George Samuel Fereday Smith
Encyclopedia
George Samuel Fereday Smith (7 May 1812–26 May 1891) was an English industrialist and canal manager who from 1837 to 1887 was the Deputy Superintendent of the Bridgewater Trustees and their successors, whose major source of income came from the Bridgewater Canal
.
, Staffordshire
, the elder son of Richard Smith, an ironmaster
and Elizabeth Fereday, the daughter of Samuel Fereday, who was also an ironmaster. He was educated at Charterhouse
and University College, London
before going to Queen's College, Oxford
where he graduated as Bachelor of Arts
in mathematics and physics in 1835. He then went to Germany to study mining and geology, after which he returned to Staffordshire where he gained practical experience of mining and surveying. At the beginning of 1837 he was working as an engineer on the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
, when in March, at the age of 24, he was appointed as Deputy Superintendent of the Bridgewater Trustees at a salary of £600 a year.
. Loch was extremely busy because of his involvement in other matters, which left Fereday Smith in charge of the detailed administration of the Trust. In addition to the Bridgewater Canal, the Trust administered the Bridgewater Collieries, the home farms, the Bridgewater Estate, a lime-burning business, Worsley Yard and, from 1848, the Mersey and Irwell Navigation. During this time the canals were in serious competition with the railways and Fereday Smith met the competition "with great vigour". He was greatly in favour of capital investment and the facilities he instigated included Egerton Dock at Liverpool
, the Runcorn and Weston Canal
, and the Alfred Dock
at Runcorn
. He installed electric telegraph along the banks of the canal.
Fereday Smith and James Lock were not always in agreement, but Fereday Smith's influence in the business increased after Loch's death in 1855. From that time he was in effect the general manager of the undertaking, Loch's successor Algernon Egerton
having less influence than Loch. During the time of Fereday Smith's management, the profit from the canal and the collieries increased considerably. He continued in his post when the control of the business passed from the Trustees to the Bridgewater Navigation Company in 1872 but retired when the Manchester Ship Canal
Company took over ownership in 1887.
and was called to the bar
in 1852. He had wide interests outside the Trust. He was a fellow of the Geological Society
and the Royal Geographical Society
and a member of the Chetham Society. He served as a Conservative
councillor
in Manchester
from 1846 to 1849 and was also a borough magistrate
. In the early 1870s he bought Grovehurst, a country house in Kent
, and was appointed high sheriff
of Kent in 1884. He died in London in 1891 and was succeeded in his post by his son, Richard Clifford Smith.
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
.
Early life and education
Fereday Smith was born in 1812 at TiptonTipton
Tipton is a town in the Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England, with a population of around 47,000. Tipton is located about halfway between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is a part of the Black Country....
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, the elder son of Richard Smith, an ironmaster
Ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....
and Elizabeth Fereday, the daughter of Samuel Fereday, who was also an ironmaster. He was educated at Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and University College, London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
before going to Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
where he graduated as Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in mathematics and physics in 1835. He then went to Germany to study mining and geology, after which he returned to Staffordshire where he gained practical experience of mining and surveying. At the beginning of 1837 he was working as an engineer on the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway is a railway route linking Birmingham to Gloucester in England.It is one of the world's oldest main line railways and includes the famous Lickey Incline, a dead-straight stretch of track running up the 1-in-37 gradient of the Lickey Ridge...
, when in March, at the age of 24, he was appointed as Deputy Superintendent of the Bridgewater Trustees at a salary of £600 a year.
Career
The Superintendent of the Bridgewater Trustees was James LochJames Loch
James Loch was a Scottish estate commissioner and later a Member of Parliament.-Early life:Loch was born near Edinburgh in 1780. After his father's death in 1788, he lived on the Blair Adam estate with his uncle....
. Loch was extremely busy because of his involvement in other matters, which left Fereday Smith in charge of the detailed administration of the Trust. In addition to the Bridgewater Canal, the Trust administered the Bridgewater Collieries, the home farms, the Bridgewater Estate, a lime-burning business, Worsley Yard and, from 1848, the Mersey and Irwell Navigation. During this time the canals were in serious competition with the railways and Fereday Smith met the competition "with great vigour". He was greatly in favour of capital investment and the facilities he instigated included Egerton Dock at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, the Runcorn and Weston Canal
Runcorn and Weston Canal
The Runcorn and Weston Canal was a short canal near Runcorn in Cheshire, England, constructed to link the Weston Canal, which is part of the River Weaver Navigation, to the Bridgewater Canal and Runcorn Docks. It was completed in 1859, but was little used. Around half of it became the Arnold Dock...
, and the Alfred Dock
Port of Runcorn
The Port of Runcorn is in the town of Runcorn, Cheshire, England. It is situated to the west of a point where the River Mersey narrows, known as Runcorn Gap. Originally opening directly into the Mersey, with the building of the Manchester Ship Canal, it now links with this canal.-Early...
at Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
. He installed electric telegraph along the banks of the canal.
Fereday Smith and James Lock were not always in agreement, but Fereday Smith's influence in the business increased after Loch's death in 1855. From that time he was in effect the general manager of the undertaking, Loch's successor Algernon Egerton
Algernon Egerton
The Honourable Algernon Fulke Egerton , known as Algernon Leveson-Gower until 1833, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:...
having less influence than Loch. During the time of Fereday Smith's management, the profit from the canal and the collieries increased considerably. He continued in his post when the control of the business passed from the Trustees to the Bridgewater Navigation Company in 1872 but retired when the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
Company took over ownership in 1887.
Personal life and honours
In 1845 Fereday Smith married Mary Jane Hampson and the couple had two daughters and a son. He became financially prosperous, partly from his income, which had increased to £1,500 a year by 1864, and partly through a private income gained through his marriage. In his late thirties he studied at the Inner TempleInner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
and was called to the bar
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
in 1852. He had wide interests outside the Trust. He was a fellow of the Geological Society
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
and the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
and a member of the Chetham Society. He served as a Conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
from 1846 to 1849 and was also a borough magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
. In the early 1870s he bought Grovehurst, a country house in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and was appointed high sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Kent in 1884. He died in London in 1891 and was succeeded in his post by his son, Richard Clifford Smith.
See also
- Canals of the United KingdomCanals of the United KingdomThe canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role for recreational boating...
- History of the British canal systemHistory of the British canal systemThe British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...