| Description | Records of the Staveley Coal and Iron Company Ltd. [1863-1878];
its predecessor companies and its subsidiaries. The records of the Staveley Coal and Iron Company Ltd. contain: Corporate, management, and legal records 1863-1955;
accounts and financial records 1841-1966;
production records c. 1857-1961;
and miscellaneous records c. 1900-1982.
The records of its predecessor companies are as follows:
Stanton Ironworks Ltd.: Corporate and management records 1962-1984;
financial records 1947-1975;
and miscellaneous records 1906-1981.
Stanton and Staveley Ltd.: Corporate and management records 1962-1984;
financial records 1947-1975;
and miscellaneous records 1906-1981
Staveley Iron and Chemical Company: Corporate and management records 1948-1970;
financial records 1954-1957;
and miscellaneous records 1948-1959.
Its subsidiary companies and related organisations are as follows:
Stanton & Staveley (Exports) Ltd 1975-1981;
Stanton Iron & Chemical Co. (Canada) Ltd. 1959;
Stanton and Staveley Group - Victaulic works (Hitchin) 1970-1973;
Stanton Housing Co. Ltd. 1923-1970;
Staveley Chemicals Ltd. 1900- 1986;
Staveley Continental Ltd. 1967-1969;
Stanton Pipes (Canada) Ltd. 1955- 1968;
Staveley Estates Ltd. 1948-1969;
The Holwell Iron Co. Ltd. 1876-1961;
Sheepbridge Co. Ltd. 1863-1970;
Sheepbridge Engineering Ltd 1949-1960;
Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd. 1918-1970;
Stewarts and Lloyds of India Ltd. 1962-1969;
Cochrane's (Middlesborough) Foundry Ltd. 1930-1971;
James Pain Ltd. 1891-1959;
Bowne and Shaw 1921-1948;
Wellingborough Iron Co. Ltd. 1884-1955;
National Benzole Association 1924-1968;
National Benzole Holdings Ltd. 1952-1957;
Brodsworth [Yorkshire] Main Colliery Co. Ltd. 1931-1937;
Benzole Producers Ltd. 1953-1968;Newstead Colliery Company 1875-1952;
The Yorkshire Main Colliery (1923) Ltd. 1923-1936;
Yorkshire Amalgamated Collieries Ltd. 1927-1952;
British Steel Corporation General Steels Division Teeside and Workington Group, Workington [Cumbria] Works 1969-1972;
Markham Main Colliery 1919-1934;
Markham &
Co. Ltd. 1925-1936;
Doncaster Collieries Association Ltd. 1936-1937;
Doncaster Amalgamated Collieries Ltd 1962-1970;
Firbeck Main Collieries Ltd. c. 1913-1934;
Midland Counties Electric Supply Co. Ltd. 1921-1924;
Staveley Waterworks Company 1874-1885;
Industrial Housing Association Ltd. 1923;
Dunston Iron Co. Ltd. 1948;
Dunston and Burlow Collieries 1856-1865;
the St. Lawrence Timber Pulp and Steamship Co. Ltd. 1935-1942;
Eastwell [Leicestershire] Iron Ore Co. 1918-1928;
Bradleys (Darlaston [Staffordshire]) Ltd. 1924-1951;
Oakwell [Yorkshire] Red and Blue Brick Co. Ltd. 1913-1930;
Nutbrook Canal Company 1793-1996;
Victualic Co. Ltd. 1983;
Eurovalue Ltd. 1907-1974;
John Summers &
Sons Ltd. 1898-1954;
Kettering [Northamptonshire] Iron and Coal Co. Ltd. 1950-1959;
Stonedale Investments Ltd. 1937;
Phthalic Anhydride Chemicals Ltd. 1967-1969;
Central/Foundry Pig-iron Producers Association 1929-1957;
British Cast Iron Pipe Export Association 1956-1973;
British Soda Association 1923-1953;
National Coal Board 1947-1965;
National Benzole Co. Ltd. 1924-1929;
Boston Coal Co. Ltd. 1932-1933;
and SSW Coal Sales Association 1936-1945.
Unlisted Accession, Nov 2015: Volume of Balance Sheets, 1864-1872 (this contains slightly different information than D3808/1/13/2) |
| Administrative History | A forge and furnace is known to have existed at Staveley in 1652 when George Sitwell of Renishaw Hall leased it from Lord Frechville of the Manor of Staveley. In 1681 the first Duke of Devonshire became the owner after purchasing the Manor from Frechville. A new coke fired furnace was built in the 1780s by W Matler who leased the site later known as the `Old Works'. Richard Barrow purchased the furnace and forge in 1840. He also took a lease on the site later known as the `New Works' and built two new furnaces.
