William Clayton Russon (born 1872), was an English businessman and industrialist.
William Clayton Russon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1872 Birmingham, England |
| Occupation(s) | businessman, industrialist |
Early life
editRusson was born in 1872, in Birmingham to Frederick and Sarah-Ann Russon.[1]
Cycle businesses in Birmingham
editIn 1892, Russon formed Lloyd and Sons at Grove Lane, Smethwick, in partnership with William Clayton Lloyd. This company was renamed the Claremont Cycle Manufacturing Company in 1896 and was floated as a public company. It closed in 1896, and Russon and Lloyd started another cycle company, the Colossal Cycle Company. Russon created the Main Wheeleries Company, also manufacturing bicycles, in 1902.[1] Both of these companies closed in 1905, with Russon forced to declare bankruptcy.[2]
In 1912, Sarah-Ann Russon, William's mother, founded the Ryland Manufacturing Co in Birmingham and William was employed there. The company manufactured wooden goods such as chairs, doors and car bodies. In 1916, Sarah-Ann retired and the company was taken over by William and his new business partner, Roland Morgan, and renamed Ryland (Joinery) Ltd. They leased a woodland and sawmill near Aberystwyth to secure a supply of timber.[1]
Slate and timber businesses in Wales
editIn 1919, Russon and Morgan started the British Timber Plantation Company which took over the Welsh forestry operations and added new woodlands near Llanfyllin. As well as supplying timber to Ryland, they sold pit props to collieries. Later that year, Russon purchased the Hendreddu slate quarry north of Aberystwyth. He then sold the quarry and its associated Hendre-Ddu Tramway to the newly formed National Welsh Slate Quarries Ltd.
Russon used the money from the sale of Hendreddu to purchase the Llangynog slate quarry in the Berwyn mountains. This was sold in 1920 to Standard Housing Company a newly formed company which also purchased Gartheiniog slate quarry about 2 miles away from Hendreddu quarry and also connected to the Hendre-Ddu Tramway. Gartheiniog quarry had been purchased from Sidney Victor Wallis who later married Russon's daughter. As part of the sale of Llangynog quarry, Russon became a major shareholder in Standard Housing Company.
The Standard Housing and National Welsh Slate Quarries companies were deeply intertwined, with Russon working for and holding shares in both. Both companies failed within months of each other in 1921.[1]
Russon was declared bankrupt in 1922,[3] but not before he had secured ownership of Gartheiniog and signed it over to his wife. She remained the owner of the quarry, with William playing a major role in its leasing and management. They sold the quarry in 1935 to a subsidiary of S. Bowley and Son.[1]
Personal life
editRusson married Gertrude James on 15 August 1894. Her family owned the James Cycle Co based at Gough Road, Edgbaston.[4]
Their first son, also called William Clayton Russon was born on 30 June 1895.[5] Their daughter Gertrude Irene Russon was born in 1899.[6] Their second son, James Baron Russon, born in 1904.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Quine, Dan (December 2022). The Hendre Ddu Tramway: Blue Stones and Green Trees. Lightmoor Press. ISBN 9781915069153.
- ^ "Bankruptcies". The London Gazette. 8 December 1905.
- ^ "Financial tangle. Director's amazing career". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 27 April 1922.
- ^ "Died 30 years after "month to live" sentence". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 10 July 1937.
- ^ Jones, David Brinley Clay Jones (2001). "Russon, Sir William". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales.
- ^ England & Wales marriages 1837-2005. Vol. 6D. 1921. p. 34.
- ^ Breese, Bill (c. 1970). Notebook on tramroad and local quarrying.