Chapter 13
Tom, the gardener, was surprised to receive a letter and happy to part with a halfpenny to take possession of it. The following Sunday, he hurried to Leominster and presented the letter to his sister so that she might tell him what it said. Tom sat by the kitchen table and watched with anticipation as she carefully broke the seal, unfolded the letter, spread it flat on the table and read the contents;
My Dearest Tom,
It is with great happiness that I write to thank you for your kindness. The letter you took the trouble to take to Leominster and give to the post master resulted in my rescue from a terrible plight. There is no need for me to explain more except to tell you that I am now happily married and beginning a new life with my husband. Without your help I would have remained trapped in a life with no joy, no future and no hope.
I will always be your friend and enclose a token of my gratitude.
Thank you again.
Eira Vaughn
Tom’s sister examined the piece of paper that was enclosed. She counted the sheep in the corner. There were ten.
‘Well I never did, it’s a ten pound note,’ she exclaimed, ‘How much do you earn a week, Tom?’
‘Eight shillings,’ replied Tom.
‘Well, my lad, your friend has just sent you half a year’s wages,’ said his sister. Tom took the letter and the ten pound note from his sister refolded them, put them in his pocket and grinned.
Delyth Thomas was indifferent to Marcus Jacobs' fate. There were other men to be used. She was equally disinterested in her Cousin Charles’ dismissal. Later, when Charles begged her for money to pay his creditors, she refused. She had considered Charles the ideal person to insinuate, as her ally, into Isaac’s business but Charles had shown himself to be unreliable and untrustworthy. Aunt Lily’s failure to keep Eira securely tucked away at Leominster annoyed Delyth. She had no more use for Aunt Lily or her son Charles and quickly forgot them. Eira’s marriage to Nye was less easy to disregard. The fact that Delyth’s sister-in-law was happy infuriated her and she hadn't been invited to the wedding. Delyth would not forget the insult and she began to scheme again.
‘We are going into a new line of business,’ announced Nye Vaughn arriving back at the foundry.
‘And what might that be?’ asked Benjamin Griffiths.
‘Bigger, more profitable castings,’ replied Nye. The partners listened as Nye explained his plan. Castle Iron was going into the armaments business. Manufacturing cannons, particularly the naval guns Nye was proposing would require bigger furnaces, large casting pits and new cranes.
'For the scheme to succeed we must invent more efficient ways of handling raw materials,' said Nye.
'Castle Iron Works is a small foundry. We're not set up to produce heavy castings,' said Will.
‘It would take a huge investment. We are already mortgaged to the limit. Where's the money going to come from?’ asked Benjamin.
‘Ben, do you remember what you said to me the day we bought Gurnos quarry? You said, you have to be prepared to think big if you want to make real money. We’ll find the money,’ replied Nye.
‘We’ll be fighting against Thomas. Can we seriously compete with him? Isaac won’t like us taking his business, assuming that we can find a way to beat him. He’s well established with the Board of Ordnance. Why should they buy from us?’ asked Will.
‘That, Will, is my problem. Think of it. Between us we are going to build Castle Iron Works into the biggest iron works in the world,’ said Nye.
‘We already have a good profitable business. Why risk it by chasing after markets we know nothing about?’ cautioned Benjamin.
‘Our future success depends on growing and this is the right way forward. Don’t get cold feet now Ben. This isn’t the time. I need your support if we are going to succeed,’ said Nye.
‘Are you sure this isn’t some sort of personal vendetta?’ asked Will. Nye didn’t answer.
The next year was a busy time at Castle Iron works. Benjamin Griffiths negotiated a lease on adjacent land and construction began to expand the foundry. Three new 50 foot tall blast furnaces were built. Two puddling furnaces and a rolling mill, using Henry Cort’s new puddling system were added alongside the blast furnaces. The water powered bellows were replaced with more powerful pumps. Benjamin Griffiths persuaded Banc y Llong, Aberystwyth to advance a loan to finance the work. Boring machines, needed to machine the gun barrels, were purchased from Birmingham. Castle Iron Works was now capable of producing more than 100 tons of iron a week. The first prototype cannons produced at Castle Iron were a failure. Proving the guns required them to be test fired with an explosive charge 25% larger than normal. Guns burst during the tests. Cutting the gun barrels along the damaged sections revealed the cause of the failures, small cracks in the metal. The quality of the iron had to be improved but how? Will Jones and his men were already working at the limit of their knowledge. If Castle Iron didn’t find a solution, the business faced ruin. Benjamin Griffith’s warning was becoming a possibility.
