Introduction
On Wilson Street lies a pub many familiar with Middlesbrough town centre will be aware of: the Isaac Wilson. Perhaps less well known is the rich history of its namesake. Isaac Wilson the man was one of the pioneers of Middlesbrough. He was a highly influential businessman and public servant who helped lay the foundations of success for the town in the Victorian era and beyond.
Born and Raised in the Lake District
Isaac Wilson was born on 16th February 1822 in Kendal, Westmorland, in Cumbria. He was the son of his father, also known as Isaac Wilson, and mother Mary (nee Jowitt, from Leeds), and he was the 7th of 8 children. The Wilson family had been a notable name in the Lake District for centuries by this time. Our Isaac’s father was a woollen manufacturer by trade, and he also participated in public service, serving as an alderman of the corporation of Kendal up until his death. Isaac Sr. had been recommended for the role of Mayor more than once, but on both occasions refused due to not wishing to take an oath on account of his being a member of the Society of Friends (who were Quakers, who do not take oaths because they believe oaths imply that the truth only matters on special occasions).
Isaac had a generous education, and his father’s influence ensured he developed good qualities of heart and principle. He spent several years working in his father’s business, which was a steady one, but for one of his talents, Isaac desired to look further afield for a wider range of opportunities than a place more known for its natural beauty than its manufacturing could provide.
Coming to Middlesbrough
Isaac made a close connection with his relative Joseph Pease, the railway pioneer who some ten years earlier had, along with his associates, purchased the small Middlesbrough Estate and founded what would become the modern town Middlesbrough. On seeing that Isaac had more than the usual capacity for work, Pease encouraged him to come to the new town, which he did in 1841.
Only 20 years earlier, before the purchase of the Middlesbrough Estate, the area was described as a “waste and howling wilderness”. The challenges for setting up new enterprise were great: Middlesbrough, being only small in size and bleak in appearance, was situated in the middle of a marsh. There was no governing municipal corporation (council), and there was said to be little religious or educational life, and no political activity. Everything had to be provided for and, when Isaac arrived in the area, it was still a place in transition and there was much to be done to achieve that aim. Trade had to be built up, and the various businesses going forward had to be initiated, fostered, and sustained. The population of the town the year he moved there was just under 5,500 inhabitants.
Middlesbrough sometime in the 1830s
Isaac was recognised for taking, through his ability and industry, a significant share of the responsibility that those early days required to lay the foundations of success for the town. Early on there were men who doubted that the town would ever be able to build its trade into anything substantial, but Isaac stood out as one of those who encouraged enterprise, and through his ability to thoroughly grasp a situation he helped to stimulate trade. He also advocated schemes that were the means of building up trade.
First Business Venture
After Isaac’s arrival in Middlesbrough, Joseph Pease introduced him to the first secretary of the Stockton to Darlington Railway, Richard Otley, who was then in business as an earthenware manufacturer with a Mr Davison. The invited Isaac to join them in the venture, and upon agreeing to do he became a managing partner in the Middlesbrough Pottery Company. At the time, along with Bolckow and Vaughan and another small engineering works, the pottery was the only industrial establishment in Middlesbrough. It was located about 200 yards from the River Tees, between the ferry landing and the docks. In a reminiscence of the small size of the then fledgling industrial centre being built in the middle of countryside, Isaac would later say he remembered when the early settlers of modern Middlesbrough could still be seen shooting snipe within a couple of hundred yards of the pottery.
Manufacturing Trains
At first the pottery took Isaac’s attention, but it was not long before he partnered with Edgar Gilkes to set up the Tees Engine Works, also going as Gilkes, Wilson and Co. It became one of the largest and commercially successful businesses in the area and remained so for several years, as they built many the trains that were used on the Stockton to Darlington Railway.
