John Howard (industrialist)

John Howard (16 March 1791 – 23 December 1878)[1] was an English industrialist, an inventor of agricultural equipment and four times the Mayor of Bedford.[2]

John Howard
John Howard in 1860
Born(1791-03-16)16 March 1791
Bedford, England
Died23 December 1878(1878-12-23) (aged 87)
Bedford, England
NationalityUnited Kingdom
EducationBedford Modern School

Life

Howard was born on 16 March 1791 in Bedford and was educated at Bedford Modern School.[3] The family of Howard had been settled in Bedford and the neighbourhood for three centuries and at one period was possessed of considerable property.[4] His father was John Moore Howard, Governor of the County Gaol in Bedford.[5] Howard was the grandson and great nephew of two former Mayors of Bedford.[5]

Howard was initially apprenticed to an ironmonger at Olney, Buckinghamshire by the Trustees of Bedford Charity.[5] In 1835 he set up an iron foundry in Bedford which he expanded rapidly.[5] The business was known in Bedford as 'The Firm', as it became the largest employer in the town.[5] Specialising in agricultural machinery, he invented and exhibited a two-wheel plough at the first meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society in 1839 for which he won an award.[6][7] John Howard retired from business in 1851 leaving his sons James and Frederick as his successors. In the following year the firm commenced the manufacture of steam ploughs.[8] The business established by Howard would later trade as James & Frederick Howard, the two brothers also building the Britannia Iron Works in Bedford in 1857.[9]

Howard died on 23 December 1878. He was the father of Sir Frederick Howard JP DL[10] and James Howard MP.[11] He was also the grandfather of Sir George Farrar, 1st Baronet and via that line the great great grandfather of James Lowther, 7th Earl of Lonsdale.[12][13] A painting of Howard is included in the BBC's 'Your Paintings' series.[14]

References
  1. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
  2. "Bedford Borough Council". bedford.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  3. The Harpur Trust 1552-1973, by Joyce Godber 1973
  4. History of the Landed Gentry, by Sir Bernard Burke, CB, LLD. Published by Harrison & Sons, London, 1894
  5. "Oil Paintings". bedford.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  6. Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Volume 3, 1842
  7. "British Farmer's Magazine". google.com. 1848.
  8. "James and Frederick Howard". gracesguide.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  9. Who Was Who entry for Sir Frederick Howard
  10. Who's Who
  11. "James Howard". gracesguide.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  12. Debrett's Peerage
  13. thepeerage.com
  14. "Art UK - John Howard (1791–1878), Mayor of Bedford (1858–1861)". Art UK. Retrieved 6 July 2015.


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