Who was Henry Cort?
Cort's ironmaking processes were key to the great expansion of the industry in the early nineteenth century,
thus providing an essential ingredient for the railways, bridges and machinery of the industrial revolution.
Cort's story also has a controversial element, because of allegations that his downfall resulted from a conspiracy involving Government ministers.
One purpose of this website (modified September 2008 after the crucial evidence was discovered) is to dispel this myth.
Past attempts to discover more about Cort's life have been hampered by difficulties in gaining access to the evidence.
This task is much easier now that many archive catalogues are computerised. It nevertheless requires information from a wide variety of sources.
Winchester, Aberystwyth and Edinburgh are among places visited to get the information on this website, although a large proportion has been found at the National Archives.
Development of website
The site was launched on 29th July 2006 (150th anniversary of a Times leader describing Cort as "father of the iron trade"), and pages have been added periodically
to cover a wide spectrum of background events and attitudes, as well as the essentials of the Cort story.
Details of development and visitor monitoring are covered on other pages.
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Pages of immediate interest
Life of Henry Cort
The British iron industry
Henry Cort's naval interests
Cort's base in Gosport
Historical background
Links to other sites
National sites
Newcomen Society
Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Royal Society of Arts
Institute of Materials
Association for Industrial Archaeology
Historical Metallurgy Society
Ironbridge Gorge Museum
Library houses Mott collection
British Artist Blacksmiths Association
Local sites
Fareham Borough Council
Commemorated Cort, 2000
Henry Cort Community College, Fareham
Hampshire Industrial Archaeological Society
Titchfield History Society
Gosport - local information
Broseley Local History Society
Information on Shropshire ironmasters
Industrial figures, Sheffield area
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