In search of Samuel Penn, ironworker
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Published
Sep 15, 2021
Abstract
This paper is an account of Samuel Penn and his assistants, English ironworkers who travelled to Russia in the 1830s at the invitation of the Russian government. Penn’s particular responsibility, when he travelled to Russia in 1831, was to introduce the puddling process. Together with two British assistants, he successfully demonstrated the process in a Urals ironworks in 1839, using firewood as a fuel rather than charcoal or coal. In spite of their achievements, virtually nothing is written in the English language about either Samuel Penn or his assistants. They are viewed as men of some importance by several Russian historians, however, in view of the importance of the puddling process as a precursor to industrialisation. This paper summarises information available from those Russian authors whose publications are available either electronically or in British libraries, appended by entries in English censuses and records of births, christenings and marriages.
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References
Anon 1828, Mechanics Magazine, 13 September 1828, 112.
Bartlett R P 1983, ‘Charles Gascoigne in Russia: a case study of the diffusion of British technology, 1786-1806’, in A G Cross (ed), Russia and the West in the eighteenth century (Newtonville, MA), 354-67.
Blackwell W L 1968, The beginnings of Russian industrialisation 1800-1860 (Princeton, NJ).
Blanchard I 1999, ‘Times of feast, times of famine: a critical examination of recent British research concerning market structures and trends in the production of carboniferous fuels, 1450-1850’, in P Benoit and C Verna (eds), Le charbon de terre en Europe avant l’usage industriel du coke. Proceedings of the 20th International Congress of the History of Science, Vol 4, Liege, 20-26 July 1997 (Turnhout), 61-75.
Blanchard I 2000, ‘Russian railway construction and the Urals charcoal iron and steel industry, 1851-1914’, Economic History Review 2nd ser 53(1), 107-26.
Blanchard I 2005, ‘Nineteenth-century Russian and “Western” ferrous metallurgy: complementary or competitive technologies’, in C Evans and G Rydén (eds), The Industrial Revolution in iron (Aldershot), 128-50.
Bowen E G 1978, John Hughes (Yuzovka) (Cardiff).
Campbell R H 1961, Carron company (Edinburgh).
Cross A G 1997, By the banks of the Neva (Cambridge).
Edwards S 1992, Hughesovka: A Welsh enterprise in Imperial Russia (Cardiff).
‘England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers 1567-1970’:
Alice Penn, daughter of Samuel and Susanna, born 7 June 1829, baptised May 1831, Piece 2171: Liverpool Renshaw Street Chapel (formerly in Benns Gardens) (Presbyterian), 1795-1837, page 15 of 25 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Elizabeth Penn, daughter of Samuel and Susanna, born 13 October 1823, baptised 20 April 1825, Piece 2171: Liverpool Renshaw Street Chapel (formerly in Benn’s Gardens) (Presbyterian), 1795-1837, page 12 of 25 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Joshua Penn, son of Samuel and Susanna, born 18 April 1825, baptised 20 April 1825, Piece 2171: Liverpool Renshaw Street Chapel (formerly in Benn’s Gardens) (Presbyterian), 1795-1837, page 12 of 25 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Susan Penn, daughter of Samuel and Susanna, born 21 December 1821, baptised 8 March 1822, Piece 2171: Liverpool Renshaw Street Chapel (formerly in Benn’s Gardens) (Presbyterian), 1795-1837 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
John Penn, son of Bate and Mary, baptised 15 September 1779 at Upper Gornal, Staffordshire, Independent Church, Piece 2354: Upper Gornal, Sedgeley (Independent), page 7 of 33 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 11 May 2017).
‘England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975’:
Bernard Alander, son of George and Mary, baptised 4 July 1803, St Francis of Sales, Needwood, Staffordshire (FHL Film 199491) (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
John Penn, son of Joshua and Elizabeth, baptised 16 January 1780, Rowley Regis, (FHL 0873644, 0096891, 476914) (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Joshua Penn, son of Samuel and Isabel, baptised 2 February 1739, Kingswinford, (FHL 417203) (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Samuel Penn, son of Joshua and Elizabeth, baptised 27 January 1765, Clifton upon Teme (FHL Film Number 465298). (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 11 May 2017);
Samuel Penn, son of Bate and Mary, baptised 15 August 1790, Grimley (FHL Film Number 352037) (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 11 May 2017).