Manufacturing Iron
In 1853, shortly after the discovery of ironstone in the Cleveland Hills, Isaac made his first practical foray into the business of iron manufacturing. In that year blast furnaces were built at nearby Cargo Fleet by Gilkes, Wilson, Leatham, and Co. Isaac was a partner in this company, and although it went through several changes and rebrands over the years, he remained so until his death, at which time the company was known as the Teesside Ironworks.
Iron manufacturing in Middlesbrough
Involved in the Railways
From early on Isaac was interested in railway development in the district, and had a position on the Board of Directors of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. After it merged with the North Eastern Railway, he was unanimously appointed to a seat on that directorate also. He was noted for his abilities in administration, and later his long experience and attention to engineering and financial details made him an authority on railway management, which was deemed to be a difficult and comprehensive art.
Public Service
From practically the time of his arrival up until close to his death, Isaac played a prominent role in Middlesbrough’s public affairs. His first role in public life came when he was elected one of the first commissioners of the town in the 1840s.
Improving the River Tees
Following the Tees and Conservancy Dock Act 1852, Isaac was elected as a commissioner and the chairman of the Tees Conservancy Commission. At the time the Commission was established, the River Tees could be forded (crossed by foot or by horse) almost up to its mouth at low tide. By the time Isaac was finished in his work as chairman, the river had been improved to the point that there was a depth of 18ft at the mouth of the river at low tide. The Commission achieved this by employing a dredger, constructing training walls, blasting obstacles, and making breakwaters. One such example Isaac was actively interested in was the construction of the South Gare Breakwater, an enormous undertaking that stretched 12,000ft in length and cost over £300,000 (tens of millions in today’s money). Isaac inaugurated the work by laying the foundation stone in 1863. The Tees was transformed into an efficient navigable condition through facing the vast difficulties in improving it. Once those difficulties were overcome, the Tees was said to be one of the best rivers in the country for commercial purposes.
Member of the Council and Mayor of Middlesbrough
In 1853 Middlesbrough was incorporated, meaning a municipal local government was to be set up. Isaac became one of the first members of the Council. Henry Bolckow was selected as the first to serve as Mayor. A year later, at the completion of Bolckow’s term, Isaac succeeded him to become the second Mayor of Middlesbrough, serving his year’s term in full. Throughout his career working in the Council, Isaac would serve in the positions of Mayor, Alderman, and Councillor. For 19 years Isaac was also chairman of the Watch Committee (a committee of councillors responsible for establishing and managing the police force).
When Isaac resigned from the Watch Committee, he was presented by the police force with a large ornate family Bible at a special meeting held for the occasion, while his wife was also given a smaller Bible of the same design. The Bibles were bound in Morocco (bindings made from goatskin and often dyed in strong colours, known for their durability and aesthetic appeal) with gilt edges (where the trimmed edges of the pages were sealed with a thin layer of gold leaf, silver, or other metallic foil), and contained personalised inscriptions on the inside pages. The inscription for Isaac noted that the presents were a token of the esteem and regard in which the police force held him.
For his service upon leaving the Council, Isaac was presented with a service of plate and accessories, worth about £500 (tens of thousands in modern currency), in recognition of the efforts he had put into public service. The presentation took place at the Cleveland Club, and the articles given included: a silver breakfast tray, a pair of candelabra, two epergnes (ornamental centrepieces for dining tables, which were stands with holders or bowls for meats, fruit, flowers etc), and a flower vase, all made from silver and purchased from Councillor Collingwood of Middlesbrough. Each item was inscribed with an acknowledgement of Isaac’s services to the town and trade of Middlesbrough over the past 30 plus years.
Member of Parliament
Leaving the Council was far from the end of Isaac’s public service, however. When Middlesbrough became a parliamentary borough in 1868, about 2,000 voters petitioned him to stand as candidate to represent Middlesbrough in parliament. At that time Isaac said that he believed Henry Bolckow had a superior claim to the role, and stood aside and promoted Bolckow for the position. Bolckow was successful and was elected the first Member of Parliament (MP) for Middlesbrough. Wilson supported Bolckow during his tenure in parliament, and at the 1874 general election served as the chairman of his committee.
