Ironmaster: Difference between revisions

 

[[Image:Ironbridge002.JPG|thumb|upright=1.5|[[The Iron Bridge]] of [[Abraham Darby I|Abraham Darby]]'s [[Coalbrookdale]] works]]

 

===Abraham Darby===

Three successive generations of the same family all bearing the name [[Abraham Darby (disambiguation)|Abraham Darby]] are renowned for their contributions to the development of the English iron industry. Their works at [[Coalbrookdale]] in Shropshire nurtured the start of improvements in [[metallurgy]] that allowed large-scale production of the iron that made the development of the [[steam engine]] and [[railway]]s possible, although their most notable innovation was [[The Iron Bridge]].<ref>{{DNB|prescript=|wstitle=Darby, Abraham|volume=14}}</ref>

 

===John Wilkinson===

One of the best known ironmasters of the early part of the industrial revolution was [[John Wilkinson (industrialist)|John Wilkinson]] (1728–1808), who was considered to have "iron madness", extending even to making [[cast iron]] [[coffins]].<ref>Harris, J.R. ''[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/29428 Wilkinson, John (1728–1808)]''. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2011.</ref>