Samuel Penn, son of William and Mary, baptised 26 May 1799, Dawley Magna (FHL Number 908237) (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 30 September 2017).
‘England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973’:
marriage between Samuel Penn and Susannah Baker at St Peter’s Church, Wolverhampton, 8 April 1818 (FHL Film Number 1040899; it3 pg 249). In FHL Film Number 0873647 IT3 and IT4, the bride is listed as Susanna (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017).
‘England, United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers, 1751-1921’:
John Penn, Maltster, 55 years old, born in Wolverhampton. (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 11 May 2017).
Entsiklopediya ‘Permskii Krai’: Entry for Penn Samuil Samuilovich. (Downloaded from http://enc.permculture.ru/showObject.do?object=1803700584&idParentObject=1803701719, 20 April 2017).
Entsiklopediya ‘Permskii Krai’: Entry for Votkinskii Metallurgicheskii Zavod. (Downloaded from http://enc.permculture.ru, 23 May 2017. [Starting from this link to the introductory page for the encyclopedia follow the links to ‘name’ (Imennoi), then to the Cyrillic letter for ‘P’, then to the Cyrillic letters for ‘Penn Samuil Samuilovich’ and finally click on the first footnote in Penn’s entry, namely ‘Votkinskii Metallurgicheskii Zavod’, also in Cyrillic].
Ermakova E O 2013, ‘Zapadnoevropeicheskie spetsialisty na kazennykh zavodakh Urala v pervoi polovine XIX v.’ Avtoreferat dissertatsii soiskanie uchenoi stepeni kandidata istoricheskikh nauk [Author’s abstract of the dissertation defended for the degree of Candidate of Historical Sciences] (Ekaterinburg).
Esper T 1982, ‘Industrial serfdom and metallurgical technology in 19th-century Russia’, Technology and Culture 23, 538-608.
Friedgut T 1989, Iuzovka and revolution, Vol 1, Life and work in Russia’s Donbass, 1869-1924, (Princeton, NJ).
Friedgut T 1994, Iuzovka and revolution, Vol 2, Politics and revolution in Russia’s Donbass, 1869-1924, (New York, NY).
Gale W K V 1969, Iron and steel (London).
Haywood R M 1969, The beginnings of railway development in Russia in the reign of Nicholas I, 1835-1842 (Durham, NC).
Heather R 2010, The iron Tzar: the life and times of John Hughes (Brighton).
Hill M R 2006, ‘Russian iron production in the 18th century’, ICON: Journal of the International Committee for the History of Technology 12, 118-67.
Hill M R 2014, ‘Russian iron and steel production from 1800-1860’, ICON: Journal of the International Committee for the History of Technology 20(2), 125-50.
Ince L 1991, The Knight family and the British iron industry (Chesterfield).
‘Lancashire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1911, Bishops Transcripts Drl/2/279, 430 of 678’:
Anne Penn, daughter of Samuel and Susanna, baptised 5 April 1819, St Peter’s Church, Liverpool. (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017).
Landes D S 1969 The unbound Prometheus (Cambridge).
Lloyd H 1975, The Quaker Lloyds and the industrial revolution (London).
‘London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921’:
marriage of Samuel Penn and Alice Winter, St George’s in the East, Tower Hamlets, 28 November 1787, Parish Register (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 12 May 2017).
‘London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812’:
Samuel Penn, son of Samuel and Alice, baptised 6 January 1789, St Mary, Rotherhithe, Surrey; Parish Register, page 98 of 234 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Lucy Ann Penn, daughter of Samuel and Alice, baptised 21 November 1792, St Mary, Rotherhithe, Surrey; Parish Register, page 7 of 301 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 12 May 2017);
William Richard Penn, son of Samuel and Alice, baptised 4 December 1796, St Mary, Rotherhithe, Surrey; Parish Register, page 40 of 301 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 12 May 2017).
Maiburova E V and Gorodilina V B 2003, ‘Alapaevskaya uvertyura’, Ural 6. (Downloaded from http://magazines.russ.ru/ural/2003/6/alap.html, 6 December 2013).
McNeil I 1990, An encyclopedia of the history of technology (London), 165.
Mott R A 1977, ‘Dry and wet puddling’, Transactions of the Newcomen Society 49, 153-8.
Mott R A (ed P Singer) 1983, Henry Cort: the great finer, creator of puddled iron (London).