Bolckow was still in office when he passed away in 1878. Ahead of the by-election Isaac was unanimously selected as the next Liberal candidate for the borough at a meeting at the Temperance Hall, attended by about 2,000 people. Isaac had been a Liberal all his life, and held that their principles best secured the rights and liberties of the people, and benefited the commercial success of the country. The populace of Middlesbrough before then had in general, always leaned towards the Liberals. The election was said to be a tough fought contest against Colonel Sadler of the Conservative Party, but Isaac won with a comfortable majority of nearly 3,000, becoming the second MP to represent Middlesbrough in the House of Commons. Over the next 14 years he would win re-election in 1880, 1885, and 1886, confirming the town’s approval of his representation of them on the national stage.
Freedom of Middlesbrough
After Isaac resigned as an MP in 1892, he was awarded with the honorary Freedom of Middlesbrough. He was only the third man to receive the award (after William Fallows and Raylton Dixon), and was presented with an official document confirming the tribute. In holding the document in his hand, Isaac told the assembly it had a value attached to it which would be appreciated more than any amount of money could be, because it contained the esteem of his fellow townsmen. He said he was very proud of the testimonial and would value it for the rest of his life, and he trusted that he might have more years ahead to enjoy rest after a life of hard work.
Further Recognition of Public Service
In 1893, a subscription was raised to have a portrait of Isaac created. People of all political persuasions contributed to it, such was that even if they disagreed with his political ideas, everyone respected him. The painting was made by John Collier, one of the most prominent portrait painters of his time, and it was displayed in the Council Chamber. Isaac said he hoped that “the painting would be passed down by the present generation to their successors as a remembrance of those who bore the heat and burden of the day in the old times, as it would long be a reminder that Middlesbrough did not have the advantages that it now possessed in being governed by a municipal corporation, and that it would be an incentive to work in the future”. The portrait can now be viewed in the Dorman Museum. Isaac’s wife was also presented with a gold ring, for which he thanked the council and said that after 46 years of marriage, it had been a life of constant happiness and sympathy with one another.
Other Acts of Public Service
- From its inception in 1871 until 1885, Isaac was chairman of the School Board, and he took an active part in laying the foundations of elementary education in the Middlesbrough.
- When the old Exchange building was first opened in 1868, a new club was opened called the Cleveland Club. The names listed on its advert for new members included some of the most notable local men of the time, and Isaac was the Vice-President (Henry Bolckow was the President).
- Among other associations that Isaac served as president of were the Chamber of Commerce and the Cleveland Agricultural Society.
- He took an active interest in the Temperance movement (which advocated the reduction or total abstinence from alcohol), attending a number of their meetings as a speaker.
- He was also a long serving Justice of the Peace (magistrate).
- So numerous were his involvements, some reports reflecting on his life during his lifetime had to summarise that Isaac also lent a helping hand to other ‘religious, charitable, and philanthropic institutions in the town’.
Family
Isaac married Anna Benson of Kendal on 9th June 1847, in the Zion Chapel in Kendal. They went on to have five daughters and one son, who were born in Middlesbrough and Nunthorpe (which at that time was a separate village): Mary (b. 1848), Helen (b. 1850), Anna (b. 1853), twins Robert and Sarah (b. 1856), and Dora (b. 1859). In the 1850s, the Wilsons moved into Nunthorpe Hall (in Nunthorpe, then in the Great Ayton parish), and they still lived there at the time of Isaac’s passing.
Nunthorpe Hall
Death
Isaac passed away on 22nd September 1899. At his own request, he had a simple funeral at Great Ayton, yet many of the leading men of the district were in attendance to pay their respects. It was noted that ‘few men had died more full of deserved honours than Mr Wilson, and he lived to see the full fruition of his enterprise’.
