CRAWSHAY
family, of
Cyfarthfa, Glam.
,
industrialists
.
This family had a preponderating influence on the industrial welfare of the people of
South Wales
, particularly through the heavy industries connected with the manufacture of iron, coal and iron-ore mining, etc. [In the earlier generations, the name appears as ‘
Crashaw
’ and ‘
Crashay
’.]
RICHARD
CRAWSHAY
(
1739
-
1810
),
b. at
Normanton
, near
Leeds
, son of
William
Crawshay
, a
Yorkshire yeoman
; quarrelled with his father and, when 16 years of age, left home. After travelling for twenty days, he arrived in
London
without money. He sold his pony for £15, and took employment in an iron-warehouse
selling flat-irons
. He won his master's confidence and his daughter, and eventually became sole proprietor and wealthy. Hearing of the establishment of iron-works in
South Wales
which offered scope for the investment of the wealth, he arrived in
Merthyr
, took over
Homfray
's lease (see under
Homfray
family
) at
Cyfarthfa
for boring cannon, and after the death (
1786
) of
Anthony
Bacon
I
(q.v.)
, secured the lease of the
Cyfarthfa
works during the minority of
Bacon
's sons; eventually he bought the share of
Anthony
Bacon
II
and became sole proprietor (
1794
). He adopted
Cort
's methods of puddling and rolling mills,
built new furnaces, forges, and mills
, and became one of the chief promoters of the
Glamorgan Canal
which was opened from
Merthyr
to
Cardiff
in
1794
. He took advantage of the boom in the iron trade and of the need for cannon caused by the
Napoleonic wars
and the dearness of iron from
Sweden
and
Russia
. He was much helped by his two young nephews,
Joseph
and
Crawshay
Bailey
[see the articles on the
Baileys
], the sons of his sister
Susanna
, but was much troubled by his only son,
‘who would never follow my advice, and has treated me rudely’
; father and son were, however, reconciled, the son receiving, under the terms of his father's will, a three-eighths share. Another three-eighths share went to
Benjamin
Hall
, husband of his daughter
Charlotte
— they were the parents of
Sir
Benjamin
Hall
,
baron Llanover
(q.v.)
— and the remaining quarter share going to his nephew
Joseph
Bailey
. He d.
27 June 1810
, and was buried at
Llandaff
.
WILLIAM
CRAWSHAY
I
[
1764
-
1834
],
Richard
's only son, did not take any interest in the actual manufacture of iron, but
took charge of the selling agency
at the
George Yard
,
Upper Thames Street
,
London
, leaving his son,
William
Crawshay
II
(
infra
) to manage the works at
Cyfarthfa
and
Hirwaun
. His is a far more important personality than that portrayed by
Charles
Wilkins
(q.v.)
and others. ‘He was
the most statesmanlike of the
Crawshay
Iron Kings
,’ and guided the huge enterprise in all its aspects with a steady hand — on its production side and on its commercial side. He so guided its affairs that he bought both
Benjamin
Hall
's and
Joseph
Bailey
's shares and became the sole proprietor. He d. [
11 Aug. 1834
] at
Stoke Newington
,
Middlesex
. Probate of his will was granted at £700,000. He left three sons and two daughters.
WILLIAM
CRAWSHAY
II
[
1788
-
1867
]
was the actual
manager
of the
Cyfarthfa
and
Hirwaun
works, and bought other iron-works at
Treforest
and in the
Forest of Dean
. It is he who is generally called the ‘
Iron King
’ and who built
Cyfarthfa castle
and the
Caversham Park mansion
. During his period the works grew immensely, and enormous quantities of iron were manufactured and great quantities of coal raised to feed the furnaces. His attitude during the celebrated riots at
Merthyr
tended to exasperate and defy the men. He left
Treforest iron-works
to his son
FRANCIS
, the
Forest of Dean
to
HENRY
, and the
Cyfarthfa
works to his youngest son,
Robert Thompson
Crawshay
(
infra
). Besides these important works, he held many shares in the
Taff Vale Railway
, etc. He d. at
Caversham Park
,
4 Aug. 1867
.
ROBERT
CRAWSHAY
(
1817
-
1879
)
was b. at
Cyfarthfa
,
3 March 1817
, the youngest son [by a second marriage] of the
‘
Iron King
,’
and was given
Cyfarthfa
works and its castle. He carried on the works until the great depression set in and the discovery of the
Henry
Bessemer
converter radically transformed the making of steel. He d.
10 May 1879
and was buried at
Vaynor
parish churchyard. He and his wife,
Rose Mary
Crawshay
, helped in the
provision of schools
and in providing books to read. His sons carried on the business under the name of
Messrs. Crawshay Bros.
until their absorption by
Messrs. Guest, Keen, and Nettlefold
(
1902
).
Bibliography:
-
The Principality
,
24 May 1850
;
- Crawshay papers in N.L.W.;
-
The National Library of Wales Journal
, vii, 12-32;
-
[pedigree in
Theophilus Jones
,
History of the County of
Brecknock
(3rd ed.), i, 140-3, with portraits].
Author:
Watkin William Price, M.A., (1873-1967), Aberdare
