William Rose (1795-1875)
Variously horse dealer, superintendent of Manchester Fire Brigade, fire appliance merchant and manufacturer, Manchester, and waste removal contractor, Manchester and Liverpool. The narrative below is a summary of a varied career, which, for convenience, is described in more detail and with all the sources in the attached document. See William Rose (1795-1875) PDF
William Rose was born in Manchester on 22 Mar 1795, son of James Rose and his wife Nancy née Hopwood.
His early working life was as a horse dealer in Manchester. He married firstly Esther Marsden and by her had a son Thomas.
In March 1828 the Fire Committee of the Commissioners of Police, Manchester, advertised for a competent person to superintend the newly created Fire Engine Department. William Rose, well known as a local horse dealer, was elected by the Commissioners of Police to the post of Superintendent of Fire Engines for Manchester by a large majority, despite not being the preferred candidate of the Fire Committee. The fire engines, horses, etc. were kept in the same yard as the police station in Clarence Street. William, described as “Inspector of Fire Engines and Conductor of Fireman” built a very effective fire brigade which earned a fine reputation as one of the early municipal fire brigades.
In 1832 William was also given charge of all the police horses, as to their management in stables, and also their deployment.
A horse-drawn fireman's elevator invented by William Rose was described in Mechanics Magazine in 1833. It had been in use for some time. Its platform could be raised to a maximum height of about 40 ft. It was introduced to fight fires in multi-storied textile mills in Manchester, which, unlike tall buildings in cities, rarely had a tall building alongside from which hoses could be directed. The article includes a drawing. [1] This apparatus was first described being tested in 1830 and attributed as the invention of William Rose and a mechanic named John McKechney.[2]
Reorganisation of the Council saw fire, scavenging (ie street cleaning and waste removal) lamps and nuisance brought together under one committee who, in 1838, appointed William Rose to superintend the horses, stables, and yards attached to the scavenging department, and by 1841, whilst still Superintendent of the Fire Engine Department, he was also superintendent of the Lamp Department and Scavenging Departments.
William was joined in the Fire Department by his son Thomas in 1842 and in 1843 was credited with “inventing” a much improved gas street light called the Rose Light.
In 1846, after 19 years in post, William resigned from Manchester Fire Department. He was succeeded as Superintendent by his son Thomas. The same year, in an indication of the direction of travel of his future businesses, he was awarded contracts to supply horses and drivers for the prison van and horses, drivers and carts for the lamp and scavenging departments. Describing himself simply as a Contractor, he continued to operate from Town’s Yard, Clarence Street, where the Police and Fire Brigade were both based.
The following year William expanded his Contacting business into Liverpool, beginning with a 3 year contract for removal of night soil. He was to go on to win contracts for ashpit emptying, street cleansing and offal and manure removal in both Liverpool and Birkenhead over the next 25 years or more, with, in 1856, a fleet of 300 horses and carts in Liverpool alone.
William had been widowed in 1835 and subsequently remarried to Sarah Hilton, with whom he had 8 more children including a son William, who will be relevant later. He relocated his home from Manchester to Liverpool in about 1848, but continued to operate as a contractor in Manchester. In about 1859 he moved to Carnsdale House Farm, Barnston, Cheshire (near Birkenhead), a farm of some 220 acres.
There is some indication that he traded in, and perhaps manufactured, fire equipment in Town’s Yard, in the period after he left the service, and in 1861 he took premises at 37 Victoria Street, Manchester, to sell fire engines, appliances and accessories. (See advertisement attached). The same year, in the London Exhibition, he exhibited a brigade fire engine and 3 patent portable fire engines, with fittings.
The fire engine business passed into the hands of his eldest son Thomas in 1867, then his younger son William in 1881.
William continued as a contractor in both Liverpool and Manchester until at least 1869.
William retired from farming in 1872 and he moved to live in Liverpool.
“William Rose of Overton Mount, Wavertree Road and of Manchester died 24 Feb 1875 at Wavertree Road, Liverpool, formerly of Barnston, Cheshire.” [3] “The death is announced of Mr W Rose, who organised the Manchester Fire Brigade, and was its chief for 20 years. He was succeeded by his son Mr. Thomas Rose in the post which is now held by Mr. Tozer. Mr Rose died at Liverpool, on Wednesday, in his 80th year.” [4]
See also Mr. Rose of Manchester.