Atthatperiodcast-ironpotswereinverygeneraluse,formingtheprincipalcookingutensilsoftheworkingclass。Theartofcastinghad,however,madesuchsmallprogressinEnglandthatthepotswereforthemostpartimportedfromabroad。Darbyresolved,ifpossible,toenteruponthislucrativebranchofmanufacture;andheproceededtomakeanumberofexperimentsinpot-making。Likeotherswhohadprecededhim,hemadehisfirstmouldsofclay;buttheycrackedandburst,andonetrialfailedafteranother。Hethendeterminedtofindoutthetruemethodofmanufacturingthepots,bytravellingintothecountryfromwhencethebestwereimported,inordertomasterthegrandsecretofthetrade。WiththisobjecthewentovertoHollandintheyear1706,andafterdiligentinquiryheascertainedthattheonlysuremethodofcasting”Hiltonware,”assuchcastingswerethencalled,wasinmouldsoffinedrysand。Thiswasthewholesecret。
ReturningtoBristol,accompaniedbysomeskilledDutchworkmen,Darbybeganthenewmanufacture,andsucceededtohissatisfaction。
Theworkwasatfirstcarriedonwithgreatsecrecy,lestothermakersshouldcopytheart;andtheprecautionwastakenofstoppingthekeyholeoftheworkshop-doorwhilethecastingwasinprogress。
Tosecurehimselfagainstpiracy,heproceededtotakeoutapatentfortheprocessintheyear1708,anditwasgrantedforthetermoffourteenyears。Therecitalofthepatentiscurious,asshowingthebackwardstateofEnglishiron-foundingatthattime。Itsetsforththat”whereasourtrustyandwell-belovedAbrahamDarby,ofourcityofBristol,smith,hathbyhispetitionhumblyrepresentedtous,thatbyhisstudy,industry,andexpense,hehathfoundoutandbroughttoperfectionanewwayofcastingironbelliedpotsandotherironbelliedwareinsandonly,withoutloamorclay,bywhichsuchironpotsandotherwaremaybecastfineandwithmoreeaseandexpedition,andmaybeaffordedcheaperthantheycanbebythewaycommonlyused;andinregardtotheircheapnessmaybeofgreatadvantagetothepoorofthisourkingdom,whoforthemostpartusesuchware,andinallprobabilitywillpreventthemerchantsofEnglandgoingtoforeignmarketsforsuchware,fromwhencegreatquantitiesareimported,andlikewisemayintimesupplyothermarketswiththatmanufactureofourdominions,”&c……grantsthesaidAbrahamDarbythefullpowerandsoleprivilegetomakeandsellsuchpotsandwareforandduringthetermoffourteenyearsthenceensuing。”
DarbyproceededtomakearrangementsforcarryingonthemanufactureuponalargescaleattheBaptistMills;buttheotherpartnershesitatedtoembarkmorecapitalintheconcern,andatlengthrefusedtheirconcurrence。Determinednottobebaulkedinhisenterprise,DarbyabandonedtheBristolfirm;andintheyear1709heremovedtoCoalbrookdaleinShropshire,withtheintentionofprosecutingtheenterpriseonhisownaccount。Hetooktheleaseofalittlefurnacewhichhadexistedattheplaceformorethanacentury,astherecordsexistofa”smethe”or”smeth-house”atCoalbrookdaleinthetimeoftheTudors。Thewoodsofoakandhazelwhichatthattimefilledthebeautifuldinglesofthedale,andspreadinalmostacontinuousforesttothebaseoftheWrekin,furnishedabundantfuelforthesmithery。AsthetradeoftheCoalbrookdalefirmextended,thesewoodsbecamecleared,untilthesamescarcityoffuelbegantobeexperiencedthathadalreadydesolatedtheforestsofSussex,andbroughtthemanufactureofironinthatquartertoastand-still。
