Samuel Fox (7 June 1815 – 25 February 1887) was a British industrialist and businessman noted for developing the Paragon umbrella frame, and the founder of a steelworks in

Stocksbridge Stocksbridge is a town and civil parish, in the City of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies just to the east of the Peak District. The town is located in the steep-sided valley of th ...

Biography

Fox was born in

Bradwell, Derbyshire Bradwell is a village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Peak District of England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 Census was 1,416. It lies south of the main body of the Hope Valley but is usually included among its settle ...

, on 7 June 1815, the youngest son of William Fox, a shuttle-weaver, and Mary (née Palfreyman). In 1831, he started work as an apprentice wire drawer in the firm of Samuel Cocker in

Hathersage Hathersage ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Peak District in Derbyshire, England. It lies slightly to the north of the River Derwent, approximately south-west of Sheffield. Toponymy The origin of its name is disputed, although it is ...

."Samuel Fox"
foxumbrellas.com, accessed 19 November 2018 He moved to

in 1842 to establish his own wire-drawing business in a former cotton mill. In 1842, Fox married Maria Radcliffe (born 20 January 1820) at

Stannington, Sheffield Stannington is a suburb in the City of Sheffield, England. The area is located in the civil parish of Bradfield, and is in the electoral ward of Stannington. Stannington is situated on the western edge of the Sheffield urban area History a ...

."Marriage Record - Samuel Fox"
ancestry.co.uk, accessed 19 November 2018 They had one son, William Henry Fox (1843–1920) who never married."Birth Record - William Henry Fox"
ancestry.co.uk, accessed 19 November 2018"Probate Record - William Henry Fox"
ancestry.co.uk, accessed 19 November 2018 In 1851 he and his company Fox Umbrella Frames Ltd developed the "Paragon"

umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally used ...

frame, a U section of string steel that was far superior to its competitors. Development of the product continued until at least 1935. A similar product was used to make

Crinoline A crinoline is a stiff or structured petticoat designed to hold out a woman's skirt, popular at various times since the mid-19th century. Originally, crinoline described a stiff fabric made of horsehair ("crin") and cotton or linen which was ...

frames from 1855. Umbrellas with 'Fox Frames' were sold worldwide."Fox Umbrellas: Makers of the quintessentially British brolly"
merchantandmakers.com, accessed 19 November 2018 The business continued to expand and started producing different products, and by the mid-1860s the works included furnaces and rolling mills. In 1862, Samuel Fox began to produce crucible steel. The company installed two 5-ton Bessemer converters, the process being the invention of Sir Henry Bessemer. In 1863 a rail and billet mill was established, followed by a rod mill in 1864."Stocksbridge Works"
stocksbridgehs.co.uk, accessed 20 November 2018 A railway line was built to link the steel works with the wider region."Fox Valley History"
foxvalleysheffield.co.uk, accessed 20 November 2018 Fox bought the Bradwell Grove Estate, Holwell, Oxfordshire in 1871. He died on 25 February 1887 and was buried at St John churchyard on his estate North Cliffe, near

Market Weighton Market Weighton ( ) is a town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is one of the main market towns in the East Yorkshire Wolds and lies midway between Hull and York, about from either one. According to the 2011 UK cen ...

, East Riding of Yorkshire. Throughout his life, Fox was a frequent visitor to his home village of Bradwell, and for many years regularly sent money to benefit the poor. These charitable donations were always sent anonymously, and it was only a few years before his death that the actual donor became known to the people, when he also bequeathed a further £1000 for the poor of the parish."Samuel Fox, Bradwell's Most Famous Son"
samuelfox.co.uk, accessed 19 November 2018 A magnificent church, funded by the Fox family, was built in Stocksbridge overlooking the steelworks following his death. Saint Matthias Church was so named because Samuel Fox died on St. Matthias' Day. Fox himself had planned the church, and the church was completed in his memory under the instruction of his son, William, at a cost of around £5,000. Due to dwindling congregations, the church closed in 2018. Its last permanent vicar was Catherine Barnard."Huge church founded by Sheffield steel magnate will shut after big farewell celebration"
sheffieldstar.co.uk, 10 July 2018 - accessed 19 November 2018

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Samuel Businesspeople from Sheffield People from Stocksbridge People from Derbyshire Dales (district) 1815 births 1887 deaths 19th-century English businesspeople

Biography

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