Lumley Forge
Lumley Forge Co. of Chester-le-Street, near Durham
Established by Hawks and Co in the late 18th century? An unidentified source suggests that Hawks & Co (Hawkes and Co) built Lumley Forge on the strength of Henry Cort’s 1784 patent for combined puddling and rolling of iron, although no rolling mill appears to have been built at that time.
1770s William Hawks and his brother-in-law, Thomas Longridge, formed a partnership. They acquired a forge at Lumley in the mid-80s, and other facilities [1].
1823 Known to have had a rolling mill.[2]
1827 John Wight and Lumley Forge were involved in the construction of the locomotive Royal George, designed by Timothy Hackworth (see Timothy Hackworth: Royal George). The scope included boiler work and castings. Production of castings was delayed when a fire at Lumley Forge destroyed wooden patterns made at Shildon by John Thompson and Thomas Serginson. [3]
1828 'Lumley Forge Co. Iron and brass founders, mfrs. of anvils, bar iron, shovels, nails, chains &c, Breckon Hill; John Wight, acting Partner. Robert Wight, principal clerk.' Located at Little Lumley[4]
Pre 1928. An article in 'Engineering', 25th Sept 1903, described a surviving example of an early punching and shearing machine believed to have been made by Lumley Forge. It was bought secondhand 75 years previously, i.e. made before 1828. See images. [5]