George Thomas

George Thomas was one of the wealthiest men in Bristol, a Quaker, a leading member of the Liberal Party and a social reformer. He was also a great benefactor, at a time of immense change in society, and he was in the forefront of the creation of a number of institutions that were to radically improve the quality of life for the ordinary people of Bristol. He is one of those people who had a profound effect on the life of the city, and yet he is almost forgotten today.

He had an interesting lineage. His great grand father, John Thomas (1690 – 1760), had been a Welsh shepherd who was rewarded, by his employer, with a few sheep for bravely tending his flock during severe snowdrifts. John was intent on becoming an apprentice in Bristol, so he sold the sheep and travelled to the city. At a time when men without employment were usually pressed into the army, his employer initially found him a place as a servant with a Bristol wine merchant, Edward Lloyd.

In 1706 he went to learn the trade of malt mill maker, with Lloyd’s business partner, Abraham Darby, at Baptist Mills brass foundry (close to what is now Junction 3 of the M32.)

Darby, the son of a Worcestershire farmer had established the Baptist Mills foundry, together with a number of leading Bristol Quakers. Darby is frequently called the “father of the Industrial Revolution” and it can be said that John Thomas played no small part in Darby’s achievements.

Darby had turned his attention to iron, seeing it as a cheap substitute for brass in the manufacture of cooking pots. At that time all iron pots were imported from Holland, and Darby had travelled to Rotterdam, to observe the secrets of the process. He had, in 1706, smuggled six skilled Dutch founders to Baptist Mills. The story goes, that the Dutchmen were unsuccessful in their attempts to duplicate the process used in Holland, and eventually John Thomas asked if he could try. With nothing to lose, Darby gave him the opportunity. By the next morning, the former shepherd had produced the first cast iron pots, and Darby took out a patent in 1707. Two years later John Thomas went with Darby, when he established the world famous works at Coalbrookdale and he remained there for the rest of his life.

George Thomas was born in 1791, the fifth son of John Thomas (1752 –1827), who had established a wholesale grocery business in Redcliff Street, John Thomas & Sons, but was also a self-taught engineer. George’s father became one of the chief promoters of various canal schemes in the south west, during a time of canal building mania, and he became involved in the Kennett and Avon Canal and the canal linking Bristol to Bath.

George Thomas learnt his business skills within his father’s firm, but it soon became clear that he had interests outside the commercial world. He became an ardent supporter of the Liberal Party, and was involved in the campaign for free trade, particularly the repeal of the Corn Laws. Growing up in Bristol he had witnessed the effects of a law which increased the price of the “poor man’s bread.”

1831 was a particularly important year in George Thomas’s life. In February he married Elizabeth Greer, of Dungannon, County Tyrone, and within 20 days of his marriage he presided at a meeting that decided to create the Bristol General Hospital. It had been recognised that a hospital was required for the southern districts of the city, but there was resistance from the Infirmary. This was partly due party politics, as the Infirmary was considered to be a stronghold of Toryism. It can be said that George Thomas and Joseph Eaton were the co-founders of the Hospital. In addition to the £6,200 he donated to the Hospital, he also gave it much of his time, serving as President from 1847 to 1868, and Honorary Treasurer from its foundation until his death. The Hospital was originally situated in a house in Guinea Street, which had previously been used as a school.

As a leading Liberal, George Thomas was active in the efforts to reform the Corporation and, in 1835, in the elections following that reform he was elected town councillor for the Redcliff ward. This reform was hard won, and although it did not lead to an immediate transfer of power to the new classes, it did create a new kind of councillor, such as George Thomas, who took their responsibilities seriously and endeavoured to improve the city and life of its people. One of his early acts as a councillor was, in 1836, was to call for a General Improvement Act for the city.

He was also active in mobilising others, in order to raise the funds to address “social ills.” An interesting example was the case of the St James’s annual fair. Dating back to 1130, the annual fair had been a major commercial event, but by the 1830s it had become a fortnight of disorder and drunkenness, attracting criminals of every description. With a few friends, George raised £1,000 to lay out the site for a hay and coal market.

George had witnessed an abortive attempt by his father to supply the city with clean water, and in 1846 he became a director, and eventually chairman, of Bristol Waterworks Company. Up until that time 95% of the population had to trudge to the nearest standpipe or intercept a water carrier, whose charges were often extortionate.

In 1852 he was elected Chairman of the Trustees of Bristol Charities. The Lord Chancellor had appointed him as one of the original Trustees in 1836. The Trustees had been created by Act of parliament to administer a wide range of charities previously administered by the Corporation of Bristol. The organisation had a difficult birth, due to party politics, and it took many years of effort before all the charitable assets were wrestled from the City Council. George Thomas was described as the “right man in the right place”, becoming chairman at a time when new Trustees had recently been appointed, and the period of tension between a Liberal dominated Bristol Charities and a Conservative dominated City Council came to end.

Although his name is not directly linked, George Thomas’s legacy can still be seen in various parts of Bristol. He was one of the promoters of Colston Hall and, in1863 he became Chairman of Leigh Woods Land Company. The company had been formed to preserve this area of natural beauty, in response to an advertisement to sell the woods, including Nightingale Valley, and plans to build 350 houses and a hotel.

George Thomas died at his home, Eagle House, Brislington, in December 1869. In addition to the civic dignitaries, it was estimated that five thousand mourners attended his funeral. It is difficult, today, to imagine this level of public involvement, save in the case of royalty or pop stars. The principal streets were lined with people, the windows were darkened with mourning shutters and flags flew at half-mast. He was interred at the Friends’ burial place in Rosemary Street and in his will he left £13,000 to various charities. The level of his generosity can be gauged from his activities described above, and by the fact that it was estimated that out of an annual income of £12,000, he gave away £10,000.