ODNB, Oxford dictionary of national biography, sub nomine John Penn (Downloaded from http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21851?docPos=3).
Penn S 1825, Tables shewing the weight of different lengths of round, square and flat bar iron, steel etc (Liverpool).
Robinson E 1975, ‘The transference of British technology to Russia’, in B M Ratcliffe (ed), Great Britain and her world, 1750-1914: Essays in honour of W. O. Henderson (Manchester), 1-26.
Romanova T A and Baksht F B 2009, ‘Pervyi vypusk gornykh inzhenerov v Sibiri’, Izvestiya Tomskogo politekhnicheskogo universiteta 315(1), 96-101.
Strumilin S G 1967, Istoriya chernoi metallurgii v SSSR (Moscow).
Telford T 1825, Life of Thomas Telford, civil engineer, containing a descriptive narrative of his professional labours (London).
Thomas C 2009, Dreaming a city: from Wales to Ukraine (Talybont).
Tikhonov B V 1988, Kamennougol’naya promyshlennost’ i chernaya metallurgiya Rossii vo vtoroi polovine XIXv. (Moscow).
‘UK Register of Duties paid for Apprentices’ Indentures, 1710-1811’:
Master’s name, Bate Penn, 27 August 1784.
Ust’yantsev S V 1994, Ocherkii istorii russkoi promyshlennoi razvedkii v XIX vek (Ekaterinburg). An English translation (Essays in the history of Russian industrial intelligence in the 19th century) is printed in the same book as the Russian original.
Ust’yantsev S V and Logunov E V 1992, Angliiskii tekhnologicheskii opyt i ural’skii gornye zavody XIX veka (Ekaterinburg). An English translation (British technological experience and Ural mining and ironmaking works of the 19th century) is printed in the same book as the Russian original.
Westwood J N 1965, ‘John Hughes and Russian metallurgy’, Economic History Review 2nd ser 17(3), 564-9.
Yakovlev B V 1978, ‘Metallurgiya; pudlingovanie chuguna’, in Kollektiv avtorov (ed), Ocherkii istorii tekhniki v Rossii c drevneisheikh vremen do 60-kh godov XIX veka: gornoe delo, metallurgiya, energetika, mashinostroenie (Moscow), 209-16.
Yatsunskii V K 1973, Sotsialno-ekonomicheskaya istoriya Rossii XVIII-XIX vv. (Moscow).
Bartlett R P 1983, ‘Charles Gascoigne in Russia: a case study of the diffusion of British technology, 1786-1806’, in A G Cross (ed), Russia and the West in the eighteenth century (Newtonville, MA), 354-67.
Blackwell W L 1968, The beginnings of Russian industrialisation 1800-1860 (Princeton, NJ).
Blanchard I 1999, ‘Times of feast, times of famine: a critical examination of recent British research concerning market structures and trends in the production of carboniferous fuels, 1450-1850’, in P Benoit and C Verna (eds), Le charbon de terre en Europe avant l’usage industriel du coke. Proceedings of the 20th International Congress of the History of Science, Vol 4, Liege, 20-26 July 1997 (Turnhout), 61-75.
Blanchard I 2000, ‘Russian railway construction and the Urals charcoal iron and steel industry, 1851-1914’, Economic History Review 2nd ser 53(1), 107-26.
Blanchard I 2005, ‘Nineteenth-century Russian and “Western” ferrous metallurgy: complementary or competitive technologies’, in C Evans and G Rydén (eds), The Industrial Revolution in iron (Aldershot), 128-50.
Bowen E G 1978, John Hughes (Yuzovka) (Cardiff).
Campbell R H 1961, Carron company (Edinburgh).
Cross A G 1997, By the banks of the Neva (Cambridge).
Edwards S 1992, Hughesovka: A Welsh enterprise in Imperial Russia (Cardiff).
