Abraham Darby I (1678-1717) laid the foundation stone for the family’s wealth and success. After moving to Bristol in 1699, he established the Baptist Mills brass works,

including the world’s first metallurgy laboratory, followed by an iron foundry in 1706. Two years later, he took out a lease on the derelict furnace at Coalbrookdale and put all his energies - and cash - into the manufacture of kettles, pots and cauldrons. Ever inventive, Darby began experimenting with different methods of foundry power and, in 1709, invented coke-smelting, which replaced the more-expensive charcoal with coal. This was a key step forward in the mass production of brass and iron goods.

Abraham Darby II (1711-1763) was only six when his father died, and a lengthy battle for control of Coalbrookdale ensued. Eventually, a share of the company was secured and held in trust for young Abraham and his siblings. He became a full partner in the company in 1738. Under his management, a method of making iron with coke, so that it could be used to make wrought iron, was perfected and the use of steam engine pumps in water-powered furnaces increased.

After Abraham II’s death, his son-in-law, Richard Reynolds, took over the works, as the rightful heir, Abraham III, was only 11. In 1768, Abraham III started his involvement with the family firm. Like his father, he realised the importance of steam in the iron industry and, from 1785, the Coalbrookdale furnaces were powered by this method.

When Abraham III wasn’t planning to build the world’s first iron bridge, he was keenly interested in botany and geology, and amused himself by acquiring and experimenting with the latest scientific gadgets of the day, including a machine which generated a small charge of electricity. One such experiment was noted by his sister-in-law Deborah: "We had had a few shocks. The electricity was very strong tonight. Abraham gave Uncle Barnard some shocks and he says he thinks he is the better for them."

Francis Darby
© Ironbridge Gore Museum Trust www.ironbridge.org.uk

Francis Darby was Abraham III’s eldest son and suffered the family predicament of losing his father at an early age - at six years old. Although he subsequently became a partner in the firm, he largely took a back seat. His main contribution appears to have got the company involved in art castings. As a result, many exhibits for the 1851 Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace were made at Coalbrookdale, including a number of 60ft-wide ornamental gates; a 30ft-high cast iron dome, supported on six pillars, and a statue of Andromeda - the latter was eventually bought by Queen Victoria for £300.

It was left to Francis’s second cousins, Abraham Darby IV (1804-78) and Alfred (1807-52), to take up the Coalbrookdale company reins. In 1830, they took over management of the Horsehay works, investing in new equipment, and it’s widely believed that the 800 tons of wrought iron plate produced for the SS Great Britain in 1839 came from Horsehay. Abraham IV was the first in the family to break the Quaker ranks, joining the Church of England and helping to establish Coalbrookdale Church. In 1849, after a series of family disagreements, he withdrew from active management of the Coalbrookdale Company and moved to Buckinghamshire.

Alfred’s son, called - what else? - Alfred II (1850-1925) was the final family link to Coalbrookdale: he was chairman from 1886 until his death, and thus the Darby's long and illustrious history in the regional and national industrial revolution ended.