John Hanbury (1664–1734) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Hanbury
Born	1664
Died	1734
Occupation	Businessman, politician
Spouse(s)	2
Children	More than 4
Parent(s)	Capel Hanbury
Relatives	William Selwyn (father-in-law)

John Hanbury (1664–1734) was an important British businessman and politician. He was known as an ironmaster, which means he owned and managed ironworks. He also served in the House of Commons, which is part of the British Parliament, for many years between 1701 and 1734.

Hanbury came from a family of ironmasters. They played a big part in making the area around Pontypool in Monmouthshire an industrial center. John Hanbury is especially famous for helping to start the process of making tinplate in the early 1700s. Tinplate is thin iron or steel covered with a layer of tin.

Early Life and Family

John Hanbury was born in 1664 and was christened in Gloucester. His family originally came from Hanbury, Worcestershire. His father was Capel Hanbury (1625–1704).

In 1701, John Hanbury married Albina Selwyn. She was the daughter of William Selwyn. After their marriage, he started making his home, Park House in Pontypool, bigger. His father had started building this house in 1659.

In 1703, he married Bridget Ayscough. She was the eldest daughter of Sir Edward Ayscough. Bridget brought a large fortune of £10,000 to the marriage. She also had important connections to powerful political families. Bridget was a close friend of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. This helped John Hanbury meet many influential politicians.

John and Bridget had several children together, including:

• John Hanbury of Caerleon (1705–1739)
• Capel Hanbury (1707–1765), who also became a Member of Parliament.
• Sir Charles Hanbury (1708–1759), who later changed his name to Hanbury-Williams.
• George Hanbury (1715–1764)
• Thomas Hanbury (1722–1778), who was a Commander in the Royal Navy.

John Hanbury's Political Journey

John Hanbury first became a Member of Parliament for Gloucester in December 1701. He didn't run in the next election in 1702. However, he won the seat back in a special election later that year.

He kept his seat in the 1705 election but did not run in 1708. In 1715, he tried for Gloucester again but lost.

Finally, in 1720, he was elected to Parliament for the area of Monmouthshire in Wales. He was a supporter of the Whig party. However, later in his life, he disagreed with some of the important laws proposed by Robert Walpole, a leading politician.

In 1720, John Hanbury received a large sum of £70,000 from his friend Charles Williams. He used this money to buy Coldbrook Park near Abergavenny. This estate later went to his son, Charles Hanbury.

His Work as an Ironmaster

When his father passed away in 1704, John Hanbury took over the family estate at Pontypool. This estate included several ironworks, which had been in his family for a long time. Soon after, he wrote down his thoughts about how his ironworks were doing.

He owned a blast furnace, forges (places where metal is shaped), and mills at Pontypool. He also had another furnace and forge at Llanelly. In 1708, he also became involved with a blast furnace at Melin Cwrt. He continued to run his ironworks at Pontypool and Llanelly for the rest of his life. These businesses were then passed down to his children.

Hanbury's notes included details about how much it cost to make iron and "Pontpoole plates." These plates were made using a rolling mill, a machine that flattens metal. At first, these "Pontpoole plates" were just iron plates, not tinplate. This is because tin was not listed as a cost. To stop these iron plates from rusting, one of Hanbury's managers, Thomas Allgood, started coating them. This process became known as "Pontypool japan."

The first time tinplate was made at Pontypool was around 1725. This was soon after a French book about making tinplate was published. John Hanbury is known as the person who started the British tinplate industry.

John Hanbury passed away in 1734.