‘England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers 1567-1970’:
Alice Penn, daughter of Samuel and Susanna, born 7 June 1829, baptised May 1831, Piece 2171: Liverpool Renshaw Street Chapel (formerly in Benns Gardens) (Presbyterian), 1795-1837, page 15 of 25 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Elizabeth Penn, daughter of Samuel and Susanna, born 13 October 1823, baptised 20 April 1825, Piece 2171: Liverpool Renshaw Street Chapel (formerly in Benn’s Gardens) (Presbyterian), 1795-1837, page 12 of 25 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Joshua Penn, son of Samuel and Susanna, born 18 April 1825, baptised 20 April 1825, Piece 2171: Liverpool Renshaw Street Chapel (formerly in Benn’s Gardens) (Presbyterian), 1795-1837, page 12 of 25 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Susan Penn, daughter of Samuel and Susanna, born 21 December 1821, baptised 8 March 1822, Piece 2171: Liverpool Renshaw Street Chapel (formerly in Benn’s Gardens) (Presbyterian), 1795-1837 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
John Penn, son of Bate and Mary, baptised 15 September 1779 at Upper Gornal, Staffordshire, Independent Church, Piece 2354: Upper Gornal, Sedgeley (Independent), page 7 of 33 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 11 May 2017).
‘England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975’:
Bernard Alander, son of George and Mary, baptised 4 July 1803, St Francis of Sales, Needwood, Staffordshire (FHL Film 199491) (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
John Penn, son of Joshua and Elizabeth, baptised 16 January 1780, Rowley Regis, (FHL 0873644, 0096891, 476914) (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Joshua Penn, son of Samuel and Isabel, baptised 2 February 1739, Kingswinford, (FHL 417203) (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Samuel Penn, son of Joshua and Elizabeth, baptised 27 January 1765, Clifton upon Teme (FHL Film Number 465298). (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 11 May 2017);
Samuel Penn, son of Bate and Mary, baptised 15 August 1790, Grimley (FHL Film Number 352037) (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 11 May 2017).
Samuel Penn, son of William and Mary, baptised 26 May 1799, Dawley Magna (FHL Number 908237) (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 30 September 2017).
‘England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973’:
marriage between Samuel Penn and Susannah Baker at St Peter’s Church, Wolverhampton, 8 April 1818 (FHL Film Number 1040899; it3 pg 249). In FHL Film Number 0873647 IT3 and IT4, the bride is listed as Susanna (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017).
‘England, United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers, 1751-1921’:
John Penn, Maltster, 55 years old, born in Wolverhampton. (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 11 May 2017).
Entsiklopediya ‘Permskii Krai’: Entry for Penn Samuil Samuilovich. (Downloaded from http://enc.permculture.ru/showObject.do?object=1803700584&idParentObject=1803701719, 20 April 2017).
Entsiklopediya ‘Permskii Krai’: Entry for Votkinskii Metallurgicheskii Zavod. (Downloaded from http://enc.permculture.ru, 23 May 2017. [Starting from this link to the introductory page for the encyclopedia follow the links to ‘name’ (Imennoi), then to the Cyrillic letter for ‘P’, then to the Cyrillic letters for ‘Penn Samuil Samuilovich’ and finally click on the first footnote in Penn’s entry, namely ‘Votkinskii Metallurgicheskii Zavod’, also in Cyrillic].
Ermakova E O 2013, ‘Zapadnoevropeicheskie spetsialisty na kazennykh zavodakh Urala v pervoi polovine XIX v.’ Avtoreferat dissertatsii soiskanie uchenoi stepeni kandidata istoricheskikh nauk [Author’s abstract of the dissertation defended for the degree of Candidate of Historical Sciences] (Ekaterinburg).
Esper T 1982, ‘Industrial serfdom and metallurgical technology in 19th-century Russia’, Technology and Culture 23, 538-608.
Friedgut T 1989, Iuzovka and revolution, Vol 1, Life and work in Russia’s Donbass, 1869-1924, (Princeton, NJ).
Friedgut T 1994, Iuzovka and revolution, Vol 2, Politics and revolution in Russia’s Donbass, 1869-1924, (New York, NY).
Gale W K V 1969, Iron and steel (London).
Haywood R M 1969, The beginnings of railway development in Russia in the reign of Nicholas I, 1835-1842 (Durham, NC).
Heather R 2010, The iron Tzar: the life and times of John Hughes (Brighton).
Hill M R 2006, ‘Russian iron production in the 18th century’, ICON: Journal of the International Committee for the History of Technology 12, 118-67.
Hill M R 2014, ‘Russian iron and steel production from 1800-1860’, ICON: Journal of the International Committee for the History of Technology 20(2), 125-50.
Ince L 1991, The Knight family and the British iron industry (Chesterfield).