Itappearsfromthe’BlastFurnaceMemorandumBook’ofAbrahamDarby,whichwehaveexamined,thatthemakeofironattheCoalbrookdalefoundry,in1713,variedfromfivetotentonsaweek。Theprincipalarticlescastwerepots,kettles,andother”hollowware,”directfromthesmelting-furnace;therestofthemetalwasrunintopigs。
Incourseoftimewefindthatothercastingswereturnedout:afewgrates,smoothing-irons,door-frames,weights,baking-plates,cart-bushes,ironpestlesandmortars,andoccasionallyatailor’sgoose。Thetradegraduallyincreased,untilwefindasmanyas150
potsandkettlescastinaweek。
Thefuelusedinthefurnacesappears,fromtheDarbyMemorandum-Book,tohavebeenatfirstentirelycharcoal;butthegrowingscarcityofwoodseemstohavegraduallyledtotheuseofcoke,braysorsmallcoke,andpeat。Anabundanceofcoalsexistedintheneighbourhood:byrejectingthoseofinferiorquality,andcokingtheotherswithgreatcare,acombustiblewasobtainedbetterfittedeventhancharcoalitselfforthefusionofthatparticularkindoforewhichisfoundinthecoal-measures。ThuswefindDarby’smostfavouritechargeforhisfurnacestohavebeenfivebasketsofcoke,twoofbrays,andoneofpeat;nextfollowedtheore,andthenthelimestone。Theuseofcharcoalwasgraduallygivenupastheartofsmeltingwithcokeandbraysimproved,mostprobablyaidedbytheincreasedpowerofthefurnace-blast,untilatlengthwefinditentirelydiscontinued。
ThecastingsofCoalbrookdalegraduallyacquiredareputation,andthetradeofAbrahamDarbycontinuedtoincreaseuntilthedateofhisdeath,whichoccurredatMadeleyCourtin1717。Hissonsweretooyoungatthetimetocarryonthebusinesswhichhehadsosuccessfullystarted,andseveralportionsoftheworksweresoldataserioussacrifice。Butwhenthesonshadgrownuptomanhood,theytooentereduponthebusinessofiron-founding;andAbrahamDarby’ssonandgrandson,bothofthesamename,largelyextendedtheoperationsofthefirm,untilCoalbrookdale,or,asitwaspopularlycalled,”Bedlam,”becametheprincipalseatofoneofthemostimportantbranchesoftheirontrade。
Thereseemstobesomedoubtastotheprecisetimewhenpit-coalwasfirstregularlyemployedatCoalbrookdaleinsmeltingtheore。Mr。
Scrivenorsays,”pit-coalwasfirstusedbyMr。AbrahamDarby,inhisfurnaceatCoalbrookdale,in1713;”*
[footnote……
HistoryoftheIronTrade,p。56。
butwecanfindnoconfirmationofthisstatementintherecordsoftheCompany。ItisprobablethatMr。Darbyusedrawcoal,aswasdoneintheForestofDeanatthesametime,*
[footnote……
SeeMr。Powle’saccountoftheIronWorksintheForestofDean1677-8,inthePhilosophicalTransactions,vol。ii。p。418,wherehesays,”Aftertheyhavepoundedtheirore,theirfirstworkistocalcineit,whichisdoneinkilns,muchafterthefashionofordinarylime-kilns,Thesetheyfilluptothetopwithcoalandore,stratumsuperstratum,untilitbefull;andsosettingfiretothebottom,theyletitburntillthecoalbewasted,andthenrenewthekilnswithfreshoreandcoal,inthesamemannerasbefore。Thisisdonewithoutfusionofthemetal,andservestoconsumethemoredrossypartsoftheoreandtomakeitfriable。”Thewriterthendescribestheprocessofsmeltingtheoremixedwithcinderinthefurnaces,where,hesays,thefuelis”alwaysofcharcoal。””Severalattempts,”headds,”havebeenmadetointroducetheuseofsea-coalintheseworksinsteadofcharcoal,theformerbeingtobehadataneasierratethanthelatter;buthithertotheyhaveprovedineffectual,theworkmenfindingbyexperiencethatasea-coalfire,howvehementsoever,willnotpenetratethemostfixedpartsoftheore,andsoleavesmuchofthemetalunmelted”
