THE BRITISH OVERSEAS RAILWAYS HISTORICAL TRUST
 
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Kevin Jones' Steam Index

Markham Family

Charles Markham
Marshall states that Markham was born in Northampton on 1 March 1823 being the seventh child of Charles Markham, Clerk of the Peace for the County of Northampton, which office has been held by a member of the family for nearly a century. He was educated at Oundle and began business as manager of Marquise Iron Works & Rolling Mills in Boulogne in partnership with James Morrison. The revolution of 1848 forced a return to England  and studied chemistry for twelve months under Professor John Scoffern (inventor of systems for sugar refining). Markham then joined the engineering staff of the Great Eastern Railway. In 1851 he was appointed Assistant Locomotive Superintendent of the Midland Railway under Matthew Kirtley. Markham was co-inventor (first used 1859), with Matthew Kirtley, of the brick arch  and deflector plate for fireboxes which enabled coal to replace coke as fuel. Man called Burn also mentioned  Proc. Instn Mech, Engrs, 1860, 147-71; whereby he estimated that a saving of £50,000 per annum was effected in the locomotives then running on tho Midland Railway.  He mas also a great advocate for the reduction of railway fares, and materially assisted in bringing about the abolition of second-class carriages  on the Midland Railway. Markham contributed also a paper on Naylor’s double-acting steam hammer (Proceedings 1857, page 233 further info buried in SAGE), and a description of a safety coupling for railway wagons (Proceedings 1860, page 277). In 1864 Markham became Managing Director of Staveley Ironworks. Tapton House, the former home of George Stephenson,  was bought by Charles Markham in 1871. Markham was three times Mayor of Chesterfierd, and it remained the family home until 1925, when Charles Paxton (Charles's son) gave the 200 acres (0.81 km2) of parkland to the Borough of Chesterfield., After a severe illness of more than a year’s duration, he died on 30 August 1888 in Tapton House, Chesterfield.

Charles Paxton Markham
Son of Charles and owner of Markam & Co. who had acquired the engineering business of Oliver in 1889, presumably with capital inherited from his father and it became Markham & Co. specialising in colliery winding gear. It also built a few locomotives.

Arthur Markham
Born at Brimington Hall, near Chesterfield on 25 August 1866: son of Charles. Part owner of Markham Colliery. Grandson (mother's side) of Sir Joseph Paxton and brother of Charles Paxton (above). Educated at Rugby School. Served as Liberal MP for Mansfield District of Nottinghamshire. Managed and owned several coal mines. Created a baronet on 10 July 1911. Associated with Lancashire Derbyshire & East Coast Railway. Died 5 August 1916 (Internet).


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