Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton was born on the 3rd of September 1728 in Birmingham, England. His father, also named Matthew, ran a small workshop specializing in buckles and other metal items known as toys. The elder Boulton moved to Birmingham from Lichfield in 1700 and married Christiana Piers that same year. Young Matthew was their third child, following an older brother who died at age two in 1726. By the time his own father passed away in 1759, young Matthew had already managed the business for several years. He inherited a thriving operation that produced small metal goods like buttons and buckles for export to France. The family moved to the Snow Hill area of Birmingham, a well-to-do neighborhood with new houses. At age fifteen, he left school after local grammar schools fell into disrepair. By seventeen, he had invented a technique for inlaying enamels in buckles that proved so popular they were exported to France before being reimported to Britain.
In 1761, Boulton leased land at Soho in Staffordshire, which included a residence called Soho House and a rolling mill. He required his partner John Fothergill to vacate Soho House by 1766 so he could live there with his family. Both husband and wife eventually died there, Anne in 1783 and Matthew in 1809. By 1765, the Soho Manufactory had been erected as a modern industrial marvel. The principal building featured a Palladian front with nineteen bays for loading and unloading. Clerks and managers occupied quarters on the upper storeys while workshops filled other buildings. Local architect William Wyatt designed the structure when industrial buildings were typically engineered rather than architecturally designed. The final cost reached five times the initial estimate of £2,000, totaling over £20,000 in building and equipment expenses. Boulton adopted the latest metalworking techniques and branched into silver plate, ormolu gilt bronze, and decorative arts. He became the first Birmingham manufacturer to produce large items like candlesticks using thin die-stamped sections joined together.
Boulton began corresponding with James Watt in 1766 and met him two years later. In 1772, Watt's partner Dr. John Roebuck ran into financial difficulties and owed Boulton £1,200. Boulton accepted Roebuck's two-thirds share in Watt's patent as satisfaction of the debt. Fothergill refused any part in the speculation and took cash instead. Boulton convinced Watt to move to Birmingham in 1774, entering into partnership the following year. By 1775, six of the fourteen years of Watt's original patent had elapsed. Parliament passed an act extending Watt's patent until 1800 thanks to Boulton's lobbying efforts. The firm installed its first engines in 1776, one for iron master John Wilkinson and another at a mine in Tipton in the Black Country. Between 1775 and 1800, the company produced approximately 450 engines. They rarely built engines themselves but assembled parts purchased from various suppliers on-site under Soho engineer supervision. The company profited by comparing coal usage against less efficient Newcomen engines, requiring payments of one-third of annual savings for twenty-five years.
Boulton became a key member of the Lunar Society, a group of Birmingham-area men prominent in arts, sciences, and theology. Members included James Watt, Erasmus Darwin, Josiah Wedgwood, and Joseph Priestley. The society met each month near the full moon to provide light for journeys home afterwards. Following Dr. William Small's death in 1775, Boulton took steps to formalize the organization. They met on Sundays beginning with dinner at 2 pm and continuing discussions until at least 8 o'clock. In 1785 both Boulton and Watt were elected as Fellows of the Royal Society without a single vote cast against them. Sir Joseph Banks sailed with Captain James Cook to the South Pacific in 1768 carrying green glass earrings made at Soho to give to natives. Captain Cook ordered an instrument from Boulton in 1776 most likely for navigation use. Despite time constraints from business expansion, Boulton continued philosophical work including observations on mercury freezing points, pulse rates, planetary movements, sealing wax, and disappearing ink. Historian Jenny Uglow later called these members fathers of the Industrial Revolution for their pioneering work in experimental chemistry, physics, engineering, and medicine.
By 1786 two-thirds of coins circulating in Britain were counterfeit, prompting the Royal Mint to shut itself down and worsen the situation. Boulton established the Soho Mint in 1788 as part of his industrial plant. The mint included eight steam-driven presses each striking between seventy and eighty-four coins per minute. In February 1797 the Bank of England stopped redeeming bills for gold leading to a national financial crisis. Lord Hawkesbury summoned Boulton to London on the 3rd of March 1797 informing him of government plans to issue copper coins. Four days later Boulton attended a Privy Council meeting and received a contract by month's end. A proclamation dated the 26th of July 1797 directed measures for immediate supply of copper coinage adapted for payment of laborious poor. The twopenny coins measured exactly one inch and a half across with sixteen pennies reaching two feet when lined up. Designed by Heinrich Küchler, the coins featured raised rims with incuse letters difficult for counterfeiters to match. The penny was first struck in copper at this denomination continuing until decimalisation in 1971. Much mintage melted down in 1800 when copper prices rose making them too heavy for commerce.
Boulton conceived holding a music festival in Birmingham to raise funds for a hospital after friend Dr John Ash sought to build one. The festival took place in September 1768 as the first of series lasting until 1912. The Birmingham General Hospital opened in 1779 following these fundraising efforts. He also helped build the General Dispensary where outpatient treatment could be obtained serving as treasurer writing If funds are insufficient I will make up deficiency. The Dispensary outgrew original quarters opening new building in Temple Row in 1808 shortly before Boulton's death. He founded New Street Theatre in 1774 later writing that having theatre encouraged well-to-do visitors to spend more money than otherwise. In 1794 he was elected High Sheriff of Staffordshire his county of residence. Concerned about crime levels he complained streets were infested from noon day to midnight with prostitutes. Prior to police establishment he served on committee organizing volunteers to patrol streets at night reducing crime. He supported local militia providing money for weapons and paid for weapons for volunteer company sworn to resist French invasion during war with France.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When and where was Matthew Boulton born?
Matthew Boulton was born on the 3rd of September 1728 in Birmingham, England. He was the third child of Matthew Boulton and Christiana Piers.
What did Matthew Boulton produce at his Soho Manufactory?
Matthew Boulton produced small metal goods like buttons and buckles before branching into silver plate, ormolu gilt bronze, and decorative arts. He became the first Birmingham manufacturer to produce large items like candlesticks using thin die-stamped sections joined together.
How did Matthew Boulton partner with James Watt?
Matthew Boulton accepted Dr. John Roebuck's two-thirds share in Watt's patent as satisfaction of a debt in 1772. He convinced Watt to move to Birmingham in 1774 and entered into partnership the following year.
Why did Matthew Boulton establish the Soho Mint?
Matthew Boulton established the Soho Mint in 1788 because two-thirds of coins circulating in Britain were counterfeit by 1786. The government issued copper coinage contracts to him in March 1797 to address the national financial crisis.
Which society did Matthew Boulton join and what was its meeting schedule?
Matthew Boulton became a key member of the Lunar Society which met each month near the full moon. Following formalization efforts after 1775, they met on Sundays beginning with dinner at 2 pm and continuing discussions until at least 8 o'clock.