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).
