Henry Booth

Henry Booth was born in Rodney Street, Liverpool, England,{{Sfnp|Smiles|1869|pp=12, 20}} a descendant of the Booths of Twemlow.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} His father, Thomas, was the son of a yeoman farmer of Orford, Cheshire.{{Sfnp|John|2015|p=16}} Thomas and his brother George apprenticed to corn merchant Dobson in 1767, and {{Circa}} 1774 began business as corn factors on the own account at 17 King Street, Liverpool.{{Sfnp|John|2015|p=16}} As eldest son, it was expected Henry would follow his father in that business and was sent to a Dr. Shepherd, a Presbyterian minister in the nearby village of Gateacre for instruction.{{Sfnp|Smiles|1869|p=13}} He showed an aptitude for reading books, poetry, practical mechanics and was noted for a good eye for proportion.{{Sfnp|Smiles|1869|p=14}} Henry initially found employment in his father's business before branching out with this own corn merchant business, being noted for not being particularly successful.{{Sfnp|Smiles|1869|p=19}}

{{quote box|text=... the five young men who, beyond all others, helped to set the Age of Steam firmly on its way. The five men were: George Stephenson's own son Robert; two of his pupils, Joseph Locke and John Dixon, Timothy Hackworth, the locomotive superintendent of the Stockton and Darlington Railway; and Henry Booth|author=Nock, O. S.{{Sfnp|Nock|1957|pp=11–12}}

|align = right

|width = 40%

|border = 1px

|fontsize = 90%

|quoted = true

|salign = right

}}

Booth's father Thomas had been an original member of the L&M project original provisional committee in 1822. Henry later replaced his father and quickly became noted for organisational and promotional skills and enthusiasm for the endeavour which was to an extent stalling by 1823 and least in part due to the difficulties and over-commitment of William James. Appointed as committee secretary and noted as becoming second only to Joseph Saunders in commitment to the project Booth was one of the four members of a working party sent to visit other railways at Bedlington Ironworks, Killingworth and Hetton colliery, returning with a report recommending steam locomotive haulage for the L&M.{{sfnp|Carlson|1969|pp=62–64}} A meeting of 20 May 1824 accepted the report but also took the steps to forming a Joint Stock Company, Booth writing the prospectus which was issued on 29 October 1824.{{sfnp|Carlson|1969|p=81}}

1825 saw Booth give up his corn merchant interests to concentrate on the L&M project.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

The original enabling act for the L&M was defeated in parliament in 1825,{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69586028/the-united-states-gazette/| title=Strictures On Hamilton, Or Railways vs. Canals| newspaper=The United States Gazette| location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania| date=25 November 1825| page=4| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} George Stephenson performing badly. Stephenson was more of a self-taught rather than formally trained civil engineer and his situation was not helped by some of his subordinate engineers who had made significant errors in the submission which were picked up on. While Booth had requested no scapegoats were made, one of the engineers committed suicide.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

The L&M used the Rennie brothers for a further submission to build the railway in 1826. The revised presentation focused on the use of stationary engines with mobile locomotives only to be considered if their technology improved. With focus away from locomotives and the pro-stationary engine and the Rennies involved, the enabling bill emerged from committee in late March,{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69587363/the-leeds-intelligencer-and-yorkshire/| title=Liverpool and Manchester Railway| newspaper=Leeds Intelligencer| date=23 March 1826| page=2| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} passed the House of Commons in early April,{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69587761/the-morning-chronicle/| title=House of Commons: Liverpool and Manchester Railway| newspaper=The Morning Chronicle| location=London| date=7 April 1826| page=1| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} passed the House of Lords and received Royal assent in early May 1826.{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69588355/the-guardian/| title=House of Lords, Tuesday - Manchester and Liverpool Rail-way| newspaper=The Guardian| location=London| date=6 May 1826| page=4| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69588188/liverpool-mercury-etc/| title=Liverpool| newspaper=Liverpool Mercury| date=12 May 1826| page=6| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} With the bill passed, Booth, Saunders and other pro-locomotive directors replaced the Rennies recalling George Stephenson to build the railway, much to the Rennies' chagrin.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

