Out Of The Blue Artifacts A Library of a lifetime of collecting
Mr William Bailey Partridge 1839-1909.
Mr William Bailey Partridge was born in 1839, a native of Beaufort, he was the grandson of Mr James Partridge of Stratford St Mary and Holton St Mary who married Elizabeth, the sister of Sir Joseph Bailey M.P., first baronet of Glanusk Park and grandfather of the first Lord Glanusk, was the third son of Arthur and Sarah Partridge of Shelley Hall, near Hadleigh, Suffolk.
Mr Partridge for many years acted as right-hand man to Mr Crawshay Bailey, the famous iron founder and managed the Nantyglo Iron Works for many years. Mr W. B. Partridge leased the Varteg Colliery and Works from Mr Crawshay Bailey. He later met with Mr Edward Jones and a partnership was formed to take over the proprietorship of the Varteg Collieries and Iron Works.
Miss Mary Frances Elizabeth Hamp.
On Tuesday 19th of September 1871, Mr William Bailey Partridge married Miss Mary Frances Elizabeth Hamp, daughter of Mr William H. Hamp of Hereford. They both lived at Bacton, Hereford but maintained a close partnership with Mr Edward Jones. This partnership worked well as Partridge Jones & Co an unlimited company which controlled the Varteg Colliery and two blast furnaces, they also acquired the Plasycoed and Cwmsychan Slope Collieries with coal output just a few thousand tons per year.
Messrs Partridge Jones & Co Ltd.
In 1874 the whole concern was turned into a limited company undertaking under the style of Partridge Jones & Co Ltd.
In the late 1800’s Mr W. B. Partridge was chairman, Mr Edward Jones was managing director. The company’s collieries at this time included Llanerch, Blaensychan, Gwenallt and Llanhilleth and Havod Van (House Coal) with that company employing over 3,000 men and a total output nearing 1 million tons per year.
The Death of Mr William Bailey Partridge.
Mr William Bailey Partridge sadly passed away in September 1909 at Bacton, Hereford, at 70 years of age. The funeral was held at Bacton Church Yard on the 16th of September 1909.
Mr William Bailey Partridge was a keen sportsman, trainer, judge and breeder of hunters and steeplechasers and was the owner of “Timothy Titus” a horse that ran in the 1905, 1906 and 1907 Grand Nationals. He was the owner of the Appledore Property and at the time of his death was in the Partridge Jones & Co Ltd, the Neath & Brecon Railway Company and was the director of Cordes (D.O.S. Works) Ltd.