James Shipton (19 August 1798 – 1 February 1865) was a timber merchant and licensed carrier who served as mayor of Wolverhampton from 1854 to 1855.

Shipton and Co.

Following established coal and flour

milling Milling may refer to: * Milling (minting), forming narrow ridges around the edge of a coin * Milling (grinding), breaking solid materials into smaller pieces by grinding, crushing, or cutting in a mill * Milling (machining), a process of using rota ...

operations alongside Brindley's newly constructed Birmingham Canal at Albion Wharf, Wolverhampton, James and Maurice Shipton opened a carrier service in 1821, followed by a timber wharf in 1827. The Shipton family were established timber merchants with a yard in Birmingham started by Joseph Shipton. Shiptons developed a new Albion Wharf depot for the Swift Packet boat service between Birmingham and Wolverhampton to replace their earlier site. Maurice Shipton dissolved the partnership and James continued to trade on his own. The area continued to develop as a junction between canal and the railways. In 1833 Shipton & Co built a warehouse at Gloucester Docks. The list of daily destinations served by Shipton's fly boats gives an idea of the scale of the operation:

Liverpool, Manchester, Preston Brook,
Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
, Wrexham, North Wales, Shardlow, Gainsborough, Derby,
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
, the Staffordshire iron works, Bilston, Dudley, Worcester, Gloucester, Bristol, Tewkesbury, London, Birmingham,
Stourport Stourport-on-Severn, often shortened to Stourport, is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of North Worcestershire, England, a few miles to the south of Kidderminster and downstream on the River Severn from Bewdley. At the 2011 ce ...
, and Kidderminster.

Shipton's operation as a carrier of anything, but specialising in finished iron products, grew through several acquisitions until it was taken over by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1847. However the business suffered and was sold on to the Bridgewater Trustees in 1849. James Shipton was retained as their agent.

Politics

James became Mayor of Wolverhampton in November 1854. His term was difficult due to a dispute concerning the Wolverhampton Waterworks Company. The council had come under criticism from many quarters for failing to agree purchase, with many meetings held with no progress. For this reason he declined to stand for another term. This dispute led to the tenure of the next Mayor, Edward Perry, being extended to two terms to resolve the situation.

Family

Shipton was born in Birmingham on 19 August 1798, the son of Joseph Shipton and Caroline. Shipton married Anne Adcock of Penkridge, Staffordshire on 27 July 1824 and the family lived at Dunstall Hill, Wolverhampton, north of the town. When his term in office as Mayor was over in 1855, he went into semi-retirement. He finally retired in 1858 and left the town to settle in

Leamington Priors Leamington may refer to: Places * Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England * Leamington Hastings, Warwickshire, England * Leamington, Ontario, Canada * Leamington, Utah, US * Leamington, Cambridge, a suburb of Cambridge, New Zealand * Leamington, C ...

, Warwickshire, now known as

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...

.England Census, Warwickshire, Leamington Priors. The National Archives, 1861 He died on 1 February 1865 in Leamington.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shipton, James 1798 births 1865 deaths Mayors of Wolverhampton People from Wolverhampton People of the Victorian era