STEPHENSON, George (1781-1848). Civil engineer. Founder of railways.
Letter Signed to [John] Hutchinson of Robert Stephenson & Co., 1 page 4to with address-leaf bearing Stephenson's wax seal of a locomotive, Alton Grange, 25 July 1837. Asking Hutchinson to arrange for the payment of the annual subscription of a guinea to Anthony Wigram's 'Life Box or Club'.
George Stephenson is presumably here referring to the annual payment for one of his servants to a benevolent fund of some sort. He had moved to Alton Grange, near Ashby-de-la-Zouche, after completion of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. He later moved to Tapton House, near Chesterfield, where he was to live until his death.

'Anthony Wigram who lives with me here is in a Life Box or Club somewhere in the neighbourhood of Newcastle to which he pays a guinea a year. It being very inconvenient to pay if from this place will you pay it out of my account with R. Stephenson & Co. Anthony says that George Marshall will take the trouble of paying it in if you will give him the money. ...'

The firm which became Robert Stephenson & Co. was founded in 1823 by George Stephenson, but later came to be run principally by the son, especially after 1833. After the completion of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Robert Stephenson took upon himself the major part of the work of surveying the line of the proposed London and Birmingham Railway.
[No: 22532]