Will Jones was convinced the answer lay in the puddling process, used to separate impurities from the molten iron. Isaac Thomas was manufacturing cannons successfully using the puddling method invented by Henry Cort. To compete they had to learn the secret and, knowing Thomas would never share it with them, the partners decided there was only one possible course of action.
Henry Cort was a Royal Navy pay agent, collecting and distributing retired officer’s pensions. He married and joined his wife’s family business in Gosport which had a lucrative contract to supply the navy with iron mooring chains. Cort built an iron works at Fontley, Hampshire to fulfil the orders. Cort improved the quality of his iron by stirring the molten metal, removing carbon and making it less brittle. Nye wrote to Cort asking to visit Fontley. The letter from Nye Vaughn of Castle Iron Works interested Cort and he agreed to a meeting.
Nye and Will travelled to Hampshire and were greeted by Cort.
‘What can I do for you gentlemen?’ asked Cort. Will explained their problem and asked how it might be solved.
‘It sounds to me as if you have almost solved the problem of removing impurities yourselves except for one thing,’ said Cort.
‘What is it we’ve missed?’ asked Nye.
‘The secret is how you roll the pig iron. I’ll tell you my secret for nothing but if you ever use it to manufacture you will have to pay me,’ said Cort and explained his puddling and rolling process was covered by a patent taken out in 1783. Cort agreed a licensing agreement allowing Castle Iron Works to use his process, in return for a royalty of ten shillings per ton of iron produced. As they shook hands, Nye asked a question.
‘Thomas and Son in Merthyr manufacture cannon using your method. Do they pay you a royalty?’
'Do they indeed?' replied Henry Cort and summoned his works manager to discuss the technical details with Will. The partners returned to Merthyr with the expertise they needed to cast high quality iron and were eager to get started.
The Vaughns continued to live in a rented cottage but Eira was expecting their first child and it was about to become crowded. Building their new home had stopped. Nye needed every penny for the foundry. Eira gave birth to a son on the 15th July 1786. They christened him Rhys, at Vaynor Church. As the christening party emerged from the church, Will pointed towards the mountain where some of Castle Iron’s men were waiting. Will waved his hat in the air. There was a puff of smoke followed by the boom of a cannon that echoed across the valley, saluting the new arrival.
Table of Contents
Nye Vaughn's story continues in the unabridged book The Iron Masters containing all five volumes in one. It follows the story through the next 46 years of Vaughn's life from 1787 to 1833 a time of war, intrigue and riots.
Here's what Patrick Power had to say about the book, 'Graham Watkins' The Iron Masters is far from my usual target read but I was delighted to have picked it up. Quite an epic tale spanning not just time,
but place and capturing the complex chicanery of the great 18th century industrial era, this book has it all. Graham has filled the pages with clearly well researched detail, but cleverly entwined a riveting tale between the many historical details, that I must confess I can only assume to be true. I am never a plot spoiler but I can tell you that you will enjoy the journey and the ultimate destination in the well written historical novel. Well done Graham, Lovely Characterisation, wonderful detail and a great read.'
The American reviewer Alex Dunbar says, 'Having looked at the cover, I started this book expecting a Napoleonic War adventure complete with ripped bodices and was not disappointed. The Iron Masters is an epic tale covering half a century as Nye Vaughn fights his way from humble beginnings to create one of the most powerful families in Wales. Vaughn isn't Rhett Butler, he's a more complex character, but his story is equally compelling.
It's a super read, crammed with historical gems of information and a riveting plot. Heroes, scheming women (I particularly liked Delyth), villains and victims all demand attention in this world of industry, war, extreme poverty and great wealth, where anything is possible. What more is there to say.'
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