Joseph Firbank (1819 – 29 June 1886) was an English railway contractor.

Early life

Joseph Firbank was born at

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham. Much of the town's early history surro ...

in 1819, the son of a Durham miner. At the age of seven he was sent to work in a colliery, but he attended a night-school.

Industrial career

In 1841 Firbank secured a sub-contract in connection with the

Woodhead tunnel The Woodhead Tunnels are three parallel trans- Pennine long railway tunnels on the Woodhead Line, a former major rail link from Manchester to Sheffield in Northern England. The western portals of the tunnels are at Woodhead in Derbyshire and ...

on the

Stockton and Darlington railway The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was a railway company that operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863. The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, its first line connected collieries near Shildon with Darl ...

, and in 1845 and 1846 he took contracts on the

Midland railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...

. The opposition to railway construction was so great at this time that on one occasion Firbank was captured and kept a prisoner for twenty-four hours. Several landowners would not permit contractors or their workmen to approach their demesnes. In 1848, Firbank was engaged on the Rugby and Stamford branch of the North-Western railway, and he lost most of his savings by the bankruptcy of the former contractor of the line. When the

Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company The Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company was a canal and railway company that operated a canal and a network of railways in the Western Valley and Eastern Valley of Newport, Monmouthshire. It started as the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation and op ...

transformed their mineral tramways and canals into passenger railways in 1854, Firbank took the contract for dealing with the canals in the town of

Newport, Monmouthshire Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2011 census, Newport is the third-largest au ...

. He also took the contract for the maintenance of the lines for seven years, and this contract was several times renewed. Firbank established himself at Newport, where he formed an intimate friendship with

Crawshay Bailey Crawshay Bailey (1789 – 9 January 1872) was an English industrialist who became one of the great iron-masters of Wales. Early life Bailey was born in 1789 in Great Wenham, Suffolk, the son of John Bailey, of Wakefield and his wife Susannah. ...

, the ironmaster, who supported him in his early undertakings. He was employed in South Wales for thirty years, until the absorption of the Monmouthshire company by the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

. In 1856, Firbank took a contract for the widening of the London and North-Western railway near London and afterwards (1859–66) various contracts on the Brighton line. He was also engaged upon the Midland Company's Bedford and London extension (1864–1868), which involved great difficulties and ultimately cost the company upwards of £3,000,000. He was contractor in 1870 on the Settle and Carlisle extension of the Midland railway. He was afterwards contractor for many lines, the most difficult undertaking being the Birmingham west suburban section of the Midland railway. In 1884 he built the St. Pancras goods depôt of the Midland railway. The last contract taken by him was for the Bournemouth direct line from

Brockenhurst Brockenhurst is the largest village by population within the New Forest in Hampshire, England. The nearest city is Southampton some to the North East, while Bournemouth is also nearby, South West. Surrounding towns and villages include Beaul ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. It proved to be the most troublesome of all his undertakings, and was finally completed by his son, Joseph T. Firbank. The lines constructed by Firbank from 1846 to 1886 amounted to forty-nine. All through his career he was a generous employer, doing his best to promote the welfare of those whom he employed.

Public service

Firbank became a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and deputy-lieutenant for the county of Monmouth, and in 1885 High Sheriff of Monmouthshire.

Death

Firbank died at his home, near Newport, on 29 June 1886.

Assessment

Firbank has been described as "an excellent specimen of the Englishmen who rise up not so much by any transcendent talents, as by intelligence and energy", and above all by a scrupulous "honesty, inspiring confidence". quotes: Samuel Laing, director of the ''London, Brighton, and South Coast Company'' He was indefatigable in work, retiring to rest by nine o'clock and rarely rising later than five. His business faculties were very great.

Family

Firbank was twice married, and was survived by his second wife and seven children. One of his sons, (Joseph) Thomas Firbank, was the father of the novelist,

Ronald Firbank Arthur Annesley Ronald Firbank (17 January 1886 – 21 May 1926) was an innovative English novelist. His eight short novels, partly inspired by the London aesthetes of the 1890s, especially Oscar Wilde, consist largely of dialogue, with referen ...

(b. 1886), became a Member of Parliament (1885–1906) and was knighted in 1902.