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Henry
Cort: researched over an eight-year period, this site contains the
most reliable and up-to-date information on the British inventor. Please email site controller Eric
Alexander with any comments or queries. |
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Who was Henry Cort? Cort's ironmaking processes were key to
the great expansion of the industry in the early nineteenth century, thus
providing an essential ingredient for the railways,
bridges and machinery of the industrial revolution. Cort's story also has a controversial element, because of
allegations that his downfall resulted from a conspiracy involving Government
ministers. One purpose of this website
(modified September 2008 after the crucial evidence was discovered) is to dispel this myth. Past attempts to discover more about Cort's
life have been hampered by difficulties in gaining access to the
evidence. This task is much easier now
that many archive catalogues are computerised. It nevertheless requires information from a
wide variety of sources. Winchester, Aberystwyth and Edinburgh are
among places visited to get the information on this website, although a large
proportion has been found at the National Archives. Development of website The site was launched on 29th July 2006 (150th anniversary of a Times leader describing Cort as "father of
the iron trade"), and pages have been added periodically to cover a wide
spectrum of background events and attitudes, as well as the essentials of the
Cort story. Details of development and visitor monitoring are covered on other pages. |
Pages of immediate interest Links to other sites National sites Institution of Civil Engineers Institution of Mechanical
Engineers Association
for Industrial Archaeology Library houses Mott collection British Artist Blacksmiths
Association Local sites Commemorated Cort, 2000 Henry
Cort Community College, Fareham Hampshire Industrial
Archaeological Society Gosport
local information Broseley Local History
Society Information on Shropshire ironmasters Industrial figures,
Sheffield area |
henrycort.net
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