Christopher Blackett
Christopher Blackett | |
|---|---|
| Born | circa 1751 Wylam, Northumberland, England |
| Died | 1829-01-25 |
| Occupation(s) | Coal mine proprietor, railway entrepreneur, newspaper founder |
| Known for | Producing Puffing Billy, founding The Globe newspaper |
Christopher Blackett (circa 1751 – 25 January 1829) was the proprietor of the Northumberland coal mine located at Wylam, notable for producing Puffing Billy, the earliest commercially successful adhesion steam locomotive. Additionally, he established the London-based newspaper The Globe in 1803.
Life
Blackett was the firstborn son from John Blackett’s second marriage. John Blackett, a former High Sheriff of Northumberland, descended from Christopher Blackett—an elder sibling of Sir William Blackett—and Alice Fenwick, who was heiress to her father’s estate. The coal-rich manor of Wylam was inherited by Christopher Blackett (an ancestor) in 1659. Around 1748, John Blackett constructed the Wylam waggonway to transport coal over a five-mile route from Wylam colliery to staithes at Lemington on the River Tyne.
The Christopher Blackett in question inherited the Manor of Wylam along with its coal mines in 1800. Prior to this inheritance, he held positions as Postmaster of Newcastle and agent for the Blackett-Beaumont Lead Mines in the North Pennines.
In 1804, Blackett commissioned a steam locomotive from Richard Trevithick, likely facilitated by his connections through founding the Globe newspaper a year earlier. This engine, constructed by John Whinfield at Pipewell near Gateshead, was too heavy for the wooden rails of the waggonway, which caused a dispute between Whinfield and Blackett. Following this, Blackett upgraded the waggonway by replacing wooden rails with cast-iron plates. When requesting another locomotive from Trevithick in 1808, he was refused as Trevithick had "discontinued the business."
Subsequently, Blackett instructed his manager, William Hedley, along with foreman blacksmith Timothy Hackworth, to create an alternative locomotive. Their collaboration resulted in Puffing Billy and Wylam Dilly between 1813 and 1814, both of which successfully transported coal wagons from Wylam to Lemington.
His son and successor, Christopher Blackett, and grandson John Frederick Burgoyne Blackett both served as Members of Parliament. In 1855, his youngest son, Rev John Alexander Blackett (1803–1865), inherited estates at Whitfield, Northumberland through his wife’s uncle William Ord and adopted the surname Blackett-Ord.
Significance
As highlighted by historians such as Philip Brooks, Christopher Blackett’s principal contribution to steam locomotive advancement in Britain was as an entrepreneur prepared to finance pioneering steam technology rather than as a technical innovator. Norman Hill observed that Blackett’s role in introducing steam locomotives has often been underestimated. Brooks stressed that without Blackett’s commitment and investment, key locomotive experiments might never have been realized.
Puffing Billy is preserved at the Science Museum, London, while Wylam Dilly is exhibited at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. These locomotives are recognized as the oldest surviving railway engines worldwide.