James Montgomrey (1 September 1811 – 4 June 1883) ran a large

timber mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

in Brentford,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

, that was in the family for 120 years. He also led the development of considerable infrastructure in the town to enhance public amenity.

Life and family

He was the eldest son of James Montgomrey Snr and his wife, Jane, who was the sister of inventor Sir

Francis Ronalds Sir Francis Ronalds FRS (21 February 17888 August 1873) was an English scientist and inventor, and arguably the first electrical engineer. He was knighted for creating the first working electric telegraph over a substantial distance. In 1816 ...

and niece of nurseryman

Hugh Ronalds Hugh Ronalds (4 March 1760 – 18 November 1833) was an esteemed nurseryman and horticulturalist in Brentford, who published ''Pyrus Malus Brentfordiensis: or, a Concise Description of Selected Apples'' (1831). His plants were some of the first ...

of Brentford. After attending John Bullar's school in Southampton, he married Henrietta Sim in 1841 and had seven children. Their daughter Gertrude wed ship-builder Sir

Charles Mark Palmer Sir Charles Mark Palmer, 1st Baronet (3 November 1822 – 4 June 1907) was an English shipbuilder born in South Shields, County Durham, England. He was also a Liberal Party politician and Member of Parliament. His father, originally the captain ...

. James and Henrietta were buried in Isleworth Cemetery. A fountain was erected in James' honour in St Paul’s Recreation Ground in Brentford and there is a memorial to Henrietta in

St Mary's Church, Twickenham St Mary's Church, Twickenham, also known as St Mary the Virgin, Twickenham, is a Grade II* listed Church of England place of worship dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin. It is on Church Street, Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon T ...

Timber mill

The family's timber mill was located at Montgomrey's Wharf, close to the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

and with frontages on Brentford High Street, the

River Brent The River Brent is a river in west and northwest London, England, and a tributary of the River Thames. in length, it rises in the Borough of Barnet and flows in a generally south-west direction before joining the Tideway stretch of the Thame ...

and the Grand Junction Canal. James Snr's cousin William Anthony was first involved in the timber yard in the late 18th century and James Snr entered the business in 1806. He brought James into the partnership in 1836. It remained in the family until 1911, with James' son Archibald Sim Montgomrey being the last proprietor. In James' tenure it was considered to be the largest timber yard in

and supplied products to surrounding counties. He introduced

steam-powered A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be tr ...

machinery in 1843. Brentford,_1856_map

In 1855, James sold part of his land to enable construction of Brentford Dock, designed by

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "on ...

to link the Great Western Railway with the Thames. This brought him unprecedented access to the new national rail network for delivery of his timber products.

Politics

The Montgomrey family were active Whigs cum Radicals and James and his father were founding members of the

Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club on the south side of Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it comprised an all-male membership for decades, but it was one of the first all-male cl ...

. James proposed parliamentary candidates, chaired their campaign committees and spoke at political meetings.

Public office and philanthropy

James was a leader in community activities in Brentford. He served as a magistrate, was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of

in 1859 and was the inaugural Chairman of the

Local Board Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environmenta ...

. He was a director of the company that built the town hall in 1850 and an office-holder of the Mechanics' Institution that his father helped found in 1835. Continuing to support the school established by his father and others in 1834 with the

British and Foreign School Society The British and Foreign School Society (BFSS) offers charitable aid to educational projects in the UK and around the world by funding schools, other charities and educational bodies. It was significant in the history of education in England, suppo ...

, he served as Treasurer, President and was a major sponsor of the new buildings erected on Brentford High Street in 1859; it was regarded as one of the best schools in London in the ensuing period. His children were still overseeing the school in the early 20th century. In 1868 James was principal subscriber and chairman of the building committee for St Paul's Church and its school, and the same year he spearheaded the creation of the volunteer

fire brigade A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

, in which his sons again played leadership roles.

References

{{reflist, 30em * English businesspeople English philanthropists