Henry Robertson (11 June 1816 – 22 March 1888) was a Scottish mining engineer and prolific railway builder, industrialist and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician. He was head of Brymbo Steelworks, Wrexham. He was co-founder of Beyer-Peacock, with Charles Beyer, and Richard Peacock. His son Sir Henry Beyer Robertson was knighted by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

for the achievements of his father.

Biography

The son of Duncan Robertson, he was born in

Banff, Aberdeenshire Banff () is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff, Aberdeenshire, Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron. It is a former royal burgh, and is the county ...

on 16 January 1816, and educated at King's College, Aberdeen University, and graduated M.A. He was initially to enter the ministry but turned to engineering.

Career

He started as a railway contractor securing some contracts at Port Glasgow, under Joseph Locke. On the offer of a Scottish bank to invest in the North Wales mineral district in 1842, Robertson ventured south, and purchased Brymbo Iron works and colliery, formerly owned by John Wilkinson. Robertson decided for the venture to succeed he needed to build a railway from Brymbo to Connah's Quay to export the coal and iron. This became the

North Wales Mineral Railway The North Wales Mineral Railway was formed to carry coal and ironstone from the mineral-bearing area around Wrexham to the River Dee wharves. It was extended to run from Shrewsbury and formed part of a main line trunk route, under the title t ...

, which runs from

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

to Chester, with a branch to Brymbo. At Chester he had access to the Birkenhead Joint Railway and its associated docks.

Robertson's railways

Robertson was chief civil engineer responsible for the building of the following (often with Thomas Brassey as the construction contractor) *

Shrewsbury and Chester Railway The North Wales Mineral Railway was formed to carry coal and ironstone from the mineral-bearing area around Wrexham to the River Dee, Wales, River Dee wharves. It was extended to run from Shrewsbury and formed part of a main line trunk route, ...

* Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway * Bala and Festiniog Railway * Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway * Vale of Llangollen Railway * Llangollen and Corwen Railway * Corwen and Bala Railway *Bala and Dolgellau Railway * Wirral Railway * Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway (extension to Wirral Railway) * Central Wales Railway (from Craven Arms to Llandovery)

Notable bridges

Robertson's bridges, all in north Wales, included: * Cefn Viaduct – carrying Shrewsbury and Chester over River Dee near Cefn Mawr, Ruabon. * Chirk Railway Viaduct – carrying Shrewsbury and Chester Railway over the River Ceirriog at Chirk *Queensferry Railway Swing Bridge over the River Dee, connecting Flintshire and the Wirral. *The second Chain Bridge – over the Dee, near Llangollen, built in 1876 close to his business partner Charles Beyer's Llantysilio Hall estate

Brymbo iron and steel works, Wrexham

Robertson purchased the old iron works of John Wilkinson in 1840. In 1885 he introduced steel-making. Following his death in 1889, his son Sir Henry Beyer Robertson took over and would later (1930s) rescue the plant from bankruptcy following the great depression, and install new blast furnaces.

Coal and mineral companies

Robertson's mining and related interests included: *Brymbo Iron and Coal Company (Gatewen and Plaspower collieries), Wrexham *Broughton and Plaspower Coal Company *Ruabon Coal and Coal and Coke Company. Formed in 1865 with Henry Dennis and Sir Daniel Gooch (who was then chairman of the Great Western Railway). This enabled the company to have preferential rates to transport the coal. *Minera Lime Company (to supply the ironworks) *Brymbo Waterworks

Charles Beyer

Robertson was co-founder in 1854 of Beyer, Peacock and Co with Charles Beyer and Richard Peacock. Based at Gorton Foundry, in

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England. It is to the southeast of Manchester city centre. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A ...

, Manchester, it would become one of the world's leading locomotive manufacturers. Robertson knew Beyer because he supplied some of the locomotives to his railways. He was a sleeping partner but his connections with the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

proved useful in securing orders. On the recommendation of Thomas Brassey, Robertson provided the loan, when the original loan of banker Charles Geach fell through. Robertson and Beyer subsequently became close friends for life; Beyer was godfather of Robertson's daughter in 1854 and of his son Sir Henry Beyer Robertson ten years later.

Political career

He served as Liberal MP for

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

from 1862 to 1865 and from 1874 to 1885, and Merioneth from 1885 to 1886, resigning his seat as a result of his opposition to Gladstone's Home Rule Bill.

Personal life

He was a keen walker and enjoyed dancing. He married Elizabeth Dean in St James Westminster, London in 1848. She was the daughter of a London solicitor . They had four children. Elizabeth (1851), Annie (1854), Henrietta (1858), and Henry Beyer Robertson (1864).

Residences

1851: Richmond Place,

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

. 1861: St Mary's Court, Shrewsbury. In the 1860s, he also bought a large estate in Crogen, Llandderfel, near Bala, Gwynedd. 1871, 1881:England Census 1881 13, Lancaster Gate,

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

, London (at the time of the 1871 Census, he was an MP sitting at Westminster). In 1871, he built Palé Hall, a large country house, in Llandderfel, which became his country seat. He died at Palé Hall on 22 March 1888, aged 71.

References

External links

*
Entry in Welsh Biography Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Henry 1816 births 1888 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886