Elliott went bankrupt in 1816 when he was 35 years old. We do not know the sums involved since the National Archives do not list the records. However, the London Gazette published announcements of bankruptcies and these provide interesting details about Elliott's circumstances at the time. This information will be looked at later in this article; for the moment let's examine what we know about Elliott's business career.
From his earliest days, Elliott was exposed to life on a working foundry since his father both lived and worked at the New Foundry, Masbrough, a district of Rotherham, UK. Elliott's father was clearly a good businessman since as well as working at the foundry, he had an ironmonger's shop on Rotherham's High Street. Father, who was also called Ebenezer, was able to take over the foundry in 1801 with the aid of other partners. When he took the foundry over, father had worked there for at least nineteen years.
The New Foundry where Elliott was born
One benefit of having a prosperous father was that he could afford the cost of sending his son to school, but unfortunately the boy found learning difficult, hated school and enjoyed playing truant! Yes, Elliott was hopeless at school but had lots of ability at making things; growing up in the foundry giving him an advantage, perhaps.
Elliott's younger brother, Giles, was the opposite of Elliott:
he was handsome, clever and mercurial. Giles was the family favourite,
admired by all; something which pushed Elliott in the background and
affected his confidence. Giles had a prominent part in the family
descent into bankruptcy.
In 1797 aged sixteen,
Elliott began working in the New Foundry and
discovered that he enjoyed working: it appealed to his practical
nature. Already, the young man was working in his father's ironmonger's
shop and showed an aptitude for this since Paul Rodgers (a friend of
the Corn Law Rhymer) remembered that the young Elliott was a better
businessman than his father. This was supported by Mark Gregory, a
worker at the foundry, who stated that Elliott was a very bright young
man. On the other hand, Elliott worked for his father without pay for
seven years! Which is hardly what might be expected of a thrusting
business type! We know that dad gave Elliott a few coppers when he
needed it - money not being short in the family business at this time.
The picture, then, is one of Elliott learning the family business,
happy to pull his weight and enjoy his teenage years. As a
teenager, he wasn't
always lured by "the Egyptian darkness" of the taproom, since chapel
was still a very important influence, but a new
(and unlikely) direction for him was reading. The young man was now a
keen reader and
was especially interested in poetry which he began to write himself.
This was an unexpected development giving his early dislike of
learning. This suggests that Elliott was a late developer. Adding these
cultural interests to his business ability, we see Elliott turning into
a rounded young man. Not only did he work in the shop and foundry, we
know that father trusted him to work for the business as a commercial
traveller taking iron goods out to neighbouring towns and seeking to
sell their wares more widely. Clearly, Elliott senior had a lot of
confidence in the business abilities of his eldest son. One
of the Corn Law Rhymer's sons, namely Francis, made a good contribution
to the
debate about his father's business acumen. Elliott always belittled
himself from an early age and saw himself eclipsed by his brilliant
younger brother, Giles. (Indeed, much of Elliott's peronality
was shaped by this relationship). Francis made
the following observations about the two brothers: "My father was
the unfittest man in the world to write or speak of himself. His
estimate of his merits was far below the true one; and he was
neither the dunce and simpleton at school, nor the lesser light, paled
by the brilliant brother Giles, which he described and believed
himself. Giles was a first-rate business man, but he was nothing more;
and my father was that, and something more."
Marriage is a significant point in any life. Elliott wed n 1806 and this was to bring about changes which made his bankruptcy more poignant. From 1804/5, Elliott was drawing a wage from the family business and from some time after 1801 both Elliott and his brother, Giles, became partners in the concern. It would seem that with the forthcoming marriage, the family decided to establish a financially secure Elliott. This was even more necessary because Fanny brought a considerable amount of money to the marriage. The young couple ploughed the money into the business and unfortunately it was a gamble that failed. Children rapidly appeared after the marriage: it's a startling fact that in the first ten years of marriage six children were born. And they were all boys! So by the time Elliott went bankrupt in 1816, he had the burden of six young mouths to feed. This added much pressure to the humiliation of being a bankrupt.
