms Railway.[1]

Thomas Brassey[edit | edit source]

Thomas Brassey (b. 1805) was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built around one-third of the railways in Britain, and by time of his death in December 1870 he had built one in every twenty miles of railway in the world.[2] These involved almost 100 different railway construction contracts in the UK, around 40 contracts for overseas railways, and 25 other civil engineering contracts,[3] with up to 100,000 men under his charge at a time.[4]

Brassey's career began as an apprentice surveyor on the new Shrewsbury to Holyhead Road (now the A5). At 21 he moved to Birkenhead where he became involved in civil engineering projects. While there he came into contact with Joseph Harrison, a forwarding and shipping agent who believed in the future of railway. In 1831 Brassey married Joseph's second daughter Maria Farrington Harrison (b. 1810), who encouraged him to move into railway construction.[2]

Most of Brassey's contracts were carried out in partnership with other contractors, particularly with Peto and Betts. Detailed planning of the projects was done by engineers, including illustrious names such as Robert Stephenson, Joseph Locke, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and John Fowler. The day-to-day work was overseen by agents on site, who managed and controlled the activities of the subcontractors. Brassey's trusted agents (including Field) would often work on two or three contracts in a particular region at the same time.

Brassey's history is well documented (see Bibliography and External links below). In contrast, little appears to have been previously published in print or on-line about William Field.[note 1]

William Field[edit | edit source]

William Field was born on 27 August 1812 at Pipe Ridware near Rugeley,[5] and was brought up in the medical profession, practising at Rugeley, and later as house surgeon at the North Stafford Infirmary for several years.[6] He married Christiana Harrison, Maria's younger sister (b. 1819) on 8 September 1838 in Chester,[7]

While Field was still House Surgeon at North Stafford Infirmary, he had also become a director of the Trent Valley Railway Company in 1844. In the 1851 census, where he was a visitor to Shrewsbury, he still described himself as 'Surgeon',[8] although clearly by that time his other railway interests were subsuming his medical career.

By 1854 he was also considered a 'Merchant' selling coal, lime, guano, cake, building materials with John Scott his agent at Shrewsbury and William Webb agent at Hereford in the goods yards.[9] He is described as such in the County Directories at that time.

In 1859 the War Office, triggered by fears of a French invasion, authorized Lord Lieutenants to form local part-time Volunteer Corps. This led to an explosion of recruitment through 1860.[10] The Shrewsbury Chronicle of 8 February 1860 reported that "On Monday evening, 6 February 1860, a meeting was held at Shrewsbury General railway station with a view to secure a volunteer corps composed of railway officials and servants – Mr Patchett, the Railway Superintendent, was called upon to preside. It was unanimously agreed that a rifle corps be formed from amid their ranks and William Field, railway contractor, was chosen as their captain. The list for the railway contained the names of 78 volunteers and Mr Field, with great liberality, had offered to clothe 30 men." Subsequent press reports on construction of the SVR referred to "Captain Field". Some of the reported early journeys at the northern end of the SVR before the official opening were linked to trips in connection with manoeuvres by the Volunteer Corps.

The 9th (Shrewsbury) Rifle Volunteer Corps, as it began, was converted to the Shropshire Artillery Volunteers in July 1860.[11] Field was made Captain on 23rd July 1860, Major on 17th January 1868 and Lieutenant Colonel from 16th May 1869 (combined troop).[12]

Field has not been traced in the 1861 census, although Christiana was visiting her brother-in-law, George Salt, Rector in Chester.[8]

At a meeting in Birmingham on 10 September 1863, William Field (for Brassey and Field, contractors) was appointed a Director of the Patent File Company Ltd who were to establish a large manufacturing company in either Birmingham or Gloucester.[13]

In the 1871 census he was living at Quarry Place, Shrewsbury (subsequently bought as a home for the Bishop of Shrewsbury) with Grand-daughter Edith Oakley age 6. William described himself as 'Railway Contractor'. Christiana was visiting her brother Thomas, a naval architect, in London.[8]

In the 1881 census he was at 13 Belmont, Atcham with his daughter Margaret Oakley age 41 and describing himself as a retired Lieutenant Colonel living at Shelton Oak.[8]

William Field died on 27th June 1894 at Shelton Priory and was buried at St. James' Church, Pipe Ridware. His will left £37,892 in probate via Colonel William Henry Field - equivalent to £4.5M today.

