Roe and Co
Copper smelters, of Neath Abbey
1758 Charles Roe and Co was established by a successful silk manufacturer, Charles Roe, in Macclesfield. It manufactured copper and brass products, obtaining ores from various sources, including the eastern part of Parys Mountain in Anglesey, of which it held a very profitable lease until 1785.
1781 Charles Roe died; his eldest surviving son from his first marriage, William Roe (1747–1827), took on responsibility for the business
c.1790 Roe and Co moved from Liverpool and Macclesfield to Neath Abbey where labour costs were lower and coal cheaper. Erected copper works close to the Mines Royal Works on the bank of the Clydach River[1].
By the 1790s the firm was known as William Roe and Co, William being the eldest son of the founder
c.1800 the managing partner was Edward Hawkins of Congleton, a banker, who patented a method of making "bright latten" from sheet brass.
1812 Cheadle Brass Wire Co moved to Roe and Co's establishment near Neath Abbey which they operated for about ten years[2].
1824 Neath Abbey Iron Co took over the works of Cheadle Copper Co and converted the buildings for ship-building and engineering[3].