Evicted from the New Foundry, Elliott and his brood moved in with Martha and Noah, his wife's sisters, who had a shop on Rotherham High Street. (Elliott was to name his second daughter, Noah). Family would have been very important in providing support at this very difficult time. We don't know what role Elliott senior took here or whether his ironmonger's shop was still in operation (he was 68 at this point - an old man). Elliott himself was desperate, was begging in the streets and was contemplating suicide. He also spent some of his time out in the countryside painting pictures. As to poetry at this time, very little appears to have been written: clearly the Corn Law Rhymer was too busy trying to save the family firm. His son, Francis, made an interesting commentary on his father at this critical time: "The fortune he received with my mother was invested in a business already bankrupt beyond redemption, and my father went in as a partner with the old firm, consisting of many partners, amongst whom was my grandfather. Here he passed several years in hopeless efforts, and hopeless hopes and yearnings, to retrieve the desperate affair. He lost the last penny he had in it; and found an asylum under the roof of my mother's maiden sisters, with whom he spent many months, in a state of wretchedness." Martha and Noah, the aunts, were to play a part in the revival of Elliott's business career - this will be mentioned later.
Brother Giles had a hurried marriage to Amelia Emerson in 1811 - the baby died three months after the wedding. Giles, himself, was to suffer an early death, dying in 1814 aged only 28 years old. He had an ironmonger's shop in Doncaster, but it seems likely that he drank the profits as he was described as being "of intemperate habits." His failed business venture was a great disappointment to his family: his early promise was not sustained. Interestingly when Giles died, his wife was taken to court by Yates and others - Elliott was also involved in the case in some way. The case ran from 1816 to 1818. Perhaps, the partners at the New Foundry had invested in the Doncaster shop and were trying to recoup their losses. Clearly this is speculation. 1816 was, of course, the year Elliott went bankrupt and times were desperate for the young man. Was Elliott trying to support his brother's widow or was he trying to sue his sister-in-law?
The Causes of the Bankruptcy
The nation's economy made it very difficult for everyone. Even though
Elliott was a diligent businessman, circumstances proved too much for
him. The war years against the French led to widespread poverty. The
government spent millions on funding the war
effort and, fearing an invasion, also spent heavily on
strengthening our defences. This meant heavy taxation and
other repressive measures.
Food prices shot up leading to civil unrest and riots. In industry,
there was an increasing use of machinery which added to the numbers of
unemployed people. The Corn Law was introduced in 1815 but this only
served
to maintain a high price for bread. Things were very bad. With the end
of the war, the
goverment stopped spending vast sums on armaments leading to a slump in
demand for iron and similar goods; this meant businesses were unable to
repay interest on loans taken out in the war years and this caused
great
problems for businessmen.
Around 1816 - the year when Elliott finally went bankrupt - he was involved in six court cases. Presumably trying to get others to pay the bills they owed to his business. The last straw in this sorry situation was when Elliott was unable to pay back a large loan made to him by his father and others. The family had taken a risk in backing Elliott, but even with family support Elliott had still gone bankrupt leaving a financial disaster for Elliott and his family. It would be interesting to know here how personal relationships within the family suffered at this time.
Notices about bankruptcies appeared in the London journal called The Gazette. Both Elliott and his brother, Giles, had the honour of having notices about them appear in the journal. Giles was listed in 1816 and the notice about him is given below:-
| Pursuant
to a Decree of the High Court of Chancery, bearing date the 4th day of
July 1815, made in a Cause wherein George Yates and others (on behalf
of himself and all other Creditors of Giles Elliott,of Doncaser, in the
County of York, Ironmonger, deceased,who died on or about the 17th of
October 1814) are plaintiffs, and Amelia Elliott, widow, is defendant,
the Creditors of the said Giles Elliott, are, on or before the 27th of
May 1816, to come in and prove their debts before Sir John Simeon,
Bart, one of the Masters of the said Court, at his chambers, in
Southampton-Buildings, Chancery-Lane, London, or in default thereof
they will be peremptorily excluded the benefit of the said Decree. |
With the Corn Law Rhymer, several notices appeared in the press during 1816 and these are given in full below as they are interesting to read and they are useful source documents.
