John William Hartley |  People from Stoke-on-Trent

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John William Hartley

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HARTLEY, John William (1845-1942), engineer. Fenton.

father:  
John William Hartley wife:  Teresa
sons: Ernest, Philip and Cyril
daughters: 2

 

1845 Born in Wentworth, near Rotherham, Yorkshire, England
  Educated at King Edward's School, Sheffield
  After leaving education John W Hartley worked for two and a half years with his father who was a borough surveyor for Rotherham.
  Afterwards he was apprenticed to Dodds and Sons, Engineers, of Rotherham.
  Subsequently JWH worked in Sheffield as a draughtsman.
1870 John W Hartley was appointed chief locomotive draughtsman of the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR), at the same time T. W. Dodds (of Dodds and Sons) was an engineer for the NSR
1874 Dodds resigned from the NSR in 1874 and J W Hartley  probably left about the same time.
1874 John W Hartley started the California Works. Fenton, in partnership with Arnoux and Fanning as engineers supplying the pottery industry.
JWH and his company  maintained a close relationship with the NSR. They supplied most of  the rail chairs for the company
1886 He designed and built a gas holder one hundred feet in diameter for Fenton gas works.
1888 Started to manufacture railway equipment for Kerr Stuart (a Glasgow, Scotland company) from 1888
1891 By 1891 the company was building locomotives for the Glasgow firm of Kerr Stuart.
1893 Kerr Stuart bought out the Works of Hartley, Arnoux and Fanning and they moved their business from Glasgow to the California Works in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent.
1895 Hartley had left the Potteries for a short time but returned in 1895 as works manager for Kerr Stuart.
  Subsequently he branched out once more on his own as an environmental engineer. JWH was a member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers
1904 J W Hartley patented a rectangular sewage distributor, an improved version of which was later installed at Strongford works and other places.
1913 JWH was involved in another company, Hartley, Causton and Richmond. A continuous kiln made by his company was installed at Empire Porcelain in Stoke upon Trent.
1916
With his son Cyril he opened a new works at Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent for the manufacture of railway chairs.
This works later specialised in equipment for the sewage industry, and continued as Simon Hartley in 1967.
1942 Hartley died, aged 96, at Drysdale House, Stone. Staffs., on 11 May 1942.

According to "People of the Potteries" John William Hartley had formed a cricket club in Rotherham, played football for Stoke and was president of Trentham and Stone Golf Clubs.

Simon Hartley: J W Hartley's engineering company became Hartleys (Stoke-on-Trent) Limited. In 1967 the Hartley family sold their business to the Simon Engineering Group - Hartlys had the water pollution market outlets and Simon Engineering had research and development expertise and financial strength. In 1976 Simon-Hartley purchased the whole of the share capital of the Ashbrook Company of Houston, USA.  
Today (2006) the company still exists as as Ashbrook Simon-Hartley Ltd; Effluent Treatment Plant and Equipment manufacturers.

 

1881 census:

Dwelling: 37 Blurton Rd
Census Place: Stoke Upon Trent, Stafford, England

Name

Marr | Age | Sex

   Birthplace Occupation
John W. HARTLEY M 35 M Head Wentworth, York Engine Master Employing 54 Men & 12 Boys
Teresa M. HARTLEY  M 24 F Wife Clapham, Surrey  
Ernest HARTLEY  3 M Son Stoke On Trent  
Philip HARTLEY 2 M Son Stoke On Trent  
Cyrie J. HARTLEY  9 m M Son Stoke On Trent  
Hannah FARRELL  U 19 F Serv  Bradley Green General Serv Domestic


Source: Census 1881; Evening Sentinel 11 May 1942; People of the Potteries; Victoria History of the county of Stafford vol VIII; The City of Stoke-on-Trent Official handbook 1977/8.

 


8 Feb 2006