John Galloway (1804-1894) of W. and J. Galloway and Sons.
1804 February 14th. Born at 37 Lombard Street, Manchester to William Galloway, Senior
John was educated at a local school in Mosley Street
1818 Apprenticed for seven years in his father's firm, Galloway and Bowman, millwrights, engineers, and iron-founders.
1827 Married Emma Lewis
c1832 Birth of son William L. Galloway
1833 Birth of son Charles John Galloway
c1834 Birth of son John Galloway
c1838 Birth of daughter Mary
1841 Living in Hulme, Manchester (age c35), an Engineer. With his wife Emma (age c30) and their children William (age c9), John (age c5) and Mary (age c3). [1]
c1842 Birth of son Henry Galloway
c1845 Birth of daughter Elizabeth
c1829 Birth of Edward N. Galloway
1851 Living at Stretford (age 47 born Manchester), an Engineer employing 260 men. With his wife Emma (age 42 born Manchester) and their children William L. (age 19 born Manchester, an Apprentice to Engineer; John (age 17 born Manchester); Henry (age 9 born Manchester); Elizabeth (age 6 born Manchester) and Edward W. (age 2 born Manchester). Also his Mother-in-Law Mary Fairweather (age 79 born Camberbick, Cheshire). Three servants. [2]
1861 Living at Coldstream House, Stretford (age 57 born Manchester), a Civil Engineer). With his wife Emma (age 53 born Manchester) and their children William L. (age 28 born Manchester), a Sugar Refiner; Henry (age 19 born Manchester), a Solicitor's Articled Clerk; Elizabeth (age 16 born Manchester) and Edward N. (age 12 born Manchester). Three servants. [3]
1861 Partnership dissolved. '...the Partnership heretofore subsisting between the undersigned, James Rome, John Galloway, and William Galloway, heretofore carrying on business in partnership together, at Heath, near Chesterfield, in the county of Derby, as Corn Millers, was dissolved by mutual consent, on the 30th day of March last, by the retirement therefrom of the said John Galloway, and William Galloway...[4]
1894 Died at Coldstream House, Old Trafford, Manchester.[5]
1894 Obituary [6]
We regret to have to announce the death of Mr. John Galloway, on Sunday night, at his residence, Coldstream House, Old Trafford, Manchester. Mr. Galloway had very nearly completed his 90th year. He and his brother William founded the long-renowned firm now known as Messrs. Galloways, Limited.
Mr. Galloway came of the old millwright stock; the men who were equally good whether working in wood or in iron; a class and type long since passed out of active existence in this country, although they may yet be found in some of our colonies.
His father was a millwright, and a Manchester man, and in 1806 he entered into partnership with Mr. Bowman and started business in Great Bridgewater-street.
In 1820 the firm was joined by Mr. Glasgow. It is stated that in 1830 they constructed the Manchester, the first locomotive engine built in Manchester. Mr. Galloway used to give the following account of the early history of this engine:-
“The first engine we made was for Hayward, of Yeovil, Somerset, and then we made one for a mill at Glossop. In the same year – 1830 - the Manchester and Liverpool Railway was opened. The railway company proved very good customers to us, because an engine seldom came in without requiring some repairs, and they bad no workshop of their own.
“We then determined to make a locomotive, which was the first made in Manchester, and it was named the Manchester. It was not the heavy yet trim-looking piece of mechanism of the present day. The cylinders were vertical, and the whole affair was kept very light, as the rails were iron and only 34lb. to the yard, instead of steel and 80 or 100 as at present. Watt had commenced with vertical cylinders, and for a long time horizontal ones were not tried, as is was considered certain that they would not be satisfactory, owing to the weight of the piston, &c., which would wear the cylinder, So we made the engine with vertical cylinders.
“The wheels were of wood, made by John Ashbury himself - a young man then just out of his time - who afterwards founded the great wagon works bearing his name - Ashbury's - at Openshaw. On these wheels we shrunk iron welded tires.
