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INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY
Series One: The Boulton & Watt Archive and the Matthew Boulton Papers from Birmingham Central Library

Part 6: Muirhead II - Notebooks and Papers of James Watt and family

Part 6 focuses on the notebooks and papers of James Watt and family from the sixteen boxes of material in Muirhead II.

James Watt was born at Greenock in January 1736 and began work in Glasgow at the age of 18. His father was a builder, contractor, instrument-maker, ship owner and merchant. In 1755 the young Watt spent a year in London learning how to make precision mathematical instruments. Two years later he opened a shop in Glasgow and by 1759 had entered into partnership with John Craig. He became involved in canal construction and made various journeys to London on canal business. Watt, of course, is famous for his pioneering work on steam power and his steam engine became known as 'the work-horse of the Industrial Revolution'. After repairing a Newcomen engine model in 1763 belonging to the College of Glasgow his work on the separate condenser steam-engine started in earnest around 1765. Before he moved to Birmingham, Watt’s circle of friends and peers included Joseph Black (who described latent heat) and Adam Smith.

Watt, according to his Memoir of Boulton written in Glasgow in September 1809, first visited Soho Works in Birmingham in 1767. He was introduced to Dr William Small and his partner Mr Fothergill who then showed him round the works. In 1768 he was again at Soho, on his return from London where he had been taking the necessary steps to obtain a patent for the improved steam engine. On this visit he was introduced to Matthew Boulton who had been absent on the previous occasion. Watt records:

"I had much conversation with Mr Boulton … On my part I explained to him my invention of the Steam Engine and several other schemes of which my head was then full, in the success of which he expressed a friendly interest. My stay at Birmingham at that time was short, but I afterwards kept up a correspondence with Mr Boulton through our mutual friend Dr Small."

In 1774 Boulton took over Roebuck’s share in the patent of Watt’s invention. Watt moved to Birmingham (details of the journey are recorded in one of his notebooks) and continued his experimental work on the engine with great success. He quickly became an active member of the Lunar Society. The patent was extended for 25 years from 1775 and a partnership between Boulton and Watt was concluded for a similar term.

The material in Part 6 is a rich source for all branches of Watt’s family. Family correspondence, especially letters to and from his second wife, Ann Watt, and his son, James Watt Jnr, c1772-1806, furnish a wealth of detail on business matters, political affairs, social gossip and the responsibilities of landed estates. Watt’s confrontation with and victory over the Hornblowers; frequent news of new customers for Watt’s steam engine; deliberations at government level over the tax on pig iron, the need for peace and stability - crucial to the requirements of trade and manufacturing; the events of the French Revolution; and the pros and cons of the Albion Mill enterprise all loom large in a succession of long well written accounts.

In a letter of 25 April 1806, Henry Brougham writes to James Watt concerning the tax on pig iron:

"… I called twice on Mr Wilberforce yesterday and did not find him - I also went to the House of Commons but he was engaged in Committees. I wrote a letter, however, to him and explained the outline of the business - desiring him to appoint a time for seeing you - I expect an answer in the course of the morning and shall let you know immediately. If you could be at home about 3 - it is likely he may name half past it, as that is his dinner hour and the time when he wishes to see his friends. I saw Mr Whishaw yesterday - he highly approves the idea of going to Wilberforce - he was with Petty [Chancellor of the Exchequer] in the morning and the subject was avoided - but he is to be sent for again. My compliments to Mr Boulton …"

In a letter from Chiswell Street, dated 26 May 1787, James Watt writes:

"My Dear Annie
I have been here all this day and have been most graciously received by the King, who has expressed himself most highly pleased with everything he has seen here. Mr Whitbread has disposed everything in a princely manner for their Majesties reception, and provided a fine collation for them, at which they spent above an hour after seeing everything in the Brewhouse. There was beside their Majesties and 3 or 4 of the princesses … the Duke of Montague and Lord Aylesford his Brother. The Queen is a most agreable personage, and also honoured me with much of her notice. Very luckily I was very well all day, but am not very high spirited - the Cornish business and some other things prove dampers. The King told me that Monsieur De Luc was in high spirits with some news he had got from his son in India, who it seems has behaved with great propriety and spirit in some business committed to his care …"

