WARRINGTON ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HISTORICAL ASSOC (From Warrington Guardian)

WARRINGTON ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HISTORICAL ASSOC

AT the Society's December meeting Mr Tony Foster gave a well-illustrated talk about a small part of the Vulcan Company's history. Vulcan Foundry was set up by Mr Charles Tayleur, of iron steamship fame, and it became a limited company in 1864.

Tony Foster showed many slides of locomotives, the factory and other items to give an overall background to the company but then concentrated on a particular difficulty that Vulcan had in 1865 when the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway was unable to pay for some engines that it had ordered. Six engines were being made at Newton-le-Willows for delivery to the S&DJR at a cost of £2,900 each and signifying about 15 month's work. When the first two were in Somerset in 1866 the railway company requested to make deferred payments; unsurprisingly, this was declined.

During the next six years the company records detail the correspondence and meetings that took place, including the involvement of the Court of Chancery. It was a slow business and the whole episode was not resolved until 1871 when the requirements of the Prussian army to move its soldiers around during the Franco-Prussian war enabled the engines to be sold and all debts could be paid. A strange international conclusion to a small local difficulty!

The next meeting is on Monday, January 17, at Friars Green Independent Methodist Church, Cairo Street at 7.30 pm. The speaker is Mr A Davies on the subject of women and children in the mines.

New members and visitors are warmly welcome to the meetings and further information can be obtained from the secretary, Miss A Podmore, 813669.