Martin and Smethurst
Martin & Smethurst of Guide Bridge Iron Works, Audenshaw near Manchester
1853 'BENJAMIN GOODFELLOW .... takes this opprtunity of cautioning those who may be inclined to infringe on his rights under any of his subsisting Patents, which he is determined to protect, as heretofore, by prompt and decided appeal to the laws, every case of infringement which he may detect. ..... A third action was commenced by him in December, 1852, against Messrs. Martin and SmethurSt. These parties having been in B. Goodfellow's employ for many years (one as traveller, and the other as foreman in the works), unexpectedly, and in a very unhandsome manner, quitted his service in 1851 to commence business at Guide Bridge, Audenshaw. Messrs. Martin and Smethurst, not venturing to encounter the result of a trial, have acknowledged their piracy by the payment of upwards of £350 for damages and expenses.' [1]
1855 25 HP Patent slip engine installed at Hobart Town Patent Slip. 'The engine bears the names of "Martin and Smethurst, engineers, Guide Bridge, Manchester"' [2]
1855 Patent: Provisonal Protection No. 415, 26th February 1855 Hamilton Martin and Joseph Smethurst of Guide Bridge Iron Works: Improvements in the construction of fences or casings for shafts, pulleys and other parts of machinery [3]
1860 Patent 2912 relating to steam engine slide valves issued to Joseph Smethurst [4]
1863 An article about the Sun Mill, Oldham, mentions two 90 HP vertical steam engines by Martin & Smethurst of 'Hooly Mill', Manchester.[5]
1866'Valuable STEAM BOILERS, ENGINES, and GEARING the Dacca Mills. Fleet-street, Lower Mosley-street, Manchester, consisting of three excellent high-pressure steam boilers ..... one 70-horse condensing steam engine, cylinder 42in. diameter, 7 feet stroke, fly wheel 27 feet, 9in. diameter, with governors, eccentric motion, spur side gearing, cast-iron condensing cistern, valves and pumps (by Martin and Smethurst); ...' [6]
1870 A steam engine by Martin & Smethurst was included in the sale of plant at Hope Mills, Warrington. Cylinder 22" bore, 48 ft stroke, 'only worked four years'.[7]
1871 Quoted for supply of a horizontal steam engine for Greg's Quarry Bank Mill, with a 10 ft 10 inch diameter spur wheel, and cylinder dimensions of 24" bore, 4 ft stroke[8]
1880 The Guide Bridge Ironworks and its equipment were advertised for sale. 'The business has been established upwards of 27 years, and the goodwill attaching thereto will also pass in the same manner. Also to be sold and included in this lot a Plot of Land containing 1,274 4 9 square yards, fronting Guide-street; Plot of Land containing 1,356 5-9 square yards, fronting Bridge-street ....'[9]
1884 'The engine works at Guide Bridge, formerly carried on by Messrs. Martin and Smethurst, but which for a number of years have been partially closed, have recently been re-started by Messrs. Scott and Hodgson, and I understand that a fair amount of work is already in hand. Mr. Hodgson, I may add, was previously chief engineer to the Mutual Boiler Insurance Company.'[10]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Manchester Courier - Saturday 5 February 1853
- ↑ [1]The Hobart Town Daily Courier 10th October 1855
- ↑ The Mechanics’ Magazine Vol LXII 1855
- ↑ London Gazette 15th December 1860
- ↑ Cardiff Times - Friday 26 June 1863
- ↑ Manchester Courier - Saturday 2 June 1866
- ↑ Crewe Guardian - Saturday 5 March 1870
- ↑ [2] Quarry Bank Mill Memorandum transcript by Adam Daber on ‘Spinning the Web’ website
- ↑ Manchester Courier - Saturday 24 April 1880
- ↑ The Engineer 1884/12/12