Later the same year Watt writes to his wife on August 30:

"I went to the Albion Mill, where the Engine and Mill have been going Exceedingly well ever since the last repair, indeed better than I ever saw it. As to the trade it is much as usual - 37/ per sack and rising. I hope this will find you all well after a pleasant journey for which you have my sincere prayers, yet I cannot help being uneasy at your being so far from me …"

On September 5 he adds:

"… I have got the matters for Albion Mill put in train, but shall not get everything there settled before next week; … I understand Mr B did not go to Bristol but waited at Birmingham. Messrs. Monnerons return to go with him & Mr Wilkinson to seek Mr Williams and Anglesey before they go to Cornwall. Mr Droz, the manager, is come here from Paris to meet Mr B & goes to Birmingham on Friday. Mr de Colonne is in town. I have not seen him yet but called at his Lodgings yesterday and saw his Brother, who has been with me all this forenoon. Please inform your father that some Frenchmen now at Liverpool pretend they have a Secret for making Fossil Alkhali cheap, and also have some Knowledge of the new way of Bleaching for which they intend to take a patent, but as they have no connection with the inventor I shall take measures to frustrate them; in the meantime I wish him to take proper measures to secure himself against it in Scotland by making the acid before proper witnesses whom he can trust & by using the liquor before some of his confidential servants; I think Mr Hamilton and some of yourselves will be sufficient witnesses as to the making, and it will be necessary to make some of it by using 6 ounces of common spirit of salt to each oz of manganese …"

Ann Watt’s business acumen is displayed at the start of her letter from Heathfield, dated 16 April 1792:

"My dear Jamie
I have just received yours and am sorry to see you are very uncertain about your return; it is a long time since you left home. I should think the Hornblowers and their abettors would never venture before Parliament again, still you are certainly right to take every step to prevent your being tormented with them again. Your thanks and gratitude are due to those friends who supported you. I hope you gave a little better opinion of the House than you had as it would appear by your having so great a majority they only wanted to have the matter explained to take the side of Justice. It is very vexatious the Albion Mill business. I am afraid Mr W has been flattering you with hopes that had no real foundation. I think you should at all events push the getting free of it. For I imagine the longer you retain it the greater your loss will be. I am very glad you mean to write to James again, it is a duty he owes you at least no to bring himself so forward in public as to make his friends blush for him; whatever his private sentiments are his impudence must be very great to stand forth as a representative from the People of England to the Jacobin Club. Cooper must be a mad man…

…Do therefore try by every means in your power try to stop this mad cancer that he has set out in or surely some evil will befall him; he now shows the temper I always dreaded and thought him possest of but I hope what you say will have a good effect and that he will think better before it is too late.

I received on Saturday three small vials of perfumes which I suppose you sent. If you have time try to get a pair of bell handles. I am told there are some pretty light ones of Tunbridge ware which I think cannot be very dear. You say nothing of Mrs Matthews. I hope she is getting better of her lameness. By this time you have got an addition to your party. Miss B I suppose arrived on Saturday with Mr Wheatley’s family. I will be obliged if you will send me the proportions of cossal varnish and oyl of tarpins that make it lay on easily on wood as what you mixt is nearly done and I want to varnish the painted tables. I am very uneasy at not hearing from Glasgow. I have not heard since my father’s return except from Mr Miller who says nothing of them. Mrs Short is very much indisposed. Jessy writes me she and Gregory are well and sends their duty. We have very unpleasant weather, high East and N East winds and the air extremely cold. Compliments to Mrs M and other friends, I remain my dear Jamie
Your affectionate A Watt."

A letter of January 19 & 20, 1792 from Ann Watt to James Watt is typical of the frequent exchanges between Heathfield and London. She writes with a judicious mixture of gossip, news of friends, a couple of business matters, and a shopping list of items best acquired in London, not forgetting the carpet, of course!

