Hugh Myddleton
Encyclopedia
Sir Hugh Myddelton, 1st Baronet (1560 – 10 December 1631) was a Welsh
goldsmith
, clothmaker, banker, entrepreneur
, mine-owner and self-taught engineer
. The spelling of his name is inconsistently reproduced, but Myddelton appears to be the earliest.
The sixth son of Richard Myddelton, governor of Denbigh
Castle in Wales
and MP for Denbigh Boroughs
, he travelled to seek his fortune in London
and after being apprenticed to a goldsmith became so successful in that trade that he was appointed Royal Jeweller by King James I
. In the meantime he became an alderman and then recorder of Denbigh, and in 1603 succeeded his father as MP for Denbigh Boroughs
, which he remained until 1628. He also become a very wealthy merchant and clothmaker.
He is, however, best remembered as the driving force behind the construction of the New River
, an ambitious engineering project to bring clean water from the River Lea, near Ware, in Hertfordshire
to New River Head, London
. After the initial project encountered financial difficulties, Myddelton helped fund the project through to completion, obtaining the assistance of King James I. The New River was constructed between 1608 and 1613 (being officially opened on 29 September that year), and was originally some 38 miles (60 km) long. It was not initially a financial success, and cost Myddelton substantial sums, although in 1612 he was successful in securing monetary assistance from James I.
and silver
mines
at Bronfloydd, Cwmerfyn and Cwmsymlog in Cardiganshire
, Wales. Working those mines involved building aqueducts to serve the stamp mills
needed to crush the ore
. Following engineering works at Brading
on the Isle of Wight
, he was created a baronet
in 1622.
He died in December 1631, and was buried in the church of St. Matthew Friday Street
, London. He had a family of ten sons and six daughters.
One of Sir Hugh's brothers was Sir Thomas Myddelton
(c. 1550-1631), Lord Mayor of London, and another was William Middelton (c. 1556-1621), poet and seaman, who died at Antwerp on 27 March 1621.
There is a memorial to Myddelton on Islington Green
. Clerkenwell
streets, not far from the Round Pond, the original southern end of the New River, and locations and institutions (some closed) named after him include Myddelton Square and Myddelton Passage; Hugh Myddelton Primary School in Myddelton Street; Hugh Myddelton Secondary school (which closed in the mid 1960s in Bowling Green Lane Islington); and Myddelton House on Pentonville Road, central office of Citizens Advice. Myddelton Avenue, parallel to Brownswood Road and the site of one of the New River Reservoirs, also takes its name from him. At the northern end of the New River, Myddelton Road in Ware is situated close to the source of the river. Myddelton Road in Bowes Park
crosses the New River at a point where it goes underground between there and the Hornsey
water treatment works, where there is another Myddelton Road off Hornsey High Street. Bounded by the former course along the valley of Turkey Brook
, Myddelton House at Bulls Cross, Enfield
(now the headquarters of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
) was also named in his honour; it was built by Henry Carrington Bowles (formerly a print and map maker of St Paul's Churchyard) whose wife, Anne Garnault, was a member of a Huguenot
family with a controlling interest in the New River Company. On an island in the New River at Great Amwell a stone memorial is dedicated to Myddelton.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
goldsmith
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
, clothmaker, banker, entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, mine-owner and self-taught engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
. The spelling of his name is inconsistently reproduced, but Myddelton appears to be the earliest.
The sixth son of Richard Myddelton, governor of Denbigh
Denbigh
Denbigh is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Before 1888, it was the county town of Denbighshire. Denbigh lies 8 miles to the north west of Ruthin and to the south of St Asaph. It is about 13 miles from the seaside resort of Rhyl. The town grew around the glove-making industry...
Castle in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and MP for Denbigh Boroughs
Denbigh Boroughs (UK Parliament constituency)
Denbigh District of Boroughs was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Denbigh in Wales. It returned one Member of Parliament to the British House of Commons.The constituency first returned an MP in 1542, to the English Parliament...
, he travelled to seek his fortune in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and after being apprenticed to a goldsmith became so successful in that trade that he was appointed Royal Jeweller by King James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. In the meantime he became an alderman and then recorder of Denbigh, and in 1603 succeeded his father as MP for Denbigh Boroughs
Denbigh Boroughs (UK Parliament constituency)
Denbigh District of Boroughs was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Denbigh in Wales. It returned one Member of Parliament to the British House of Commons.The constituency first returned an MP in 1542, to the English Parliament...
, which he remained until 1628. He also become a very wealthy merchant and clothmaker.
New River
New River (England)
The New River is an artificial waterway in England, opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water taken from the River Lea and from Amwell Springs , and other springs and wells along its course....
