The son of Isaac Hingley and his wife Esther, Noah Hingley, was born on the 7th March 1796. In the early 1800’s Isaac and his son Noah set up a small forge and chainmaking factory in Cradley on the banks of the River Stour. Their early success came as a result of the relationship they developed with the skilled men and women of Cradley.
It was in 1820 that Noah accepted his first order for ship’s cable. Prior to this he was a nail master and maker of small chains. On one of his regular trade visits to Liverpool, Noah had managed to secure an order for cable chain from a Liverpool merchant, despite not having any experience in the manufacturing of cable chain. But he was able to fulfil the order for a 1.5in (38mm) diameter cable, this being the size of rod the cable was made from.
In 1852, as a result of having outgrown the Cradley site, purpose built works were erected on the banks of the Dudley canal at Netherton. Noah went on to become a major producer of pig iron. He leased properties from Lord Ward of Dudley to mine his own coal. He also owned and operated the Netherton Ironworks, the Harts Hill Ironworks, the Old Hill Furnaces and various collieries. Within fifty years of Noah’s introduction of cables and anchors to the Black Country, many others had established chainmaking businesses, and the area had become the world centre for their manufacture. After the introduction of compulsory testing for ship’s cable, testing rigs were established at Netherton and Tipton, and Noah Hingley’s domination of the trade was complete.
At the age of 74 Noah Hingley became Mayor of Dudley. He died in 1877 and left an estate worth less than £2000. This was because he had transferred ownership of his business to other family members. Most of the shares in the business went to his youngest son Benjamin and his two grandsons, George Benjamin and Henry Montagu, and so the reins of a great business were passed on. A new era in the history of Hingley’s began.
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| Updated: | Tue 5 Jun 2007 - 14 |
| Interpretation written by | Louis Howe |
| Author's organisation | Curatorial |
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