N. Greening and Sons
of Britannia Works, Warrington; of 16 Finsbury Street, E.C.2.
1799 Company founded.
1807/8 Nathaniel Greening went into partnership with Mr. John Rylands, senior, who was at this time a manufacturer of sail-cloth, cart-sheets, and other like fabrics, the manufacture of which he continued for many years after going in partnership with Mr. Nathaniel Greening in the wire trade. The firm was styled Messrs. N. Greening and Co.
1843 Dissolution of the Partnership between John Rylands the elder, Nathaniel Greening, John Rylands the younger, Thomas Glazebrook Rylands, and Peter Rylands, carrying on business at Warrington, in the county of Lancaster, as Wire Drawers and Wire Workers, under the style or firm of Rylands, Greening, and Company. All debts due or owing to and by the said firm will be received and paid by the said John Rylands the younger, Thomas Glazebrook Rylands, and Peter Rylands, by whom the said business will be continued under the style or firm of Rylands, Brothers.[1]
Mr. Nathaniel Greening, with his three sons, Timothy, Noah, and John, carried on the wire-weaving trade in a warehouse in Winwick-st., from 1843 to 1847, when they removed to the building now occupied by the Farmers' Stores, at the bottom of Bewsey-st.
1851 Mr. N. Greening retired from the firm. The business was continued by the three sons until 1854,. when Mr. Timothy Greening withdrew from the firm and commenced wire-drawing in Froghall-lane. taking the name of Messrs. Timothy Greening and Co.
1857 Mr. T. Greening went to Canada, continuing the wire-weaving business there in partnership with his son.
After Mr. Timothy Greening left the firm of Messrs. N. Greening and Sons, the business was carried on by Messrs. Noah and John Greening until 1878, when they retired and left the concern to Nathaniel, son of Mr. John Greening and to Linnaeus, son of the late Mr. Noah Greening, and grandsons of the late Mr. Nathaniel Greening.
1883 Public company.
1935 See N. Greening and Sons:1935 Review
1937 Wire weavers, metal perforators, screen and wire brush manufacturers. [2]
1961 Manufacturers of woven wire, wedge wire screens, perforated metals, conveyor belts, wire brushes, sieves and all types of wire work. 1,200 employees.[3]
' WIRE INDUSTRY.
The following extracts, which are from an article contributed to our columns at the beginning of last year, will doubtless be read with interest in relation to the death of Mr. Greening, as they give a pithy and readable sketch of the local wire industry and of the close and intimate connection of the deceased's gentleman's family with the inception and progress of that industry.
"The wire-drawing business," says the writer of the article, "was, I believe, commenced in Warrington very early in the present century or the latter end of the last century. I will try to tell you how it came about.
There lived in Warrington in the latter part of last and at the beginning of the present century a Captain Ainsworth. He, with perhaps others, carried on the business of copper smelter at Bank Quay. I am told the works were in the old bottle house yard, or in the yard on the opposite side of the street. As you go along the Liverpool-road and just over Bank Quay Railway bridge, there are, on the south side, some steps which lead to a street, at the end of which is Messrs. Robinsons' glass works. On the west side of the street there is a high wall, the bottom of which is built of blocks of copper slag. These blocks were, I am told, cast at the copper works. It is said that the foundations of the Town Hall are of the same material.
You will begin to wonder what all this has to do with the wire business. I will tell you. Captain Ainsworth had an idea that he would commence in the wire-drawing business. He, not understanding the manufacture of wire, had to get someone to superintend the erection of the works and manage the business. The Captain succeeded in engaging a young man to undertake the work mentioned. His name was Nathaniel Greening, and he was a practical wire-drawer. I believe he came from Tintern Abbey Wire Mills.
Before there was much done at the wire mill, Captain Ainsworth met with some difficulty which prevented his carrying out the manufacturing of wire. Consequently, Mr. Nathaniel Greening was put in an awkward fix. He was a young man 19 or 20 years of age; and he determined to commence for himself in some branch of the wire business. He commenced in Bridge-st., near the Lion Hotel, where he carried on the wire trade for some time; how long, I have not been able to ascertain.
From what I can learn, it must have been in the year 1807 or 1808 that Mr. Greening went into partnership with Mr. John Rylands, senior, who was at this time a manufacturer of sail-cloth, cart-sheets, and other like fabrics, the manufacture of which he continued for many years after going in partnership with Mr. Nathaniel Greening in the wire trade. The firm was styled Messrs. N. Greening and Co.
They commenced the wire-drawing trade in a building that formed part of the Bridge Foundry, on the side. The site is now occupied by Messrs. Roberts, Dale and Co. How long they continued at this place I am not able to say. During tne time they occupied these premises they engaged a wire-drawer named William Beaumont. This man, after working for the firm for some time, left them, and commenced the wire working trade in a shop nearly opposite the Bridge Inn, in Latchford. More about this further on.
Messrs. N. Greening and Co. left the Bridge Foundry premises, and removed to an empty cotton or silk mill at the top of Church-street, formerly belonging to the Percival family. About this time the firm began the wire-weaving trade in the Cloth-Hall-yard, which was approached by a passage from Buttermarket-st. The building, I am informed, belonged to Mr. John Rylands, senior. Mr. Nathaniel Greening lived in Buttermarket-st. Here he had a large upper room which also extended over the next house.