“When we had constructed the engine at the shop in Bridgewater-street we were met with the serious difficulty of getting it down to the station. We could not put steam on, nor was there a wagon which would take it; so we had to ‘bar’ it down to Ordsal lane, which took a gang of men with crowbars from six o'clock in the evening until nine o'clock the next morning.
“The news got about that the locomotive was to be tried, and a lot of friends gathered round to take part; so I got about half-a-dozen third-class carriages to run up to Chat Moss and back. About 200 of us started off at noon, and pulled up at the Chat Moss Tavern. This was usual in those days, and was continued for a long time afterwards, being sanctioned by the company. We pulled up at Parkside, where we unhooked the wagons; but some few of us ran a few miles further on the engine. We turned back on the same line. A train from Liverpool on its own line coming up, we ran alongside of it for some distance, when unexpectedly we ran against the points. One wheel remained on the line, but the other ran off, straining the crank-axle. The engine was quickly pulled up, and the passengers jumped or tumbled off in great excitement. Fortunately no one was hurt. It took us an hour or two to get back to Parkside, as, the crank-shaft being crooked, the engine wobbled very much. I and a few others remained all night to get the engine back, which we accomplished by taking out the bent axle. We had no more trouble with this engine, nor with any other; but we did not make more than four or five altogether, as the trade did not seem likely to be remunerative, and we certainly did not foresee the immense possibilities of the rail-road.
“It was generally considered then that about twenty engines would be all that would be required, and competition was keenly felt at the beginning. An engine then cost £900 or £1000 - the price fixed by the railway company.
“As already stated, there was a great prejudice against horizontal cylinders; but we made, I believe, the first horizontal engine to pump water by two vertical pumps from the river Irwell into a tank, which we also provided, to supply water to the tenders."
It is we believe undoubtedly true that the first iron marine pier ever made was constructed at Southport by Mr. Galloway. The iron piles were sunk in the sand by forcing water down the pile.
At a very early period we find that Mr. Galloway was deeply engaged in foreign work. In 1824, when only twenty years old, he went to Dunkirk to erect engines, boilers, and pumps, ordered by the French Government. Corn and oil mills, rice machinery, sugar mills and plant, almost every branch of mechanical engineering employed the firm.
It is an interesting but long forgotten fact that Mr. Henry Bessemer found in the Galloways men able and willing to give him important aid in developing the Bessemer process. An experimental plant was put down near Knot Mill, and after many efforts a result was obtained so far satisfactory that John and his brother William went into partnership with Mr. Bessemer under the title of Henry Bessemer and Co., and a small works was erected in Sheffield, since developed and still at work.
Mr. Galloway married Miss Lewis in 1827, and has left four sons and one daughter. Of his sons, Mr. C. J. Galloway is chairman of Galloways Limited, and Mr. E. N. Galloway is director.
One of our Manchester contemporaries says: "Apart from the many great industrial enterprises in which he bad been engaged, Mr. Galloway never was, and never desired to be, 'a public character.' He was a very kind-hearted and simple-minded man, and at all times distinctly shunned anything in the way of public prominence. Though a very busy man, his life was from the first to last singularly placid and, consequently, very happy. His tastes wore simple and his wants few. Except with his own family and intimate friends, he was rather reticent, though on occasion he could be one of the most genial and interesting of companions. As an employer during his long life of tens of thousands of Manchester people, we think it may be safely said that no man ever enjoyed a greater popularity with his work people than the veteran 'father of the Manchester iron trade."'
1894 Obituary [7]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1841 Census
- ↑ 1851 Census
- ↑ 1861 Census
- ↑ [1] Gazette Issue 22551 published on the 27 September 1861.
- ↑ The Engineer 1894/02/16
- ↑ The Engineer 1894/02/16
- ↑ Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Tuesday 13 February 1894