Early business association of Brassey and Field[edit | edit source]

William Field was appointed a Director of the Trent Valley Railway Company on Wednesday 20th March 1844 with the issue of the Prospectus.[14] In 1845 Brassey, Stephenson and MacKenzie were appointed as contractors for the 50-mile line between Rugby and Stafford which was completed in 1847. William Field's obituary suggested that he first came into contact with Thomas Brassey in a medical capacity while treating the men constructing the Trent Valley Railway.[6][note 2]

Charles Walker's book 'Thomas Brassey, Railway Builder' makes reference to the construction of 93 miles of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1846 by Brassey and Field in partnership, with John Hawkshaw as Engineer and Miles Day as agent.[15] The L&Y was not incorporated until 1847 as an amalgamation of a number of existing railways comprising a network of some 600 miles;[16] Walker does not make it clear which part of the network was involved.

The Staffordshire Advertiser of 13 February 1847 reported the cutting of the first sod for the Norton Bridge Branch of the North Staffordshire Railway at Stone to be built by Brassey and Co, with William Field one of the important guests.

At the end of 1850, Brassey took out a contract (with no partner) for the construction of the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway (auth. 1846, completed 1853). Field moved to Shrewsbury in 1851 to work as Brassey's agent on the project.[17] The Hereford Times of 27 March 1852 reporting Field as Director and Manager of the Line, organising a train for the opening through to Ludlow and presiding at the Dinner. The Hereford Journal of 18 February 1854 referred to a presentation and testimonial to William Field on 12th February with regard to his commitment to its construction and the men involved. After completion Brassey worked the line, initially at his own risk and later under lease, until the 1860s.

In 1853 Field tendered unsuccessfully for the construction of the Wellington and Severn Junction Railway. [18]

Between 1854 and 1857 the partnership of Brassey and Field were the contractors for the construction of the Leominster and Kington Railway (auth. 1854, completed 1857).[19]

In 1859 Brassey and Field were partners in the construction of the Cannock Mineral Railway (auth 1857, completed 1859).[20]

Brassey, Field, and the Severn Valley Railway[edit | edit source]

Thomas Brassey was involved as a shareholder in the Severn Valley Railway from its inception in 1852. His associates Morton Peto and Edward Betts also invested in the Company, with the former also serving as a Director before resigning in order to tender for the contract for the Railway's construction. The contract with the partnership of Peto, Brassey and Betts was sealed on 26 May 1858,[21] and John Marshall's history refers to that partnership receiving the total proceeds of some £325,000 (including £240,000 in shares) between December 1958 and November 1962.[22]

All three Partners had a pecuniary interest in seeing the line opened as early as practical due to their investment in shares, although it appears that Betts was never more than a 'sleeping partner' while Peto's interest may have moved elsewhere. As a result, Thomas Brassey appears to have been the principal contractor.[note 3]

Brassey appointed four agents to manage the Severn Valley contract on site by residing along the route, from south to north:

  • Miles Day, 49 from Stockport living in Wribbenhall (Day was one of Brassey's most trusted agents, working on his contracts over a period of 20 years or so)
  • Thomas Dowell, 38 from Herefordshire living at 20 Oldbury Village, Bridgnorth
  • John Dent, 50 from Durham living at Belle View Head, Shrewsbury
  • William Field, who had already acted as Partner with Brassey elsewhere. By April 1861 Field was working on the Wenlock Railway and appointed partner and agent on the Knighton Railway, so had been replaced as agent by William Drewitt, 49 of Worthen Shropshire who resided at Mountfield, Shrewsbury.

Construction began during summer 1958.[23] Contemporary newspaper reports during construction refer to the contractors in various different ways, including "Peto, Brassey and Betts", "Brassey, Peto and Betts" (as also appears on the plaque on Victoria Bridge), "Messrs. Brassey & Co" (Brassey working without a partner), and "Brassey and Field".[note 4]

On 6 October 1858 the Wolverhampton Chronicle and Staffordshire Advertiser reported that "Mr Field of the Severn Valley Railway has made an arrangement with Mr Thomas Bache, timber merchant of Bridgnorth, for the arrival of a steam tug at his wharf with the materials for the railway tunnel. It is daily expected. This is the first steam tug ever known on the River Severn, so far up as Bridgnorth." The tug, named Christiana,[note 5] had been built at Shrewsbury by Edward Jeffreys, the locomotive Superintendent of the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway, for reasons unknown although possibly at the instigation of Brassey who was in charge of operating the Railway under a 9-year lease since 1853.[24] Field presumably made this arrangement because of his association with Brassey, rather than Thomas Dowell who was nominally the agent for Bridgnorth

On 9 March 1859 Eddowes Journal reported that "During the past week Messrs. Brassey and Field, the contractors, Mr Fowler, engineer, and Mr H.O. Bridgman, resident engineer, have with others, been over the whole line from Hartlebury to Bridgnorth, and have expressed themselves satisfied with the progress of the works." Field is specifically mentioned, although Day and Dowell were the agents for that area.