Barrow formed the Staveley Coal and Iron Company in Dec 1863. In 1878 it was incorporated as Stanton Ironworks Co Ltd. In 1939 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd. During the ownership by Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd, the company became known as Stanton and Staveley Ltd (1962). It was comprised of six companies, namely :-
Cochranes (Middlesbro') Foundry Ltd
The Stanton Housing Company Ltd
Stanton and Staveley Sales Ltd
The Staveley Iron and Chemical Co Ltd
The Sheepbridge Co Ltd
Staveley Estates Ltd
In 1967 Stewarts and Lloyds and all its subsidiaries (including Stanton and Staveley Ltd) was nationalised and became part of the British Steel Corporation but it passed back into the private sector in 1985 when it was acquired by Pont-á-Mousson SA. The new name was Stanton plc.
The Managing Directors of Stanton have included:-
1877-1892 George Crompton MD
1892-1917 J A Longden
1917-1942 E J Fox
1942-1957 Sir Frederick Scopes
1957- N C Macdiarmid
The main area of business of the company concerned the production of spun cast iron and concrete pipes, iron castings, pig iron and chemical products. Raw materials were supplied as follows - coal from Shipley Colliery along the Nutbrook Canal and limestone from the Cromford Canal. Pig iron was sent out via the Erewash Canal.
In 1856 there were 3 blast furnaces in operation producing 18-20 tonnes a day, together with a small general foundry and ironstone field at Stanton and Babbington (Nottinghamshire). By 1878 there were 8 blast furnaces, a general foundry, 3 collieries (Tevesal, Pleasley and Dale [Bilsthorpe came in 1925]) and ironstone properties in Desborough, Wellingborough and Finedon (Northamptonshire).
In the early 1900s it adopted a revolutionary pipe spinning process for iron pipe manufacture for which it acquired a European Licence in 1919. By the 1960s, the use of industrial steel scrap had largely replaced the need to smelt iron ore.* By 1970 pipe production was converted to ductile iron (spheroidal graphite). The last blast furnace was closed in 1974. In the later 20th century Stanton was one of Britain's largest manufacturers in its field and was internationally acknowledged as a pioneer in the design and manufacture of pipes and pipeline systems, building, drainage and highway products.
The interests of the company and its owners, Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd, included at various stages the following;
(the list below is not exhaustive)
Collieries
Amalgamated Denaby Collieries Ltd
Boston Coal Co Ltd
Brodsworth Main Colliery Co
Denaby and Cadeby Main Collieries Ltd
Dinnington Coking Co
Dinnington Main Coal Co
Doncaster Amalgamated Collieries Ltd
Doncaster Collieries Association Ltd
Firbeck Main Collieries Ltd
Hollingwood Colliery
Maltby Main Colliery Co
Markham Main Colliery Ltd
Midland Colliery Owners Association
Newstead Colliery Co Ltd
Rossington Main Colliery Co
SSW Coal Sales Association
Yorkshire Amalgamated Collieries Ltd
Yorkshire Main Colliery (1923) Ltd
NB. In 1947 the National Coal Board took over Stanton's collieries.
Ironstone and Iron Ore Companies
Burton Ironstone Co
Byfield Ironstone Co
Cranfield Ironstone Co
Dunston Iron Ore Co
Eastwell Iron Ore Co
Loddington Ironstone Co
Midland Ironstone Co
Pitsford Ironstone Co
Associated and other companies
Thomas and Isaac Bradley Ltd
Bradley's (Darlaston) Ltd
British Soda Co
Industrial Housing Association Ltd
Markham and Co Ltd
Midland Counties Electric Supply Co Ltd
National Benzole Co
Phthalic Anhydride Chemicals Ltd
Stewarts and Lloyds Plastics Ltd
St Lawrence Timber Pulp and Steamship Co
Staveley and District Public House Trust
Staveley Estates Ltd
Staveley Continental Ltd
Staveley Waterworks Co
Wellingboro' Iron Co Ltd
Victualic Co Ltd
* The following information was supplied by a researcher and former employee: 'It was only towards the end of the 1960s that scrap had largely replace the use of ore. In 1964-1965, there was a mixture of low grade "yellow" ore that needed calcinating and enrichment, and high grade "foreign ore" and some, but very little, scrap - at that time coming into Old works by road - so the tonnages were not huge. Certainly by the end of the 1960s scrap had largely replaced ore, but not by the 1960s.' |
| Custodial History | These records were deposited in Derbyshire Record Office by Stanton Plc at various dates between August 1993 and January 1999. Further records were received from Chesterfield Museum and Art Gallery between September 2000 and January 2023; those received in November 2015, December 2022 and January 2023 can be found under the reference D3808/UL. Another two consigments were received from Stanton Bonna Concrete (successor company to Stanton Plc) and a member of the public, in November 2015 and May 2018 respectively. |