William Henry Shaw (18301896) was an Irish-born Australian

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

and

ironfounder An iron founder (also iron-founder or ironfounder) in its more general sense is a worker in molten ferrous metal, generally working within an iron foundry. However, the term 'iron founder' is usually reserved for the owner or manager of an iron foun ...

who founded the company that later became the

Phoenix Foundry The Phoenix Foundry was a company that built steam locomotives and other industrial machinery in the city of Ballarat, Victoria, Ballarat, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Over 30 years they built 352 locomotives for the Victorian Rail ...

Biography

William Shaw, son of James Smith Shaw was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Ireland on 27 July 1830. He trained as an engineer in England before sailing for Australia in 1851. He managed the

from 1870-1896. He arrived in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

in 1853.The Age (Melbourne) 25 August 1896 After mining for a short period he joined the business named Carter & Co in Armstrong Street, Ballarat in 1854 together with George Threlfall, moulder Robert Holden and engine smith Richard Carter, making and repairing picks and tools for miners and mining machinery. George Threlfall left this business in January 1858. Richard Carter and Robert Holden left the business, now named Richard Carter & Co. on 5 June 1873. The business was later renamed the Phoenix Foundry Company after more shareholders invested in the business.The Argus (Melbourne) 20 September 1906 Robert Holden became one of these shareholders. On 21 November 1863 he was named as a shareholder in the newly formed Rising Star Gold Mining Company (Limited).The Star (Ballarat) 24 November 1863 He died on 24 August 1896, at the age of 66 years, after a lingering illness, suffering from a complication of disorders. He was a justice of the peace and was regarded as one of the most capable engineers in Australia. Three hundred locomotives running on Victorian lines were manufactured under his supervision. He left a widow and seven sons and four daughters. His son, W. H. Shaw, junior, worked at the Phoenix Foundry. Another son, J. C. Shaw was a barrister and solicitor in Ballarat. On 19 September 1906 The Phoenix Foundry Company of Ballarat ceased to exist with the sale of the business being completed to Messrs Cameron and Sutherland. The sale price was not disclosed, but was understood to exceed £25,000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, William 1830 births 1896 deaths Engineers from Belfast Australian mining engineers