| London Gazette 12th November 1816 Whereas a Commission of Bankrupt is awarded and issued forth against Ebeneezer Elliott the younger of Masbrough, in the Parish of Rotherham, and County of York, Iron-Founder, Dealer and Chapman, and he being declared a bankrupt is hereby required to surrender himself to the Commissioners in the said Commission named, or the major part of them, on the 27th and 28th days of November instant, and on the 24th od December next, at Two o'Clock in the Afternoon on each day, at the Crown Inn, in Rotherham, in the County of York, and make a full Discovery and Disclosure of his Estate and Effects; when and where the Creditors are to come prepared to prove their Debts, and at the Second Sitting to choose Assignees, and at the Last Sitting the said Bankrupt is required to finish his Examination, and the Creditors are to assent to or dissent from the allowance of his Certificate. All persons indebted to the said Bankrupt, or that have any of his Effects, are not to pay or deliver the same but to whom the Commissioners shall appoint, but give notice to Mr Samuel Taylor, solicitor, No. 24, John Street, Bedford-Row, London, or to Messrs. Wheatley and Badger, Solicitors, Rotherham. |
To add to this tale of woe, the Gazette's notice was reprinted in the Times on November 13th 1816. The Crown Inn was at the top of Rotherham High Street. Wheatley and Badger were solicitors who were used frequently by the Corn Law Rhymer in his business pursuits.
The next document in this sad affair is a notice which appeared in the Sheffield Mercury newspaper on 14th December 1816; this dealt with Elliott's personal possessions which were to be sold by auction. [Please note that the list of items at auction is incomplete owing to damage to the newspaper making some items unreadable]. It is very interesting to see the household possessions: the decanters and wine suggest a well-to-do family; as do many of the other items - what on earth is a bathing machine for instance; it can hardly be the customary tin bath! A stair carpet would have been a luxury at the time and note, too, the quality of the furniture. Also observe the prominence in the notice given to the fifty volumes of books; a truly expensive library at the time.
|
BANKRUPT'S EFFECTS
Free From Duty
Valuable Household Furniture, Books, And Other Effects To Be Sold By Auction By Mr. Graves Upon the Premises of the Foundry of Mr Ebenezer Elliott, jun, a Bankrupt, at Masbrough, near Rotherham, on Wednesday and Thursday, the 18th and 19th days of December, 1816. All the Household Furniture, etc Consisting Of Mahogany framed
four-post bed, camp, and other bedsteads. Straw mattresses, a
number of featherbeds, with bolsters and pillows, sheets, blankets,
counterpanes and quilts. Mahogany chairs, tables, chests of drawers and
wash stands. Floor and stair carpeting. Three glass decanters, wine,
ale, jelly and custard glasses. Set of blue and white tea service,
mahogany framed sofa and printed cover, timepiece. Mangle, a bathing
machine, copper and metal kettles and saucepans, and a general
assortment of kitchen requisites, brewing tubs and barrels.
ABOUT FIFTY
VOLUMES OF BOOKS
A ONE HORSE CART AND GEARING The sale will begin each morning at ten o'clock ALSO WILL BE SOLD BY AUCTION, THE LATTER END OF JANUARY NEXT, THE FOUNDRY Of the above Mr. Ebenezer Elliott, Together with all
the Machinery, Utensils, and Stock in Trade of finished and unfinished
Goods, Raw Materials etc. Notice of which will be given in future
papers and handbills.
For particulars in the mean time, application must be made to Messrs WHEATLEY and BADGER, Rotherham, Solicitors to the Assignees. |
In addition to the earlier notice in the Times (as mentioned above), the Times printed a further notice advertising a dispute among the various interested parties about some of the machinery which was up for sale:-
| Sale of Bankrupt's Assets (1817) The Creditors who have proved their Debts under a Commission of Bankrupt awarded forth against EBENEZER ELLIOTT the younger of Masbrough, in the Parish of Rotherham, and County of York, Ironfounder, Dealter and Chapman, are to meet the surviving Assigneess of the said Bankrupt's Estate and Effects, at the Crown Inn, in Rotherham on Monday 23rd day of February next, at six o'clock in the evening to assent to or dissent from, the Assignees of the said Bankrupt's Estate and Effects submitting to arbitration certain disputes between the said Assignees and the Mortgagees of the said Bankrupt's Leasehold Estate, relating to the Steam Engine, Machinery, Cranes and Fixtures standing and being in and upon the said leasehold Premises of the said Bankrupt, at Masbrough aforesaid, and on other special affairs. Wheatley &
Badger (Solicitors to Assignees)
|
More complications for poor old Elliott and his family business! It may
be that ownership of the machinery at the New Foundry was being claimed
by some of the sherholders in the business. However, another notice in
the Gazette suggested that this problem was sorted over the next few
months. The notice appeared in the Gazette quite a bit later than the
above notice and in part reads like a modern estate agent's advert.
