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1 Dockwra, William
SUBJECT AREA: Metallurgy[br]d. 1716[br]English merchant; manufacturer of copper, brass, wire and pins.[br]William Dockwra established a penny postal system in London in 1683. He was appointed Comptroller of the Penny Post in 1697, but following enquiries into his activities he was dismissed on charges of maladministration. In the early 1690s he was heading a partnership with premises at Esher, formerly the brassworks of Jacob Momma. Brass was made there and both brass and copper sheet was manufactured by water-powered rolling mills, at a time when such techniques were new to England. Wire was drawn and used for pinmaking on the premises, making this the first comprehensive works of its kind. Dockwra was involved in a further partnership based at Redbrook on the Wye in Gloucestershire, where copper was smelted by John Coster using new coal-fired reverberatory furnaces. It was from there that the Esher works received its copper for brassmaking and other manufacturing processes. Following his dismissal as Comptroller of the Penny Post, Dockwra's fortunes declined. By the early years of the eighteenth century he had withdrawn from his involvement in manufacturing, no longer being included in either of his former partnerships, although their work continued.[br]Further ReadingJ.Day, 1973, Bristol Brass: A History of the Industry (puts Dockwra's manufacturing activities in context).J.Houghton, 1697, Husbandry and Trade Improv'd (a contemporary account of Dockwra's industrial activities).JD -
2 Metallurgy
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3 Momma (Mumma), Jacob
SUBJECT AREA: Metallurgy[br]b. early seventeenth century Germanyd. 1679 England[br]German (naturalized English) immigrant skilled in the manufacture and production of brass, who also mined and smelted copper.[br]The protestant Momma family were well known in Aachen, the seventeenth-century centre of German brass production. Subjected to religious pressures, some members of the family moved to nearby Stolberg, while others migrated to Sweden, starting brass manufacture there. Jacob travelled to England, establishing brassworks with two German partners at Esher in Surrey in 1649; theirs was the only such works in England to survive for more than a few years during the seventeenth century.Jacob, naturalized English by 1660, is often referred to in England as Mummer or another variant of his name. He became respected, serving as a juror, and was appointed a constable in 1661. During the 1660s Momma was engaged in mining copper at Ecton Hill, Staffordshire, where he was credited with introducing gunpowder to English mining technology. He smelted his ore at works nearby in an effort to secure copper supplies, but the whole project was brief and unprofitable.The alternative imported copper required for his brass came mainly from Sweden, its high cost proving a barrier to viable English brass production. In 1662 Momma petitioned Parliament for some form of assistance. A year later he pleaded further for higher tariffs against brass-wire imports as protection from the price manipulation of Swedish exporters. He sought support from the Society of Mineral and Battery Works, the Elizabethan monopoly (see Dockwra, William) claiming jurisdiction over the country's working of brass, but neither petition succeeded. Despite these problems with the high cost of copper supplies in England, Momma continued his business and is recorded as still paying hearth tax on his twenty brass furnaces up to 1664. Although these were abandoned before his death and he claimed to have lost £6,000 on his brassworks, his wire mills survived him for a few years under the management of his son.[br]Further ReadingJ.Morton, 1985, The rise of the modern copper and brass industry: 1690 to 1750, unpublished thesis: University of Birmingham, 16–25.J.Day, 1984, "The continental origins of Bristol Brass", Industrial Archaeology Review 8/1: 32–56.John Robey, 1969, "Ecton copper mines in the seventeenth century", Bulletin of the Peak District Mines Historic Society 4(2):145–55 (the most comprehensive published account).JD
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William Dockwra — was an English entrepreneur who created the first penny post. He was born in the City of London, the son of an armourer, and was baptised on 26 April 1635. He was the uncle of Mary Davies, whose dowry of Mayfair and other lands near London would… … Wikipedia
Dockwra — This interesting surname of English origin with variant spellings Dockray, Dockerey, Dockwray, Dockeray, Dockwra etc., is a locational name from Dockray in Cumberland, deriving from the old Norse dokk meaning a hollow, valley or the old English… … Surnames reference
Лондонская пенни-почта — англ. London Penny Post Почтовый штемпель … Википедия
Docwra — Docwra, also with spelling Dockwra, Dockwray, Dockray and other variants, is a surname, and may refer to: Henry Dockwra, 1st Baron Dockwra (c. 1568–1631) Theodore Dockwra, 2nd Baron Dockwra (c. 1609–1647) Thomas Docwra Tracy Dockray William… … Wikipedia
Докрей, Уильям — Уильям Докрей англ. William Dockwra (Dockwray) Род деятельности: английский предприниматель, организатор пенни почты Дата рождения: 1635 год … Википедия
Докрей — Докрей, Уильям Уильям Докрей William Dockwra (Dockwray) Предприниматель, организатор пенни почты … Википедия
Докрей У. — Уильям Докрей William Dockwra (Dockwray) Предприниматель, организатор пенни почты Дата рождения: 1635 … Википедия
Докрей Уильям — Уильям Докрей William Dockwra (Dockwray) Предприниматель, организатор пенни почты Дата рождения: 1635 … Википедия
Уильям Докрей — William Dockwra (Dockwray) Предприниматель, организатор пенни почты Дата рождения: 1635 … Википедия
penny post — (formerly) any of various postal systems delivering mail for a penny a letter. [1670 80] * * * ▪ postal service private postal service created by the London merchant William Dockwra in 1680. All letters and packets up to one pound in weight … Universalium
postal system — System that allows persons to send letters, parcels, or packages to addressees in the same country or abroad. Postal systems are usually government run and paid for by a combination of user charges and government subsidies. There are early… … Universalium