On 28 May 1859 the Hereford Times reported that at Bridgnorth "The contractors, Messrs. Brassey and Field" find, as we foretold, the working of the tunnel under the town a task rather more difficult than at first contemplated, a curve at either end being rather am obstacle. This their engineer and indefatigable agent, Mr. Thomas Dowell, is determined to surmount by sinking a shaft in the High Street..." A report in the Derbyshire Times on 3 September describing the engineering difficulties being overcome "in a most satisfactory manner" again referred to Mr Dowell as "the engineer and agent to Messrs. Brassey & Co."

The Illustrated London News of 17 December 1859, reporting on the laying of the foundation stone of Victoria Bridge on 24 November, ended "The line...has been designed, and is being carried out, under the direction of John Fowler Esq., the engineer in chief to the company. Messrs. Brassey and Field are the contractors for the whole works."

On 10 December 1859 one of the two keystones for the main arch of Wribbenhall Viaduct was laid by William Field (the other was laid by the Mayor of Bewdley).[25]

The Shrewsbury Chronicle on 3 August 1860 reported on the half-yearly meeting of the Severn Valley Railway Company on 1st August 1860, noting that the Chairman John Parson had advised that "...by their arrangement with Mr. Brassey, some delay might arise in opening the line...".

The Worcester Journal on 1 February 1962 gave a lengthy description of the line at opening, including "The engineer who has constructed the railway is Mr. John Fowler, assisted by Mr H.O. Bridgman and Mr. J Foggerty. The contractors are Messrs. Brassey and Field, whose engineer for the southern portion of the line is Mr. Day." The Salopian Journal in a similar article on 4 February noted that the 'Special' train from Worcester on 1 February included "Messrs. Brassey and Field, contractors."

As a postscript, The Hereford Times on 8 February 1862 reported on a ball held at Church Stretton "in commemoration of the opening of the double line of railway to Church Stretton on the Shrewsbury and Hereford Line, and also the coming of age of Mr. W. Field Jun., of the eminent firm of Brassey, Field & Co."

Other collaborations between Brassey and Field[edit | edit source]

During and after the construction of the Severn Valley Railway, Brassey and Field were involved as partners in many other railway projects. In the Severn Valley area, their partnership undertook the construction of:

  • The Wenlock Railway[note 7] (Authorised in 1861) with Dent and Mackay as agents.[29], Railway #1 (Much Wenlock to Craven Arms) was completed in stages between 1864 and 1867. Railway #2 (Buildwas to Coalbrookdale via Albert Edward Bridge) was completed in November 1864.
  • The GWR Coalbrookdale extension (auth. 1861, completed November 1864), completed concurrently with the Wenlock Railway Coalbrookdale extension.

Elsewhere they were involved in:

Railway (external links to Wikipedia) Miles Completed Contractors Agent(s) References and notes
Knighton Railway 12 1861 Brassey and Field Field [30]
South Staffordshire Railway 4 1862 Brassey and Field Day [29]
South Leicester Railway 10 1864 Brassey and Field Stephenson [29]
Cannock Chase Extension 3 ? Brassey and Field Cooper [29] Presumably an extension to the Cannock Chase mineral lines
Nantwich and Market Drayton Railway 11 1863 Brassey and Field Gallagher, Mackay [29]
Ludlow and Clee Railway 6 1864 Brassey and Field Mackay [29]
Vale of Llangollen Railway 6 1862 Brassey and Field Gallagher [29]
Enniskillen and Bundoran Railway 36 1868 Brassey and Field Day, Drennan [31]
Wellington and Market Drayton Railway 16 Brassey and Field ? [31]
Corwen and Bala Railway 14 1868 Brassey Field, Reid [31]
Hull and Doncaster Railway 16 1869 Brassey and Field Stephenson [32]
Hereford Loop Railway 2½ ? Brassey and Field Mackay [32]
Kirby line Hooton and Parkgate Railway 5 1866 Brassey and Field Mackay [32]
Nantwich and Market Drayton Railway (widening) 11 Brassey and Field Reid, Mackay [32]
Llangollen and Corwen Railway 9½ 1865 Brassey Field [32]
Bala and Dolgelly Railway 18 1868 Brassey Field, Day, Drennan [33]
Ebbw Vale Railway 2 ? Brassey and Field Mackay [33]

