Thomas Wilson 1748 – 1820

Most of what we know about Wilson is derived from the correspondence between himself and Boulton & Watt..

Thomas Wilson was a Yorkshire man who moved to Cornwall in 1775 after being appointed manager of Chasewater mine on behalf of the principal adventurers, the Yorkshire Copper Co. and the Swansea-based copper smelters Fenton & Co. Following a chain of events which inevitably led to the striking up of a loyal friendship between the families of Wilson and Watt, Wilson acted as Boulton & Watts agent in Cornwall . Increasingly frustrated by the ineffectiveness and high running costs of Smeatons 72 inch atmospheric engine to drain the mine at Chasewater, Wilson was all for closing the mine. However, following a report by Thomas Dudley, (an unemployed engineer) regarding one of Watts engines designed to speed up work on the audit, Wilson was prompted to place an order the success of which caused further collaboration with Boulton & Watt.

Watt visited Cornwall with his wife when his first engine at Chacewater was being erected. At a loss if anywhere to stay, Wilson offered hospitality to Mr and Mrs Watt and thus a loyal friendship was born. The friendship grew and continued to flourish with Boulton & Watt and their families often visiting the Wilson 's and indeed spent at least one Christmas with the family in Cornwall . The depth of this friendship can be traced through the letters in the Boulton and Watt collection. Family news is regularly conveyed amongst the business matters, “ I congratulate you upon the Birth of your Daughter and sincerely wish she may be a Comfort to Mrs Wilson and your self in your old Age” [Ref: AD1583/2/73] and other news and gossip which is effecting their lives. “ We have had an effective Mob here none of your shilly shally Cornish Mobs, You will see by the papers some of the execution they have done,” [Ref:AD1583/4/69]. Many of the letters enquire about Mrs Wilson and her health and end with Boulton or Watt sending their regards to Mrs Wilson; “Pray present my best thanks to Mrs Wilson for her good care of me wishing you and she every good thing and remain ever” [Ref: AD1583/2/77].

However, this friendship was not to continue. Wilson had other business interests besides the steam engines. These business pursuits not only took his attention away from Boulton & Watts business but got him increasingly in debt. Wilson faced periodic cash flow crisis's and on one occasion withheld money owing to the Boulton and Watt business. Numerous letters detail at length the problems faced by Wilson and the increasing demands from the Watts to pay back the money owed.

“ Whatever our own wants may be we are unwilling to force you to a sale of profitable concerns under such disadvantages, provided you can get the mortgage paid off, in such event we shall wait till the end of this year in the hope you may be able to keep your promise of reducing your private debt to us to £1000, but we must have a new bond for the whole sum the former being in part cancelld by the payments you made & not covering our subsequent advances to you, as we are legally informed, Therefore on receiving your answer we shall order the new bond to be made out and sent for execution. We nevertheless expect you will embrace every opportunity of reducing the debt as speedily as possible”. [AD1583/11/56]

“Nothing particular hath occured to them respecting the items of the Account, but they are extremely dissapointed by the repeated failure of your promises to diminish the amount of the Debt, and however much it may give them pleasure to learn your prospects of success, they cannot hold you in any way justified in employing their Money in an extension of your concerns” James Pearson to Wilson on behalf of Boulton & Watt, 1803 [AD1583/11/65].

A lengthy legal battle ensued and Wilson was finally forced to sell of his assets, auction property and liquidate businesses. This affair had a profound effect on the relationship between the Wilson 's and Watt's who had for so long enjoyed a close friendship.

“I felt myself unable to answer in course your letter of the 27th ult[imo]. I was much hurt by your supposing even for a moment that I could entertain any intention of acting in an improper manner towards you, being conscious that I have always acted as your friend. The security upon your share in F[enton] & Co[mpany]. was never intended by us to be enforced except in a crisis when by neglecting to avail ourselves thereof we might sustain considerable loss without benefit to you, and we have acted accordingly; it has not been enforced. If under an actual dissolution of the company &, according to your own report, an embarrassed state of your finances we were not authorized to make enquiries into the state of our security, & to propose some substitute, it must have been considered as waste paper. The objects of our enquiries have been solely to obtain such a knowlege as should enable us to act in the most beneficial manner to you at the same time that we endeavoured to save our own property. We by no means intended to give you uneasiness, but without some determinate propositions on your part founded on a clear statement of your affairs we could have no opportunity [next page] opportunity of exercising our Judgement or good intentions towards you. In another person we should have looked upon evasions of our enquiries in a very inauspicious light; but the confidence we retain in your integrity, and allowances we make for the late state of your mind disposes us to pass it over & to comply with your propositions which we understand to be, to pay F[enton] & Co[mpany] £300 on our acc[oun]t, to accept our drafts for £400 payable by bill at 30 days in Feb[ruar]y & £1300 in May next, and the remaining sum may either be secured as you proposed to Mr R. Boulton upon your share of the brewery, or by what will probably be more satisfactory to you & may be done with less trouble & expence to you, your bond payable at such installments as may seem convenient to yourself.” [AD1583/9/98]

The demise of this friendship can be tracked through the letters as increasing they become less chatty and more terse. By the time Boulton and Watt's sons had taken over the business in 1800, there are no more courtesies to Mrs Wilson , the letters simply signed ‘Boulton and Watt'.