‘Lancashire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1911, Bishops Transcripts Drl/2/279, 430 of 678’:
Anne Penn, daughter of Samuel and Susanna, baptised 5 April 1819, St Peter’s Church, Liverpool. (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017).
Landes D S 1969 The unbound Prometheus (Cambridge).
Lloyd H 1975, The Quaker Lloyds and the industrial revolution (London).
‘London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921’:
marriage of Samuel Penn and Alice Winter, St George’s in the East, Tower Hamlets, 28 November 1787, Parish Register (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 12 May 2017).
‘London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812’:
Samuel Penn, son of Samuel and Alice, baptised 6 January 1789, St Mary, Rotherhithe, Surrey; Parish Register, page 98 of 234 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 5 May 2017);
Lucy Ann Penn, daughter of Samuel and Alice, baptised 21 November 1792, St Mary, Rotherhithe, Surrey; Parish Register, page 7 of 301 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 12 May 2017);
William Richard Penn, son of Samuel and Alice, baptised 4 December 1796, St Mary, Rotherhithe, Surrey; Parish Register, page 40 of 301 (Downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk, 12 May 2017).
Maiburova E V and Gorodilina V B 2003, ‘Alapaevskaya uvertyura’, Ural 6. (Downloaded from http://magazines.russ.ru/ural/2003/6/alap.html, 6 December 2013).
McNeil I 1990, An encyclopedia of the history of technology (London), 165.
Mott R A 1977, ‘Dry and wet puddling’, Transactions of the Newcomen Society 49, 153-8.
Mott R A (ed P Singer) 1983, Henry Cort: the great finer, creator of puddled iron (London).
ODNB, Oxford dictionary of national biography, sub nomine John Penn (Downloaded from http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21851?docPos=3).
Penn S 1825, Tables shewing the weight of different lengths of round, square and flat bar iron, steel etc (Liverpool).
Robinson E 1975, ‘The transference of British technology to Russia’, in B M Ratcliffe (ed), Great Britain and her world, 1750-1914: Essays in honour of W. O. Henderson (Manchester), 1-26.
Romanova T A and Baksht F B 2009, ‘Pervyi vypusk gornykh inzhenerov v Sibiri’, Izvestiya Tomskogo politekhnicheskogo universiteta 315(1), 96-101.
Strumilin S G 1967, Istoriya chernoi metallurgii v SSSR (Moscow).
Telford T 1825, Life of Thomas Telford, civil engineer, containing a descriptive narrative of his professional labours (London).
Thomas C 2009, Dreaming a city: from Wales to Ukraine (Talybont).
Tikhonov B V 1988, Kamennougol’naya promyshlennost’ i chernaya metallurgiya Rossii vo vtoroi polovine XIXv. (Moscow).
‘UK Register of Duties paid for Apprentices’ Indentures, 1710-1811’:
Master’s name, Bate Penn, 27 August 1784.
Ust’yantsev S V 1994, Ocherkii istorii russkoi promyshlennoi razvedkii v XIX vek (Ekaterinburg). An English translation (Essays in the history of Russian industrial intelligence in the 19th century) is printed in the same book as the Russian original.
Ust’yantsev S V and Logunov E V 1992, Angliiskii tekhnologicheskii opyt i ural’skii gornye zavody XIX veka (Ekaterinburg). An English translation (British technological experience and Ural mining and ironmaking works of the 19th century) is printed in the same book as the Russian original.
Westwood J N 1965, ‘John Hughes and Russian metallurgy’, Economic History Review 2nd ser 17(3), 564-9.
Yakovlev B V 1978, ‘Metallurgiya; pudlingovanie chuguna’, in Kollektiv avtorov (ed), Ocherkii istorii tekhniki v Rossii c drevneisheikh vremen do 60-kh godov XIX veka: gornoe delo, metallurgiya, energetika, mashinostroenie (Moscow), 209-16.
Yatsunskii V K 1973, Sotsialno-ekonomicheskaya istoriya Rossii XVIII-XIX vv. (Moscow).
How to Cite
Hill, M. (2021). In search of Samuel Penn, ironworker. Historical Metallurgy, 50(1), 43-52. https://www.hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/61
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How to Cite
Hill, M. (2021). In search of Samuel Penn, ironworker. Historical Metallurgy, 50(1), 43-52. https://www.hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/61