"My dear Jamie
I am glad to hear that you find yourself better and sincerely hope you will continue so. I am sorry for Mr Matthews, you gave but a poor account of him. I wish he may be prevailed on to come here along with you - You say nothing of Mrs Matthews. I am afraid Mr B has been blabbing. Miss Flynd came here. She asked me many Questions about Mr & Mrs Matthews, most of which I could answer very readily but my answers did not seem to satisfy her - at last she fairly asked if I knew any of my friends who were going to separate. I told her no (for I truly hope there will no such think take place) as I was obliged to say something. I asked her if she knew of anything she heard so, but as I did not know of it she thought it might not be true. I asked no questions so she said no more. If Mrs M has wrote anything of it I cannot find any excuse for him. Pray write me if any such thing is going forward, had they not better follow Dr Withering’s plan, one to go abroad for a year or two and make no formal separation. Mr C Sturtin was much better yesterday. I sincerely wish he may soon be restored. Mrs Sturtin has behaved with the greatest degree of prudence and tenderness through the whole of his illness, her Mother as I am told the reverse. I have just received a letter enclosing a bill of £124-5-7 from Jos. Wilkes & Co. which I shall send to Mr Pearson. I sent you two letters yesterday by Mr Walker’s box, one from Mr Spooner & one from Mr Stein - I have received a letter full of grateful acknowledgement from Mrs Short for the interest we have taken in her affairs and begs particularly to be remembered to you. Miss Lind presents her compliments to you. Gregory and Jessy send you their duty. The Carpet I would not trouble you with but what I have seen in this town is so ugly and so poor a quality, if it is brown & green or shades of brown, but if you can’t meet with one without much trouble Don’t mind it as we must take what Birmingham can give - all our friends at Glasgow are well and Mrs Smith has got such presents of plate that I am afraid our present will appear a shabby one. I forgot to mention I sent you a letter from P Ewart; with compliments to all friends in Green Lettuce Lane, I remain,
My Dear Jamie
Your Truly affectionate
Annie

The Carpet should be 5 yards by 4.5 yards.

If you could get the under written articles without much trouble the purchases would be better than we could get them here:
3 lb of Jordan almonds
1 lb of Black Pepper Corns
Half lb of white Ginger
Quarter lb of White Pepper Corns
1 oz of Nutmegs
1 oz of Cloves
1 oz of Maize
1 oz of Cinnamon
If a small Barell of Anchovies could be got fresh they are very useful. We buy them here from 1/6 to 2/ per lb. Could you get us some Garden Seeds if I was to send a list."

This is a superb source for social historians of the period. So much of this material has never been used by scholars before. Here we have several generations of an important family discussing trade, economics, politics, social affairs (with much additional comment on health and medicine), travel, household goods, carpets and furnishings, treeplanting and the family estates.

There is much material concerning Greenock and the merchant activities of James Watt’s father in Boxes 1 to 3. Box 4 contains many important letters between James Watt and his second wife, Ann Watt. They cover both business and family matters, including Albion Mill, the copper trade, the Cornish miners, the bleaching process, Hornblower, and Watt’s activities in London and Cornwall. Later boxes contain significant correspondence between Ann Watt and James Watt, Jnr.

The following letter is characteristic of James Watt’s letters to his wife. The first one is dated London, 24 October 1787:

"My dear Annie
I have yours of the 17th - I wrote to you on Monday since which there has been a meeting of some of the Smelting Companies and the Deputies of the Miners, but nothing was done because two of the old Companies did not attend and they meet again on Friday; Almost all the Smelting Companies agreed that the best thing for them was continuance of the Metal Company and several of them spoke their minds very freely to Sir Joseph Banks.

