John Anderson (1747–1820) was a Scottish businessman and entrepreneur. He was a commercial agent in New York and later a business owner in Cork. His business played a pivotal role in creating infrastructure that connected Dublin to Cork. Anderson purchased land in

Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,500 people. It is located in the barony of Condons and Clangibbon, and is in the Dái ...

that was later used as a military complex.

Career

Anderson was born into a poor family at Portland near Dumfries, Scotland and moved to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

in 1784. He later settled in Cork City, at that time the major provisioning centre on the Atlantic Coast. During the American wars he earned considerable sums as a commercial agent in New York, and made extensive land purchases in the Cork area. His Cork enterprise was based at

Lapp's Island Lapp's Island was once an island in the River Lee. It is now joined with the island which forms the center of Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the isla ...

, and his business acumen was recognised as he grew rapidly in fortune and was appointed to the city's committee of merchants. He was made a Freeman of the city in 1787. Among his business interests was a malting and warehouse complex at

Ballinacurra Ballinacurra () is a small harbour village on the outskirts of Midleton, County Cork. It is about 18 km south east of Cork city. The village lies at the confluence of the Owenacurra River and the east channel of Cork Harbour. It served a ...

on Cork Harbour in partnership with John Lapp, in the 1780s. In common with many Cork merchants he was in favour of union with Great Britain in 1800. Anderson's Quay in Cork is called after him. He married a Miss Semple and had two daughters and two sons, one of whom, James Caleb Anderson (1782–1861), was a noted experimenter with steam-driven road vehicles. His fortunes suffered a series of reversals with the fall in the value of land after the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, and he lost over £30,000 in a Welsh mining venture. He had been conducting banking business and with the economic downturn his bank collapsed in 1816.

Development of roads and coaching

Anderson secured the equivalent of a government franchise to provide a mail service from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

to Cork. This involved the building of an extensive infrastructure of roads, bridges, inns and

stage coach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

stations. By 1789 he was the dominant partner in the Dublin–Cork turnpike and mail line, which was extended to Limerick in 1793. Its paramount achievement was getting from Dublin to Cork within 24 hours, the first Royal Mail arriving in Cork 8 July 1789.

Founding of Fermoy

Anderson purchased lands in the

area in 1791 and responded to a British government demand for military barracks by offering to build to their order in Fermoy. The first barracks was for 1400 troops and 100 horses, later increased to a total of 3300 men. Soon a vast military complex with workshops and ancillary services together with coach workshops were functioning.

References

* Niall Brunicarda 'John Anderson Entrepreneur' Eigse Books Fermoy 1987 * Sean Beecher Cork 365 Collins Press 2005 * Madden ''Revelations in Ireland, A Scotchman in Munster''

External links

Cork Directory 1787

Cork past and present photograph Anderson's Quay prior to new bridge

Lewis Topographical Dictionary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, John (Scottish businessman) Scottish businesspeople 1747 births 1820 deaths