Isaac Wilson’s positive character attributes were many, ascribed to him by all those who met him throughout his life. It was said:
- He could not stand by when public business had to be attended to, even if it was thankless, difficult, and low paid.
- He was listened to with respect.
- He always did his fair share of committee work, even the less desirable duties.
- When pursuing his private business interests, he never allowed them to remove him from public service.
- He was honourable and true in all actions, sincere in all said, kind and generous in his opinions of others, and held in honour by all those who met him.
- He went through life without picking up enemies, even though he had in his time in service his fair share of strong opponents. If he failed to enlist their sympathy, he earned their admiration by his notably unselfish public career.
- He was also admired for his usefulness, ability, sincerity, kindness, and unselfishness in duty.
And so is the history of one of Middlesbrough’s greatest men.
References
Death of Isaac Wilson, Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough – Friday 22 September 1899: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000159/18990922/019/0003
“Pioneers of the Cleveland Iron Trade” James S. Jeans (1875): https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t2k64cp16&seq=1
The Engineer September 29th 1899 – Isaac Wilson obituary: https://archive.org/details/sim_engineer_july-7-december-29-1899_88/page/318/mode/2up
Isaac Wilson Sr. obituary, Kendal Mercury – Saturday 28 December 1844: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000430/18441228/035/0003
Marriages, Westmorland Gazette – Saturday 12 June 1847: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000399/18470612/044/0003
Isaac Wilson family tree: https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~swilson/genealogy/livingstone/wilson.htm#1847jun
Mary Jowitt family tree: http://www.pennyghael.org.uk/Jowitt.pdf
The Cleveland Club, Northern Weekly Gazette – Friday 03 July 1868: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003070/18680703/151/0008
The Middlesbrough Police Force and Isaac Wilson, Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough – Monday 29 November 1875: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000487/18751129/012/0003
The Presentation to Isaac Wilson, Northern Weekly Gazette – Saturday 23 September 1876: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003073/18760923/072/0006
The Presentation to Isaac Wilson, Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough – Saturday 16 September 1876: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000487/18760916/038/0005
The Presentation to Isaac Wilson, Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough – Monday 18 September 1876: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000487/18760918/020/0003
Mr Isaac Wilson, Northern Echo – Wednesday 26 June 1878: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000087/18780626/007/0002?browse=true
Mr Isaac Wilson Unanimously Selected, Northern Weekly Gazette – Saturday 29 June 1878: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003073/18780629/016/0002
Cleveland Agricultural society advert for Cleveland Show, Northern Review – Saturday 14 July 1888: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0006344/18880714/080/0016
Mr Isaac Wilson, An Honourable Public Career, Northern Echo – Wednesday 27 July 1892: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000087/18920727/009/0003
Mr Isaac Wilson and Middlesbrough, Newcastle Daily Chronicle – Wednesday 14 September 1892: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001634/18920914/064/0006
Presentation of the Freedom of the Borough, Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser – Saturday 17 September 1892: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002975/18920917/056/0008
Presentation to Mr Isaac Wilson, Northern Echo – Thursday 07 September 1893: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000087/18930907/012/0003
Funeral of the Late Isaac Wilson, Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser – Saturday 30 September 1899: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002976/18990930/182/0008
Images
Image of Portrait of Isaac Wilson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Wilson_(English_politician)#/media/File:Isaac_Wilson_by_The_Hon_John_Collier.png
Image of Nunthorpe Hall, by Francis Hannaway: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nunthorpe_Hall,_Middlesbrough.jpg, licensed under: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Image of Middlesbrough in the 1830s, from Middlesbrough Central Library: https://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/immig_emig/england/teesside/article_1.shtml
Image of Iron Works, Middlesbrough by Alfred William Hunt: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alfred_William_Hunt_(1830-1896)_-_Iron_Works,_Middlesbrough_-_N05358_-_Tate.jpg
If you would like to keep up-to-date with the latest posts from Iron and Tees, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll let you know when a new article is published: