Hugh Myddelton
Sir Hugh Myddelton, Bt | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Denbigh Boroughs | |
In office 1604–1629 | |
Preceded by | John Panton |
Succeeded by | Parliament suspended until 1640 |
Personal details | |
Born | 1560 Denbighshire, Wales |
Died | 10 December 1631 London, England | (aged 71)
Spouses | Anne Collins Edwards
(m. 1585; died 1597)Elizabeth Olmstead (m. 1598) |
Relations | Thomas Myddelton (brother) Robert Myddelton (brother) |
Children | 16 |
Parent(s) | Richard Myddelton Jane Dryhurst |
Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Known for | New River |
Sir Hugh Myddelton (or Middleton), 1st Baronet (1560 – 10 December 1631)[a] was a Welsh clothmaker, entrepreneur, mine-owner, goldsmith, banker and self-taught engineer. The spelling of his name is inconsistently reproduced, but Myddelton appears to be the earliest, and most consistently used in place names associated with him.
Early life
Myddelton was born in 1560 at Galch Hill, Denbighshire, Wales. He as the sixth son of Richard Myddelton, governor of Denbigh Castle in Wales and MP for Denbigh Boroughs and Jane Dryhurst, daughter of Hugh Dryhurst and Lucy (née Grimsditch) Dryhurst. Among his brothers were Sir Thomas Myddelton, Lord Mayor of London, William Middelton, poet and seaman, and Robert Myddelton, also an MP.[2]
Career
He travelled to seek his fortune in
New River
Myddelton is best remembered as the driving force behind the construction of the New River, an ambitious engineering project to bring clean water into London. After the initial project, started by Edmund Colthurst, encountered financial difficulties, Myddelton helped fund the project through to completion, obtaining the assistance of King James I. The New River was constructed between 1608 and 1613 (being officially opened on 29 September that year), and was originally some 42 miles (68 km) long. It was not initially a financial success, and cost Myddelton substantial sums, although in 1612 he was successful in securing monetary assistance from King James I.
In 1619, the
Mining activities
In 1617, Myddelton obtained large profits from lead and silver
Personal life
Myddelton was twice married. His first wife was Anne (
He died in December 1631 at Bush Hill,
Memorials
There is a statue of Myddelton on Islington Green. Myddleton is also depicted in a statue situated in a niche of the northeastern step-building of the Holborn Viaduct. On an island in the New River at Great Amwell a stone memorial is dedicated to Myddelton. A blue plaque marks the site of his former residence at the end of Cunard Crescent in Enfield.
In Clerkenwell, not far from the original southern end of the New River, Myddelton Square takes its name from him, as do Myddelton Passage and Myddleton Street. Institutions nearby (some closed) that are named after him include Hugh Myddelton Primary School in Myddelton Street; the Myddelton Wing of the LSE Rosebery Hall of Residence, also on Myddelton Street; Hugh Myddelton Secondary school (which closed in the mid 1960s in Sans Walk, Islington); and Myddelton House on Pentonville Road, central office of Citizens Advice.
Bounded by the former course along the valley of
Myddelton Avenue in Finsbury Park, parallel to Brownswood Road and the site of one of the New River Reservoirs, also is named for him. At the northern end of the New River, Myddleton Road in Ware is situated close to the source of the river. Myddelton Road in Bowes Park crosses the New River at a point where it goes underground between there and the Hornsey water treatment works, where there is another Myddelton Road off Hornsey High Street. [5]
References
- Notes
- Britannica has him listed as being born 1559/60 and his death on 19 July 1643.[1]
- Sources
- Britannica. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ newriver.pdf at shelford.org
- ^ Baynes, Thomas Spencer (1884). The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature. J. M. Stoddart. p. 122. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ Great Amwell memorial urn Archived 4 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 October 2011
Sources
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 110–111.
- Goodwin, Gordon (1894). Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 39. London: Smith, Elder & Co. . In
- Jenner, Mark S. R. (2008) [2004]. "Myddelton , Sir Hugh, baronet (1556x60?–1631)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/19683. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
External links
- biography in Science & Society Picture Library
- page 534 of Tallis's Topographical Dictionary of England and Wales, published 1860[permanent dead link]
- Water-related Infrastructure in Medieval London
- Welsh Biography Online – Myddleton family
- Biography