Reuben Farley (17 January 1826 – 1899) was an English businessman, politician and philanthropist. He was the first

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, ...

and served for four terms. He was also the first freeman of West Bromwich and the town's Farley Clock Tower stands in his honour.

Early life

He was the eighth of ten children born to Elizabeth Farley and mining engineer Thomas Farley (1781–1830). Farley was a pupil at Borwicks Heath Academy and an active member of the West Bromwich Institution for the Advancement of Knowledge. After a mining apprenticeship, Farley took over Dunkirk Colliery when he was 21. By 1861 he bought the Summit Foundry with his brother-in-law George Taylor. The foundry became one of the largest of its kind in

South Staffordshire South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. The district lies to the north and west of the West Midlands county, bordering Shropshire to the west and Worcestershire to the south. It contains notable settlements ...

, and the firm won a medal at the 1897 Brussels Exhibition. Farley played a leading role in several local limited companies. He was a leading shareholder and Chairman in

Fellows Morton & Clayton Fellows Morton & Clayton Ltd was, for much of the early 20th century, the largest and best-known canal transportation company in England. The company was in existence from 1889 to 1947. Origins The company started in 1837 when James Fellows, a ...

, a large canal carrier which his brother-in-law Joshua Fellows had founded, and Edwin Danks & Co. an important local maker of boilers and boats. He was a director of the Sandwell Park Colliery Co. and later an active Chairman of the

Hamstead Colliery Hamstead Colliery in Hamstead (then Staffordshire, now West Midlands), England, produced coal between 1878 and 1965, by mining the South Staffordshire 'Thick' coal seam. It suffered a major fire in 1908 in which 26 men died. History The Hams ...

Co. His labour relations attitudes were stern. He condemned the

eight-hour day The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day, preventing excesses and abuses. An eight-hour work day has its origins in the 16 ...

as ‘interference with the liberty of the subject’ He also criticised union organisers at the Summit Foundry for alienating employers from workmen. However, he provided excursions and pensions in his own firm and experienced little labour trouble.

Civic work

West Bromwich, clock tower (geograph 1346706)

He had been urged to stand for parliament when

acquired its own seat in 1885, but Farley declined the opportunity. Instead he channeled his formidable energies into the betterment of his native town. He felt obliged to ‘make the lives of the people brighter and happier’ He believed civic improvement assisted prosperity and prevented business irresponsibility and excessive demands by working men. He bought

Oak House, West Bromwich The Oak House is a timber framed building dating from the sixteenth century located in Greets Green, West Bromwich, England. The original owners of Oak House are not known, but the family most closely associated with it are the Turtons who we ...

with the intention of making it his private residence, but resolved to present it to the town as a museum. Farley played a key role in

William Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth William Walter Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth (12 August 1823 – 4 August 1891), styled Viscount Lewisham until 1853, was a British peer and Conservative politician. Political career Legge was elected in 1849 as Member of Parliament (MP) for ...

’s gift to the town of Dartmouth Park in 1878. He was a county magistrate from 1879, and one of the first borough JPs of

. When West Bromwich was incorporated in 1882 Farley's was the only name suggested for the mayor's chair. He filled it four more times and received particular credit for discouraging partisanship in council affairs. Voluntary societies as diverse as the Rifle Volunteers, friendly societies, a choral society and

West Bromwich Albion Football Club West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...

found Farley an active officer and major contributor. For a quarter of a century he attended almost every committee meeting of the

West Bromwich Building Society West Bromwich Permanent Building Society was formed in 1849 and remained a very local society for over a 100 years, only adding a few local branches in the 1930s. The appointment of Frank Dilkes as managing director in 1965 led to substantial re ...

. West Bromwich made Farley its first freeman in 1896 and erected a clock tower in his honour a year later.

Personal life

He married 3 times: *Hannah Duce, 1867. The 38-year-old daughter of a General Lock Manufacturer. *Elizabeth Haines 1879, The daughter of a Coal and Iron Master. *Harriet Fellows, 19 October 1887 at Sedgley, Staffs. They had five children, 3 sons and 2 daughters.IGI Index, British Isles He died in 1899 age 73 and is buried in Heath Lane Cemetery, along with Harriet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farley, Reuben 1826 births 1899 deaths Mayors of places in the West Midlands (county) People from West Bromwich