Charles John Brandling (4 February 1769 – 1 February 1826) was an English MP and coal owner. He was the son of

Charles Brandling Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

(1733–1802) of Gosforth House, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He succeeded his father as MP for Newcastle in 1798, holding the seat until 1812. From 1820 until his death he was the MP for Northumberland. He became a lieutenant of the Northumberland militia in 1790, being promoted captain in 1793, and in 1819 he was made Lieutenant-Colonel of the Northumberland & Newcastle volunteer cavalry. His father installed him at Middleton Lodge, about 4 miles south of

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, in 1802. The family had come into ownership of land here through marriage of Ralph Brandling, Charles John's great great uncle, to the Middleton heiress in 1697. Charles John commissioned a survey of the estate and its potential and appointed

John Blenkinsop John Blenkinsop (1783 – 22 January 1831) was an English mining engineer and an inventor of steam locomotives, who designed the first practical railway locomotive. He was born in Felling, County Durham, the son of a stonemason and was app ...

as his manager. This young mining engineer was responsible for making a success of the next era of the mining business by inventing a

rack and pinion A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a circular gear (the '' pinion'') engaging a linear gear (the ''rack''). Together, they convert rotational motion into linear motion. Rotating the pinion causes the rack to be driven ...

system for the wagonway (a horse-drawn route of the mid-18th century) and commissioning what turned out to be the first commercially successful steam locomotive, designed and built by

Matthew Murray Matthew Murray (1765 – 20 February 1826) was an English steam engine and machine tool manufacturer, who designed and built the first commercially viable steam locomotive, the twin cylinder ''Salamanca'' in 1812. He was an innovative design ...

, to transport the coals into Leeds on The

Middleton Railway The Middleton Railway is the world's oldest continuously working railway, situated in the English city of Leeds. It was founded in 1758 and is now a heritage railway, run by volunteers from The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd. since 1960. The rail ...

. He married Frances Elizabeth Hawksworth, daughter of

Walter Fawkes Walter Ramsden Hawkesworth Fawkes (2 March 1769 – 24 October 1825) was a Yorkshire landowner, writer and Member of Parliament (MP) for Yorkshire from 1806 to 1807. Biography Walter Fawkes was born at Hawkesworth Hall, near Guiseley, into a ...

(formerly Hawksworth) of Hawksworth, Yorks. His friend

Earl Grey Earl Grey is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, 1st Baron Grey. In 1801, he was given the title Baron Grey of Howick in the County of Northumberland, and in 1806 he was created Viscou ...

described him and his wife as "cordial in their manner, unaffected and extremely good-natured". They had no children. In 1817 he chaired the committee which established the reward to be paid to

George Stephenson George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst for ...

for the invention of the

Geordie lamp The Geordie lamp was a safety lamp for use in flammable atmospheres, invented by George Stephenson in 1815 as a miner's lamp to prevent explosions due to firedamp in coal mines. Origin In 1815, Stephenson was the engine-wright at the Killingw ...

.''Report upon the claims of Mr George Stephenson relative to the invention of his safety lamp''
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References

1769 births 1826 deaths Politicians from Newcastle upon Tyne Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies People educated at Newcome's School Tory MPs (pre-1834) British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 British businesspeople in the coal industry {{England-UK-MP-stub