Harrison Ainslie facts for kids
Harrison Ainslie & Co. was an old British company that made and sold iron. They were known for selling high-quality iron ore called haematite from their mines in Lindal Moor. This ore was sent to places like Glasgow, Scotland, South Wales, and the Midlands to be melted down.
What makes Harrison Ainslie & Co. special is that they were the very last company in Great Britain to use charcoal to power their blast furnaces. These furnaces were made of stone, used water power, and were much smaller than the newer furnaces that used coke (a type of fuel made from coal).
Contents
Company History and Leaders
Over the years, the company had several names, including Richard Ford & Co., the Newland Co., and finally Harrison Ainslie & Co. Ltd.
The first furnace, Newland Furnace, was built in 1747. It was started by Richard Ford and his partners. Richard Ford was a key person in the iron industry in the Furness area. His son, William Ford, also helped manage the company.
Later, George Knott became a managing partner. In 1784, Matthew Harrison took over as the main manager. He eventually bought a large part of the company.
Other important people included Dr. Henry Ainslie, who had shares in the company's ships, and Richard Roper, who started as a clerk and later became an active partner, especially with shipping.
By the late 1800s, William George Ainslie was in charge. The company became a limited company in 1893, but it faced financial problems and went into receivership (meaning it was managed by someone else due to debt) in 1903 and again in 1913. After this, a new company called Charcoal Iron Co. took over and ran Backbarrow furnace until 1966.
Changes in the Iron Industry
Around 1850, the iron industry in the Furness area changed a lot. Huge new deposits of iron ore were found. Companies like Schneider & Davis and CS Kennedy found large amounts of ore that were easier to mine.
New, bigger blast furnaces were built in Barrow in 1859. Even though there was a high demand for iron ore without phosphorus (which was needed for a new way of making steel called the Bessemer process), Harrison Ainslie's ore exports stopped around 1870. Their ships had to find other jobs, and railways started carrying the ore.
In 1873, a new, modern ironworks called the North Lonsdale Ironworks Company was started. William George Ainslie was its chairman. With new investments going into this modern company, the future for Harrison Ainslie & Co. looked difficult.
Iron Mines
Harrison Ainslie & Co. got their iron ore from several mines in the Lindal and Marton areas. They expanded their mining operations over the years, taking leases on new areas like Muncaster in 1799 and Crossgates and Lindal Cote in 1885.
Moving Goods
The company built the first pier (a dock for ships) at Barrow in 1780 and another at Greenodd in 1781. They also built a quay (a loading area) on the Ulverston Canal around 1799.
Harrison Ainslie & Co. owned many ships between 1786 and 1890, often buying new ones and selling them before they wore out. They also had a fleet of carts and even bred their own horses to pull them. Later, their mines used narrow and standard gauge railways to move materials.
Blast Furnaces
Harrison Ainslie & Co. operated several important blast furnaces:
- Newland Furnace: Built in 1747, it was updated in 1854 and changed to use hot blast (a more efficient method) in 1873. It closed in 1891.
- Bonawe Iron Furnace: Built in Scotland in 1753, it worked until 1874.
- Backbarrow Furnace: Built in 1711 by another company, Harrison Ainslie bought it in 1818. Later, it used steam power and switched to coke fuel in 1921. It was used until 1966.
- Duddon Furnace: Built in 1736, Harrison Ainslie bought it in 1828. It closed in 1867.
- Warsash Furnace: Built in Hampshire in 1868, this was unusual because it was built much later than other charcoal blast furnaces in Britain. It closed in 1877.
Most of these old stone furnaces, except for Warsash, are still standing today. Backbarrow Furnace was being restored in 2019.
Many of these furnaces, like Dyfi Furnace (which Harrison Ainslie didn't own but was similar), had common features:
- A strong, stone furnace stack that was round inside and tapered (got narrower) towards the top.
- A special chamber uphill from the furnace where a waterwheel powered the bellows to blow air into the furnace.
- A charging house above this chamber where materials were put into the furnace.
- Large barns uphill from the furnace to store charcoal.
Forges
The company also operated forges, which were places where iron was shaped and refined.
- A finery forge at Nibthwaite was used by the company until 1840.
- They bought Spark Bridge forge in 1798, which closed in 1848.
- A forge was built at Newland in 1783, and a rolling mill was added briefly in 1799. This forge closed in 1807.
- Evidence suggests that an old corn mill bought by the company in 1747 was also used as a forge later on.
By 1853, Harrison Ainslie had stopped making charcoal bar iron and billets (blocks of iron).
Gunpowder Production
The Melfort Gunpowder Co. was started in 1853. This company built powder magazines (storage buildings) in several locations. The works also had a refinery for saltpetre (a gunpowder ingredient) and a cooperage (where barrels were made). Sadly, there were three explosions at the works, and one in 1860 killed six men. The gunpowder works closed in 1874.
Electrification
Harrison Ainslie & Co. was also involved in early electricity use. In 1882, they used special electric lights called Yablochkov candles to light their Lindal Moor mines, and even the village and church of Lindal.
Later, the second Harrison Ainslie & Co. Ltd. built a power station and installed electric pumps at several of their mine pits.
Images for kids
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Backbarrow Furnace stack.
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Steam blowing engine at Backbarrow
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Lorn Furnace
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Newland Furnace. The blowing chamber with charging floor above is to the left of the stack. The cement scar is from a roof over the waterwheel.
See also
- Dyfi Furnace
- Charcoal iron
- Furnace, Argyll and Bute
- William George Ainslie
- Taynuilt
