Moses Merryweather

  General Notes:

Mr MOSES MERRYWEATHER was born in Yorkshire in the year 1790
(nearer 1793 apprentice's start at age 14 not 17! his death age would
make it 1793 and the only birth Ref found is 1793 Site Authors Notes.)
His father, who gave him a name often. used in that county as a
Christian name by people who are entirely unconnected with Jewish
families, selected a commercial career for him as he did for his other
sons. Young Merry-weather came accordingly to London, and was apprenticed
to Hadley, Simpkin and Lott in 1807; he remained with the firm after the
term of his apprenticeship was over, and still continued with Mr. Lott
when the house came under the sole control of that gentleman. In the
course of years Mr. Lott retired more and more from the management, and
the marriage of Mr. Merryweather with the niece of Mr. Lott in 1836
prepared the way for the business becoming his sole property when Mr.
Lott finally retired. Mr. Merryweather conducted it with unusual energy
and ability, and gradually raised it to a position of prominence. His
advice in connection with all matters relating to fire extinguishing was
sought by the Government on many occasions, and by some of the most
distinguished men of the day. Mr. Merryweather retained until the very
last his interest in the work of the firm, though in later years he gave
up to a great extent the active management to his sons. The manufacture
of fire appliances alone was not sufficient to exhaust his energies. In
partnership with his brother he was the owner of several ships, and he
acquired much property of other kinds. An enterprise in which he took
great interest was the Royal Albion Hotel, Ramsgate, which he purchased,
and within the walls of which the late Queen (in the days when she was
Princess Victoria) and other members of the Royal Family at various times
stayed. On one occasion, just before the death of King William IV.
Princess Victoria gave a sitting there to a member of the Royal Academy,
who presented the portrait when finished to Mr MOSES. Merryweather It is
a most pleasing and successful likeness, and proves that the opinions
sometimes expressed to the effect that the late Queen had no personal
beauty are delivered by persons whose taste would not be universally
accepted. The Royal Albion does not now exist. Its place is occupied by
the ornamental grounds, which extend from the Harbour to the West Cliff.
Mr. MOSES Merryweather, who resided for many years at Brixton ·and
Clapham, died at Clapham in the year 1872 at the age of 82( error should
be 79). He was, and looked, a sterling old English gentleman, a man who
stood six feet two inches in his stockings, keen but strictly honorable
in all his transactions and one who associated on terms of intimacy with
persons of distinction.
Amongst the many who gave much attention to the means of extinguishing
fires at that time was the late Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, the
Chairman of the London and North Western Railway Company. He not only
Look much interest in the work of the firm, but also was on very friendly
terms with Mr. Merryweather and his family. The Duke had a great turn for
mechanics, and 'was frequently to be seen at Long Acre, either at the
bench, in the fitting shop or in the smithy, where he would sometimes act
as smith and at other times as striker. So often was the Duke there that
some persons supposed he had a pecuniary interest in the: house, but this
was not the case. His Grace was strictly a volunteer. It was by his
influence and introduction that Mr. James Compton Merryweather commenced
his mechanical training in the London and North Western Railway Company's
works at Wolverton.
Another old friend of Mr Moses Merryweather was the late Lord Thurlow,
who also took much interest in his family, and acted as godfather to the
late Miss Alice Merryweather. He, too, was constantly at the factory, and
sometimes remained there the whole day, taking his lunch in one of the
workshops. He also was sometimes believed, though erroneously, to be
financially interested in the concern. Mr. Moses Merryweather had no
partners. Lord Thurlow, however, took as much trouble as if he were
really a member of the firm. Many letters passed from him to Mr.
Merry-weather when the latter was away, and some of them related to
matters of the merest detail in the construction of engines. We have
before us one in which he writes that Richard is managing very nicely,
but he thinks he can make an improvement in the axles of a large manual
fire engine, which is under, construction. Lord Thurlow was the friend of
every man on the place. His appreciation of the staff dated from the time
when they gave special attention to his wants during the period when, at
the instigation of Captain Swing, incendiary fires were taking place in
the neighbourhood of his estate, and it is still remembered how, when
returning a manual engine which had been lent him, Lord Thurlow filled
the hose box, with sufficient game to furnish the means for a bean feast
which was participated in by the whole establishment.
Moses Merryweather with William Montague Glenister, born in 1828,
progressed from police constable to the first chief constable of
Hastings, earning the accolade the father of the Hastings police force.
Joined forces to create the fire Engine Company, In 1861 William Montague
Glenister and Moses Merryweather co-patented the very first twin hand
pump action fire tricycle (the forerunner of modern fire engines).
WILLIAM MONTAGUE GLENISTER and his fire tricycle, with the name
Glenister-Merryweather emblazoned on the side, took a prominent part in
the Oxford demonstration in 1887. WILLIAM MONTAGUE GLENISTER gave advice
throughout the UK on the formation, organization, and equipment of fire
brigades.
Merryweather and Sons was originally established around 1690 by a
Nathaniel Hadley whose factory on Cross Street in London manufactured -
among other things - pumps and fire-fighting apparatus. The first fire
engine factory was built in 1738 at the corner of Bow Street and Long
Acre and was used for the manufacture of hand engines and leather hose,
and later for steam engines.
The following from
http://www.city.saskatoon.sk.ca/org/clerks_office/archives/exhibit/merry.h
tm
For a time the company was called "Hadley - Simpkin" (after a master
plumber who invented a kind of fire pump). In 1791 Henry Lott joined the
firm and it became "Hadley, Simpkin and Lott". At some point Lott took
over full control of the company and when he retired handed it over to
his nephew by marriage, Moses Merryweather, who had apprenticed there in
1807.

Moses married Sarah Edward Taylor on 10 Sep 1836 in St Giles, Camberwell. (Sarah Edward Taylor was born in 1815 in Stepney, London, England and died on 29 Jun 1910 in West Norwood, London.)