This notice, which was printed in the Gazette for 17th March 1818 page
502,
appears below and details the machinery on sale.
|
TO IRONFOUNDERS. TO be sold by
auction, by Messrs. Williamson and Schofield
(by order of the Commissioners in a Commission of Bankrupt awarded and
issued -
and now in prosecution against Mr. Ebenezer Elliott the younger, of
Masbrough,
in the Parish of Rotherham, and County of York, lronfounder, Dealer and
Chapman),
at the House of Mr. Schofield, at the Crown Inn, in Rotherham
aforesaid, on
Monday the 30th day of March 1818, between the hours of five and Seven
o’
Clock in the Evening, subject to such
conditions of sale as will be there and then produced. All that valuable
and extensive foundry, most desirably
situate at Masbrough aforesaid, comprising a spacious moulding house,
with two
drying stoves, air furnaces, brass furnaces, two cupolas, suitable
machinery,
wood cranes, smiths' and joiners shops, turning lathe, two large
warehouses,
counting house, and all other necessary
appurtenances, all which premises are in the most Complete order and
condition,
and ready for working; a patent steam engine, and engine house, with
blowing
cylinder, and blowing machine, by Vaughan, all nearly new, and in
complete
repair; also a very neat and comfortable messuage, or dwelling house,
suitable
for the residence of a family, lately occupied by the said Ebenezer
Elliott,
with all requisite out-offices, a good stable, gig
house etc. and a very large and productive
garden. The site of the above premises contains 3870 superficial square
yards,
and are held by lease from the Proprietors of the River Dun Company,
for a term
of fifty three years, from the 8th August 1801, at the annual ground
rent of £5l.
9s. The foundry, with the wharf and crane, adjoin upon the navigable
River Dun,
by which a communication is open to the
Sea, as well as to the inland parts of the country, and the intended
new canal from
Tinsley to Sheffield, renders this estate more truly desirable, and
offers,
from its situation an advantageous opportunity to any person desirous
of entering
into the above business. The premises may be reviewed, and every other
information obtained, on application to Mr. Matthew Chambers,
Thorncliff-Iron-Works,
or to Messrs. Wheatley and Badger, Solicitors, Rotherham, at whose
Offices a plan
of the estate may be seen. |
The lease of 1801 mentioned in the notice was taken out by the Corn Law Rhymer's father. A document in Rotherham Archives (Zz4-z/9/1) describes the lease "Of a parcel of land in Masbrough, now fenced, lying between the turnpike road from Rotherham to Masbrough and the R. Dun Navigation Cut (3708 sq yards) with the dwelling house, iron foudry, warehouse etc." [NB for R. Dun read River Don today]. The lease is also described as lasting 53 years at £15 9s, so the figures in the Gazette notice may be wrong.
The steam engine and crane itemised in the Sale of Bankrupts Assets of 1817 still appear in the notice above which indicates the dispute over ownership had been resolved.
The impressive list of machinery and buildings shows that the foundry was a substantial operation ( it had been going years after all ), and the sizeable acreage of the site supports this. It would be interesting to find out how many workers were employed there. The wharf adjacent to the canal would have been an attraction to prospective purchasers of the operation (extending the canal into Sheffield city centre was completed in 1819.) The dwelling house, too, must have been a good size since it is described as a house suitable for a family and indeed it was big enough for the Corn Law Rhymer's large brood. It had a good stable as well, so the house would have been built for a wealthy person rather than for a struggling businessman. The garden in the busy work site is a surprise, and its existence has not been noted previously. Again, the garden indicates a high standard of living. The whole concern must have fetched a pretty penny at the auction; the details of this might be contained in the records of the solicitor, Wheatley and Badger, in Rotherham Archives.
Elliott went bankrupt in 1816 but the legal process of disposing of his
assets went well into 1818. Each notice appearing in the newspapers
added to Elliott's humiliation - as did his personal attendance at each
hearing. During this time, the wretched Corn Law Rymer was living in
Rotherham with his aunts, Noah and Martha, who believed in their nephew
still, since they were to help him move on in the world.Three years
after Elliott's bankruptcy, his aunts invested £100 in him which helped
him set up in business in Sheffield.
This was a large sum, worth £6,130 today, and is indicative of
the confidence and trust the aunts had in Ebenezer. Elliott moved to
Sheffield in November 1819. He had also obtained £50 a year for being
agent to the Gospel Oak Ironworks of Tipton in Staffordshire. Armed
with these funds, Elliott set up in business in Burgess St in Sheffield
city centre where he did well. Indeed, the former bankrupt soon
established a reputation in Sheffield as being a canny operator.
To return to the Ebenezer Resarch Foundry,
please click this anvil:-