It is thought nothing will be done on Friday unless it be a proposal of returning to the old mode of ticketings, which with Mr Williams’ help will decide the fate of the mines in a month or two - Some individuals of the Company propose calling on the Miners for damages and for the whole loss which may be sustained; Mr Williams is preparing to sell Copper at £55 per ton so the loss will be very great. As for ourselves I can reconcile my mind to it, but cannot digest the loss of our friends - Mr Wilkinson will not come to us and Mr Wedgwood has been unfortunately hindered by an engagement. Another General Meeting in Cornwall is proposed but who will go there to talk to fools and at the risk of their lives. Attempts are making to get government to buy some copper and other ways support us but I fear they will not do much. The only hold of them is the distress of the miners which will undoubtedly be extreme - Mr Williams has sent word he has another proposition to make but will not come to London for 3 weeks. I have still some hopes for every one who has come here (except Sir J Wronghead all have seen their danger) & probably may put their neighbours right if not too late …"

Box 9 also includes four bundles of personal letters from Ann Watt to James Watt, 1779-1796.

Further papers relate to iron works in the 1790s, James Watt’s property and estates, papers and accounts of the Soho Foundry for the period 1778-1811, papers concerning John Marr (an engineer in the Army married to a cousin of James Watt), letters between James Watt and James Watt Jnr, J Woodward and J Mosley, and a small amount of material relating to the iron trade and blast furnaces (see Boxes 5, 7, 8 and 10-15).

Box 6 contains a series of important legal documents including the original Assignment of the property of an Invention concerning Fire Engines, 22 April 1779, agreements between Boulton and Watt, Articles of Co-Partnership of Boulton, Watt and Co. dated 4 July 1801, similar articles dated 4 July 1810, and a Deed of Dissolution of the Co-Partnership of Boulton and Watt dated 21 October 1840.

On the subject of the French Revolution, Ann Watt writes to her husband on 9 May 1792:

"… What horrible news we have from France. If it is true the French troops are showing what the rights of man can do. What commander will lead such Monsters who without any cause will turn and murder their leader in the most cruel manner as they have done to Dillion and are threatening to do to others. This levelling principle will never do, man was made for subordination, nature has evidently intended it to be so…"

The following extract relates to the family’s Welsh estates and to the discussions of father and son on this subject. James Watt is still very involved in all decision making but his son manages affairs on a day to day basis. On 27 October 1805 Mr J Crummer writes to James Watt:

"My Dear Sir
I expect your son has informed you of the Particulars of his Journey into the Countys of Hereford, Radnor and Brecon, and also the Quantity and Sort of Fruit and Other Trees most proper to plant on your Estates in this Country. I hope you have succeeded in a proper Season for your planting, nearly all the Acorns of this year’s growth in this country are killed with the early Frost, therefore it will not answer to set any of this year. This year has been very unkind in the Countys of Worcester, Salop, Hereford, Radnor and Brecon; Handsworth has been more fortunate in acorns and apples; when you send your own Trees I request the favour of you to order some 6000 two year old seedling larches; 10000 one year old ditto - Spanish chestnuts 1000; Sycamores 1000; Walnut Trees 100; Plumb Trees 50 - Cherry 50; Pears 100. Please to send yours and mine to the home of Mr Jacob Jones, Talbot Inn, Aberistwith, who will inform me when they arrive, that I may have them removed to such place you may think proper to have them planted, this I mention to you in a former letter.

The Sheep Stealer made his escape on the Road to Brecon … his Stock and Crops will be sold the beginning of next Month, I will go from here tomorrow … to get the Possession of the Farm you desire will have every attention in my power…"

The estates acquired by James Watt in Wales included numerous farms in two areas, one along the River Wye from Doldowlod, near Rhayader, the other around Gladestry near old and new Radnor (now in Powys). Much correspondence deals with the administration of existing estates and also the consideration of further acquisitions.

This microform edition enables the scholar to examine closely the impact of Watt’s invention, study his business and personal life, his father’s merchant business, the role of his son, James Watt jnr, in continuing the Boulton and Watt business from the 1790s onwards, Watt’s role as landowner, social issues, and see clearly the ties between business, industry and scientific inventions.



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