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ John Marshall's history of the Severn Valley Railway makes only passing reference to Field. Marshall also published A Biographical Dictionary of Railway Engineers including over 600 mechanical and civil engineers. Brassey is listed, Field is not.
  2. ↑ The accuracy of Field's obituary is open to question in this regard. It states that the two became brothers-in-law subsequent to that that first contact; clearly they had been brothers-in-law since Field's marriage to Christana in 1838. It seems very unlikely that they would not have met in person at some point before the mid-1840s, and they would surely at least have been aware of each other. It is also open to question whether they actually met as Trent Valley Director / Contractor rather than in a medical capacity.
  3. ↑ Charles Walker's book 'Thomas Brassey, Railway Builder' states that Brassey contracted for the Severn Valley Railway as sole partner in 1861. In chronological order, the book describes Brassey's involvement in the Tenbury and Wenlock Railways in 1960 before the SVR in 1861. Plainly Brassey was involved in construction from the very beginning; it is unclear if there was a separate 1861 contract that superseded the Peto, Brassey & Betts contract of 1858, or whether Walker is incorrect.
  4. ↑ The predominance of "Brassey and Field" in reports on the construction of the SVR may in part be due to the standards of reporting of the day, but it may also reflect the actual situation, namely that the two were working as partners on other projects at the same time, and that Brassey was in charge on the SVR (reporting to John Foster) with Field acting as his lieutenant or 'quasi-partner' during his involvement there.
  5. ↑ Presumably the tug was named after Field's wife, Field being a Director of the S&H which built it.
  6. ↑ Walker incorrectly refers to this as the "Wenlock Railway"
  7. ↑ The Wenlock Railway was originally planned as the "Much Wenlock, Craven Arms and Coalbrookdale Railway". Walker refers to it as the "Wenlock and Craven Arms Railway".

References[edit | edit source]

  • Ancestry UK for census information
  • The British Newspaper Archive for newspaper articles.
  1. ↑ Walker (1969) pp. 169-171.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Thomas Brassey on Wikipedia
  3. ↑ Walker 1969, pp. 169-171.
  4. ↑ Bryan Morgan, Railways, Civil Engineering, 1973, p. 50.
  5. ↑ Date of birth is on his gravestone in St James's Churchyard.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Obituary, Death of Colonel Field, Shrewsbury Chronicle, 29 June 1894
  7. ↑ Ancestry UK
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Census information via Ancestry UK
  9. ↑ Hereford Times, 3 June 1854.
  10. ↑ Volunteer Force on Wikipedia
  11. ↑ Citizen Soldiers of Salop on suburbanmilitarism.wordpress.com
  12. ↑ 'Shropshire Volunteers', Wellington Journal, 24 November 1906
  13. ↑ Newcastle Journal, 17 September 1863
  14. ↑ Herepath's Journal, 20 April 1844
  15. ↑ Walker 1969, p. 62.
  16. ↑ Wikipedia
  17. ↑ Walker 1969, p. 76.
  18. ↑ Knowles (2022) p.20.
  19. ↑ Forgotten Railways: Vol 11, Rex Christiansen (1988), p.100.
  20. ↑ Walker 1969, p. 113.
  21. ↑ Marshall (1989) p.37.
  22. ↑ Marshall (1989), pp. 50-51.
  23. ↑ Marshall (1989), pp. 50-51.
  24. ↑ Marshall (1989), p. 40.
  25. ↑ Marshall (1989), p. 42.
  26. ↑ Beddoes & Smith (1995), pp.13-14,23.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Walker (2022), p. 118.
  28. ↑ Beddoes & Smith (1995), pp.17-27.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 29.6 29.7 Walker (2022), pp. 121-122.
  30. ↑ Walker 1969, p. 120.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Walker 1969, p. 129.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 Walker 1969, p. 133.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Walker 1969, p. 134.

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

  • Walker, Charles (1969). Thomas Brassey: Railway Builder. Frederick Muller. SBN 584-10305-0
  • Marshall, John (1989). The Severn Valley Railway. David & Charles, ISBN 0-946537-45-3

External links[edit | edit source]

Francis Webb, Locomotive Superintendant/Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Western Railway 1871-1903

Severn Valley Railway

A type of brakes used on GWR wagons after Grouping in 1923, replacing the earlier DC (Dean Churchward) types.

Henry Fowler, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Midland Railway 1909-1923, and of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1923-1933

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