intheprocessofcalciningtheore;butitwouldappearfromhisownMemorandathatcokeonlywasusedintheprocessofsmelting。Weinferfromothercircumstancesthatpit-coalwasnotemployedforthelatterpurposeuntilaconsiderablylaterperiod。Themeritofitsintroduction,anditssuccessfuluseiniron-smelting,isduetoMr。
RichardFord,whohadmarriedadaughterofAbrahamDarby,andmanagedtheCoalbrookdaleworksin1747。InapaperbytheRev。Mr。
Mason,WoodwardianProfessoratCambridge,giveninthe’PhilosophicalTransactions’forthatyear,*
[footnote……
Phil。Trans。vol。xliv。305。
thefirstaccountofitssuccessfulemploymentisstatedasfollows:——”Severalattemptshavebeenmadetoruniron-orewithpit-coal:heMr。Masonthinksithasnotsucceededanywhere,aswehavehadnoaccountofitsbeingpractised;
butMr。Ford,ofCoalbrookdaleinShropshire,fromiron-oreandcoal,bothgotinthesamedale,makesironbrittleortoughashepleases,therebeingcannonthuscastsosoftastobearturninglikewrought-iron。”Mostprobably,however,itwasnotuntilthetimeofRichardReynolds,whosucceededAbrahamDarbythesecondinthemanagementoftheworksin1757,thatpit-coalcameintolargeandregularuseintheblasting-furnacesaswellasthefineriesofCoalbrookdale。
RichardReynoldswasbornatBristolin1735。Hisparents,liketheDarbys,belongedtotheSocietyofFriends,andhewaseducatedinthatpersuasion。Beingaspirited,livelyyouth,the”oldAdam”
occasionallycroppedoutinhim;andheisevensaid,whenayoungman,tohavebeensomuchfiredbytheheroismofthesoldier’scharacterthathefeltastrongdesiretoembraceamilitarycareer;
butthisfeelingsoondiedout,andhedroppedintothesoberandsteadyrutoftheSociety。Afterservinganapprenticeshipinhisnativetown,hewassenttoCoalbrookdaleonamissionofbusiness,wherehebecameacquaintedwiththeDarbyfamily,andshortlyaftermarriedHannah,thedaughterofAbrahamthesecond。HethenenteredupontheconductoftheironandcoalworksatKetleyandHorsehay,whereheresidedforsixyears,removingtoCoalbrookdalein1763,totakechargeoftheworksthere,onthedeathofhisfather-in-law。
BytheexertionsandenterpriseoftheDarbys,theCoalbrookdaleWorkshadbecomegreatlyenlarged,givingremunerativeemploymenttoalargeandincreasingpopulation。ThefirmhadextendedtheiroperationsfarbeyondtheboundariesoftheDale:theyhadestablishedfoundriesatLondon,Bristol,andLiverpool,andagenciesatNewcastleandTruroforthedisposalofsteam-enginesandotherironmachineryusedinthedeepminesofthosedistricts。Watthadnotyetperfectedhissteam-engine;buttherewasaconsiderabledemandforpumping-enginesofNewcomen’sconstruction,manyofwhichweremadeattheCoalbrookdaleWorks。Theincreasingdemandforirongaveanimpetustocoal-mining,whichinitsturnstimulatedinventorsintheirimprovementofthepowerofthesteam-engine;forthecoalcouldnotbeworkedquicklyandadvantageouslyunlessthepitscouldbekeptclearofwater。Thusoneinventionstimulatesanother;andwhenthesteam-enginehadbeenperfectedbyWatt,andenabledpowerful-blowingapparatustobeworkedbyitsagency,weshallfindthattheproductionofironbymeansofpit-coalbeingrenderedcheapandexpeditious,soonbecameenormouslyincreased。