On 29 May 1826 following the achievement of the enabling act for the L&M, at a meeting of subscribers Booth was appointed treasurer at a salary of £500 a year.{{Sfnp|Carlson|1969|p=180}}{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69586685/liverpool-mercury-etc/| title=Liverpool and Manchester Railway| newspaper=Liverpool Mercury| date=2 June 1826| page=2| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} He was to continue competently{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} fulfilling the posts of Treasurer, Secretary and later General Manager for the life of the L&M.{{Sfnp|Thomas|1980|p=21}}{{efn|For practical purposes in this age the company treasurer could take on the functions now termed the chief executive officer}}

As the building of the railway continued toward conclusion the board was split as whether to use stationary engines or mobile locomotives particularly over the significant inclines around Rainhill. Booth was in favour of locomotive haulage; however locomotives being built were mostly orientated towards freight haulage to and from mines and not for higher speed passenger work. The single flue design used by locomotives was one of the constraints to raising steam due to the limited heating surface between the hot tubes and water in the boiler. That this was understood was indicated by the reverse flue in Hawkworth's Royal George, the most powerful locomotive of the time, which reversed the main flue. Booth and the L&MR board initially gave the Stephensons £100 to experiment with a multi-tube boiler, however the result was not successful. Lancashire Witch, which was initially to have had a multi-tube boiler eventually emerged with a single main flue and two subsidiary flues.{{sfnp|Nock|1957|pp=14–15}}

On 20 April 1829 the board of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway project passed a resolution for a competition to be held to prove their railway could be reliably operated by steam locomotives, there being advice from eminent engineers of the age that stationary engines would be required.{{Sfnp|Ferneyhough|1980|p=44}} A prize of £500 was offered as an incentive to the winner, with strict conditions a locomotive would need to meet to enter the trial.{{Sfnp|Ferneyhough|1980|p=46}} Booth and the Stephensons partnered to produce a premium engine with a multi-tube boiler that was to become Stephenson's Rocket and which was to win the Rainhill Trials in October 1829.{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69590772/sheffield-and-rotherham-independent/| title=Trial of Locomotive Carriages| newspaper=Sheffield and Rotherham Independent| date=17 October 1829| page=2| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69590244/the-baltimore-sun/| title=Locomotive race to be re-enacted in Britain| newspaper=The Baltimore Sun| location=Baltimore, Maryland| date=20 January 1980| page=95| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}

There are suggestions it was Booth who proposed the basic design of the first multi-tubular boiler as used on Rocket, built in late 1829 for the L&M Railway.{{Sfnp|Smiles|1869|pp=38–42}} The first record of Booth first referring to "method of producing steam without smoke", or the multi-tube boiler, occurs in the Minutes of an L&M board meeting in the Spring of 1827.{{Sfnp|Nock|1957|p=13}} Marc Seguin of France also claimed the invention as his.{{Sfnp|Smiles|1869|pp=41–42}}

File:Booth-screw-coupling-diagram-from-Osbourne-guide.png

Booth was the company treasurer of the L&M for the whole 15 years of its operating life, the railway taking over from the Stockton and Darlington as the model to be followed. Especially in the early pioneering years, challenges arose and had to be overcome.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} Booth's contributions to the railway continued to be recognised with his salary being increased from £750 to £1,000 in 1834 and four years later to £1,500.{{Sfnp|Donaghy|1972|p=412}} Even though treasurer,{{efn|Booth was one of many employees bring forth suggestions and inventions.{{Sfnp|Donaghy|1972|p=55}}}} Booth made some technical contributions to the railway including lubrication of certain parts of locomotives using grease rather than oil.{{Sfnp|Donaghy|1972|p=55}} Booth is also connected with the use of buffers for the coach rolling stock, even having to account to parliament on the matter in 1832 and introducing and devised an arrangement with an additional set of springs with double hanging shackles for first class coaches. {{Sfnp|Donaghy1972|pp=59–62}}{{efn|The earliest L&M coaches were connected with chains which were replaced by springs in 1831 ... there was severe jolting on starting and see-sawing in motion}}