, an ambitious engineering project to bring clean water from the River Lea, near Ware, in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
to New River Head, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After the initial project encountered financial difficulties, Myddelton helped fund the project through to completion, obtaining the assistance of King James I. The New River was constructed between 1608 and 1613 (being officially opened on 29 September that year), and was originally some 38 miles (60 km) long. It was not initially a financial success, and cost Myddelton substantial sums, although in 1612 he was successful in securing monetary assistance from James I.
Mining activities
In 1617, Myddelton obtained large profits from leadLead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mines
Metal mining in Wales
Metal mining in Wales affected large areas of what are now very rural parts of Wales and left behind a legacy of contaminated waste heaps and a very few ruined buildings.There are a number of areas that have been mined for a variety of metals....
at Bronfloydd, Cwmerfyn and Cwmsymlog in Cardiganshire
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, Wales. Working those mines involved building aqueducts to serve the stamp mills
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
needed to crush the ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
. Following engineering works at Brading
Brading
The ancient 'Kynges Towne' of Brading is the main town of the civil parish of the same name. The ecclesiastical parish of Brading used to cover about a tenth of the Isle of Wight. The current civil parish now includes the town itself and Adgestone, Morton, Nunwell and other outlying areas between...
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, he was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1622.
He died in December 1631, and was buried in the church of St. Matthew Friday Street
St. Matthew Friday Street
St. Matthew Friday Street was a church in the City of London located on Friday Street, off Cheapside. Recorded since the 13th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, then rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren. The rebuilt church was demolished in 1885.-History:St...
, London. He had a family of ten sons and six daughters.
One of Sir Hugh's brothers was Sir Thomas Myddelton
Thomas Myddelton
Sir Thomas Myddelton was the fourth son of Richard Myddelton, Governor of Denbigh, and Jane Dryhurst.As a youth, he was apprenticed to a grocer in London, and made his fortune in trade...
(c. 1550-1631), Lord Mayor of London, and another was William Middelton (c. 1556-1621), poet and seaman, who died at Antwerp on 27 March 1621.
Memorials
 |
There is a memorial to Myddelton on Islington Green
Islington Green
Islington Green is a small triangle of open land at the convergence of Upper Street and Essex Road in the London Borough of Islington...
. Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
streets, not far from the Round Pond, the original southern end of the New River, and locations and institutions (some closed) named after him include Myddelton Square and Myddelton Passage; Hugh Myddelton Primary School in Myddelton Street; Hugh Myddelton Secondary school (which closed in the mid 1960s in Bowling Green Lane Islington); and Myddelton House on Pentonville Road, central office of Citizens Advice. Myddelton Avenue, parallel to Brownswood Road and the site of one of the New River Reservoirs, also takes its name from him. At the northern end of the New River, Myddelton Road in Ware is situated close to the source of the river. Myddelton Road in Bowes Park
Bowes Park
Bowes Park is situated on the borders of Wood Green, Palmers Green and Bounds Green in London, England. The postcode for Bowes Park is N22. The border between the London boroughs of Enfield and Haringey goes through the area.- History :...
crosses the New River at a point where it goes underground between there and the Hornsey
Hornsey
Hornsey is a district in London Borough of Haringey in north London in England. Whilst Hornsey was formerly the name of a parish and later a municipal borough of Middlesex, today, the name refers only to the London district. It is an inner-suburban area located north of Charing Cross.-Locale:The ...
water treatment works, where there is another Myddelton Road off Hornsey High Street. Bounded by the former course along the valley of Turkey Brook
Turkey Brook
Turkey Brook rises near the Fir and Pond Woods Local Nature Reserve near Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.- Etymology :The brook named from the street which is recorded as Tokestreete 1441, Tuckhey strete 1610, Tuckey street 1615, Turkey street 1805, probably 'street of houses associated with a family...
, Myddelton House at Bulls Cross, Enfield
Bulls Cross, Enfield
Bulls Cross is a hamlet located in the London Borough of Enfield, North London, and is part of London's Metropolitan Green Belt.-Etymology:Bulls Cross is recorded as Bedelscrosse in 1465. Recorded thus in c.1580 and on the Ordnance Survey map of 1822...
(now the headquarters of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority is a statutory body that is responsible for managing and developing the long, Lee Valley Regional Park. The park was established by Parliament in 1967. The headquarters of the authority are based at Myddleton House, Bulls Cross in the London Borough of Enfield,...
) was also named in his honour; it was built by Henry Carrington Bowles (formerly a print and map maker of St Paul's Churchyard) whose wife, Anne Garnault, was a member of a Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
family with a controlling interest in the New River Company. On an island in the New River at Great Amwell a stone memorial is dedicated to Myddelton.
External links
- biography in Science & Society Picture Library
- page 534 of Tallis's Topographical Dictionary of England and Wales, published 1860
- Water-related Infrastructure in Medieval London
- Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh EditionEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh EditionThe Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition is a 29-volume reference work, an edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time...
- Welsh Biography Online - Myddleton family
- Biography