Williams, Thomas
Other Business Names:
- Cornish Copper Co
- Parys Mine Co
- Williams, Owen
- Grenfell, Pascoe, & Co
Locations city-town / local authority / county1974 / region-state / country:
- Cornwall, Cornwall, South West, England
- Lancashire, Lancashire, North West, England
- Llanidan, Isle of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Wales, Wales
- London, Greater London, Greater London, Greater London, England
- Wales, Wales
Sectors:
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Chemical production
Basic chemicals production
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Fabricated metal products manufacture
Copper & brass products manufacture inc plumbing fittings
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Basic metals production
Copper & brass smelting
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Extraction
Copper extraction
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Professional services
Legal advice services
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Transport services
Shipping services - short distance, inc ownership & management
Notes:
Thomas Williams, 1737-1802, was an attorney who in 1770s established an interest in newly discovered copper resources at Parys Mountain, Anglesey. By 1778, with Edward Hughes and John Dawes, established a business to lease some of the mines. He led the business and very quickly developed an integrated smelting and manufacturing organisation with plant in South Wales, North Wales and Lancashire, successfully confronting the interests of an established cartel that had long dominated the British copper industry and which in due course collapsed. Also had interests in chemicals, shipping and copper products manufacture especially at London. From 1787-92 controlled Cornish Copper Co, itself a cartel of copper miners and smelters, established in 1785, giving him considerable market power. Reckoned Britain's most powerful industrialist at this time. On his death many of his assets passed to a business owned by his son, Owen, and Pascoe Grenfell, his close business associate whose business from 1829 was known as Pascoe Grenfell & Co