John Sutton Nettlefold

For his grandson, the British social reformer, see John Sutton Nettlefold (social reformer).

John Sutton Nettlefold (23 September 1792 – 12 April 1866) was a British industrialist and entrepreneur.^[1][2]

Early life and family

Nettlefold was born in London. Nettlefold was a Unitarian; he married a co-religionist, Martha Chamberlain (1794–1866). Hers was a family of Birmingham manufacturers and politicians: her brother's son, Joseph Chamberlain (1836–1914), was a radical Liberal and a leading imperialist. They lived in The Grove, Highgate.^[3]

They had three sons: Edward John Nettlefold (1820–1878), Joseph Henry Nettlefold (1827–1881) and Frederick Nettlefold (1833–1913). One of Edward John's sons was named after him, John Sutton Nettlefold, who was a social reformer.

Career

In 1823, he opened a hardware store at 54 High Holborn. This was followed in 1826 by a workshop to make woodscrews based in Sunbury-on-Thames. The Sunbury factory was powered by a waterwheel and Nettlefold saw the importance of motive power when he took advantage of steam power in a new factory in Baskerville Place, off Broad Street, Birmingham. He renamed the business Nettlefold and Sons, Ltd., and it expanded rapidly in London and Birmingham.^[1][4]

In 1854, Nettlefold acquired the opportunity to purchase a licence to manufacture to a U.S. patent for a novel woodscrew. The licence, and the establishment of a new factory, demanded an investment of £ 30,000. Nettlefold sought and obtained the involvement of his brother-in-law as equal partner for an investment of £10,000 and the two established a factory in Smethwick, leaving its management to their sons, Edward John and Joseph Henry Nettlefold, and Joseph Chamberlain.^[1]

In later years, the management of the partnership, Nettlefold and Chamberlain, was passed to Joseph and Frederick Nettlefold, and later was absorbed into Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds,^[1] a multinational engineering company headquartered in Redditch.

References

1. Smith (2004)
2. "John Sutton Nettlefold". Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
3. Richardson, John (1983). Highgate: Its history since the Fifteenth Century. Eyre and Spottiswoode. ISBN 0-9503656-4-5.
4. "Mr. Frederick Nettlefold". The Times. 6 March 1913. p. 9.

Bibliography

• Jones, E (1987). A History of GKN Volume 1: Innovation and Enterprise 1759–1918. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-34594-0.
• Smith, B.D.M (2004) "Nettlefold, Joseph Henry (1827-1881)", rev., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, accessed 27 July 2005 (subscription or UK public library membership required)