Booth was a leading proponent of working all British railways to one standard time.{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VEimJkOmW1kC&q=%22henry+booth%22+%22standard+time%22&pg=PA234| via=Google books| quote=Henry Booth's 1845 pamphlet urging the British to adopt standard time...| page=234| title=Networking: Communicating with Bodies and Machines in the Nineteenth Century| first=Laura| last=Otis| location=Ann Arbor| publisher=The University of Michigan Press| year=2001| isbn=0-472-11213-9}}{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zop_DwAAQBAJ&q=%22henry+booth%22+%22standard+time%22&pg=PA256| via=Google Books| quote=... in 1845 Henry Booth, Secretary of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, petitioned Parliament to establish one standard time for railroad operations throughout the country.| page=256| title=Diverging Tracks: American Versus English Rail Travel in the 19th Century| first=Trevor K.| last=Snowdon| publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.| location=Jefferson, North Carolina| isbn=978-1-4766-7154-3| year=2019}}

File:Henry Booth memorial, Ullet Road church.jpg.]]

On the formation of the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) on 16 July 1846, he became a director of the new large company, serving until 18 May 1859.{{Sfnp|Smiles|1869}} He also served as the company secretary for the LNWR's Northern Division for a year, being the first person to do so.{{Sfnp|Ferneyhough|1980|p=143}}

Booth is credited with the invention of the screw coupling, with a statue of him holding one displayed in St George's Hall, Liverpool.{{sfnp|Ferneyhough|1980|p=143}}

{{clear}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite book|last=Booth|first=Henry|date=1830|title=An Account of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway

|url=https://archive.org/stream/accountofliverpo00boot| via=Archive.org| oclc=30937|ol=OL16085034W|publisher=Wales and Baines|location=Liverpool}}

• {{cite book|last=Carlson|first=Robert|year=1969

|title=The Liverpool and Manchester Railway Project 1821–1831|publisher=David and Charles|location=Newton Abbot|isbn=0-7153-4646-6|oclc=468636235|ol=4538910W}}

• {{Donaghy-LMR}}
• {{Ferneyhough-LMR}}
• {{Cite book|last=John|first=A.H.|date=2015|title=A Liverpool Merchant House : Being the History of Alfreed Booth & Co. 1863-1959

|publisher=Routledge|location=London|oclc=1100452696|isbn=9781136605192}}

• {{Cite book|last=Nock|first=O. S.|date=1957|title=Steam locomotive, the unfinished story of steam locomotives and steam locomotive men on the railways of Great Britain

|publisher=George Allen & Unwin|author-link=O. S. Nock|oclc=2665292|ol=OL6231650M}}

• {{cite book |last=Smiles |first=Robert |date=1869

|title=Memoir of the Late Henry Booth, of the Liverpool and Manchester, and Afterwards of the London and North-Western Railway

|url=https://archive.org/details/memoirlatehenry00smilgoog |via=Archive.org |location=London |publisher=Wyman & Sons|ol=20540734M|oclc=12309582}}

• {{cite book |last=Thomas |first=R. G. H.|date=1980 |title=The Liverpool & Manchester Railway

|publisher=B. T. Batsford|location=London|isbn=0713405376|oclc=6355432|ol=6395958W}}

{{Refend}}

{{Commons category|Henry Booth}}

• {{cite book| title=Encyclopedia of British Railway Companies| first=Christopher| last=Awdry| publisher=Guild Publishing| location=England| year=1990}} CN 8983
• {{cite book|last=Whitting|first=Harriet Anna|date=1917|title=Alfred Booth: Some Memories Letters and other Family Records

|chapter=I:II Henry Booth|publisher=Henry Young & Sons|location=Liverpool|oclc=1039522124|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/alfredboothsomem00whit/page/6/mode/2up| via=Archive.org}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Booth, Henry}}

Category:1788 births

Category:1869 deaths

Category:English engineers

Category:Businesspeople from Liverpool

Category:19th-century English businesspeople