In this room Mr. N. Greening established A Museum of Curiosities, including birds, beasts, reptiles, &c. I cannot give the exact date when he started this, but I find the following in Baines's History of Lancashire (published in the year 1825) under Warrington, at page 587: — "An institution originating in the monthly meetings of a few literary and scientific gentlemen in the town and neighbourhood of Warrington was formed in 1812, for the cultivation of science, literature, and the arts.' The meetings took place in the large room of the museum of natural history, then recently established in Warrington by Mr. Greening,and lectures were delivered every alternate Friday. "This is not a full account of the origin of the society, but it is enough for my purpose. - Messrs. N. Greening and Co. carried on the wiredrawing at the Church-street works, and the wireweaving at the Buttermarket-street works, for many years. Mr. Nathaniel Greening invented and used a machine at the Church-street works for weaving wire by steam power, whereby he could produce woven wire stronger and wider than had ever before been made. The firm — in what year I have not ascertained — engaged a traveller (the former one having died) whose name was Mr. William Silcock. He was on the road for some years. About the year 1838 he left the service of Messrs. N. Greening and Co., and commenced wire working in the building now occupied by his sons.
Long before this time, there was a Mr. Samuel Edelsten, pin manufacturer. His place was in Buttermarket-st., on the same site as that now occupied by Mr. Joseph Mounfield, cabinet maker. Mr Edelesten had a traveller whose name was Mr. George Artingstall. Mr. Artingstall left Mr. Edelsten and went to travel for Mr. Wm. Beaumont, who by this time had left his shop, and built a small works on the road going down to the riverside, on Wilderspool Causeway. This is the Wm. Beaumont before mentioned. Mr. Artingstall travelled for Mr. Beaumont for some time both before and after he joined the latter .in partnership. After a while a dissolution took place, Mr. Beaumont leaving the business to Mr. Artingstall, who very soon built part of the present works and the other part afterwards, which works are now occupied by Messrs. G. Artingstall and Co., Limited.
After Mr. Wm. Silcock left Messrs. N. Greening and Co., Mr. John Rylands, jun., commenced to travel for the firm. Mr. Timothy Greening also started on the road. About this time, or soon after, the name of the firm of Messrs. N. Greening and Co. was changed to that of Messrs. Rylands and Greening. The new firm continued until the year 1813, when the partnership was dissolved. Mr. Ryland's three sons, John, Thomas Glazebrook, and Peter, continued the business, taking the name of Messrs. Rylands Brothers. At this time the wire trade was not very extensive in Warrington. Mr. Nathaniel Greening, with his three sons, Timothy, Noah, and John, carried on the wire-weaving trade, under the name of Messrs. N. Greening and Sons, in a warehouse in Winwick-st., from 1843 to 1847, when they removed to the building now occupied by the Farmers' Stores, at the bottom of Bewsey-st.
Mr. N. Greening retired from the firm in the year 1851. The business was continued by the three sons until 1854,. when Mr. Timothy Greening withdrew from the firm and commenced wire-drawing in Froghall-lane. taking the name of Messrs. Timothy Greening and Co. Mr. Robert Cook was his partner; they carried on until 1857, Mr. T. Greening then leaving Mr. Cook, who took in partnership the late Mr. Josiah Williams. The firm was Messrs. Cook, Williams and Co.
Mr. T. Greening went to Canada, and is, I believe, continuing the wire-weaving business there in partnership with his son.
After Mr. Timothy Greening left the firm of Messrs. N. Greening and Sons, the business was carried on by Messrs. Noah and John Greening until 1878, when they retired and left the concern to Nathaniel, son of Mr. John Greening, or, perhaps I should say, Mr. Councillor Greening — and to Linnaeus, son of the late Mr. Noah Greening, and grandsons of the late Mr. Nathaniel Greening. The firm of Messrs. N. Greening and Sons continue the business in Crown-st., they having made, I hear, great improvements in machinery for weaving wire by steam power. They also carry on the wire-drawing trade. The Whitecross Wire Mills were organized by Mr. F. Monks, he having served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Rylands Bros. The Longford Wire Works were started by a Limited Company under the superintendence of Messrs. George and Edwin Woods, whose father (Mr. Joseph Woods) was the principal fine wire-drawer under the old firm of Messrs. N. Greening and Co.
From the foregoing, you will see that the late Mr. Nathaniel Greening was the pioneer of the general wire trade in Warrington. Messrs. Rylands Brothers, Limited, are still carrying on wiredrawing in a very extensive way at the Church-st. works ; and Messrs. G. Artingstall and Co., Limited, at the works erected by the late Mr. G. Artingstall ; Messrs. Cook, Williams, and Co., have given up business, and Messrs. T. Greening and Son are in Canada. The Longford Wire Co., Limited, continues business at Longford; and Messrs. N. Greening and Sons, Limited. at Crown-st. All the firms above mentioned seem to me, from the information that I have been able to get to, have, either directly or indirectly, sprung from the late Mr. Nathaniel Greening, he being the founder of the wlre-drawing and wire-weaving trade in Warrington.' [4]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ London Gazette 11 July 1843
- ↑ 1937 The Aeroplane Directory of the Aviation and Allied Industries
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- ↑ Warrington Examiner - Saturday 5 April 1890