Fellows Morton & Clayton

Fellows Morton & Clayton Ltd

Company type	Private company
Industry	Canal transport
Founded	3 July 1889
Founder	Joshua Fellows, Frederick Morton, Thomas Clayton
Defunct	1947
Headquarters	Birmingham , England
Key people	Joshua Fellows (managing director), Frederick Morton (managing director), Thomas Clayton (managing director), Reuben Farley (chairman)
Products	Canal transport services, steam-powered boats, motor boats

Fellows Morton & Clayton Ltd stood as England's foremost and most renowned canal transport enterprise throughout much of the early 1900s. The firm conducted its operations from 1889 until 1947.

Origins

The company traces its roots back to 1837 when James Fellows, who worked as an agent for a canal carrier, initiated his own venture based in West Bromwich. His inaugural vessel was named "Providence". By 1839, frequent journeys to London enabled him to obtain toll credit on the Warwick and Napton Canal. Rapid growth prompted a move to Toll End in Tipton by 1841. Although labeled a "Railway & Canal Carrier," the business engaged minimally with rail transport. Following James’s passing in 1854, his widow Eliza took over management until their son Joshua became a partner. By 1855, the firm was transporting approximately 13,000 tons of iron castings annually between London and Birmingham.

During the late 1850s, a new boat-building facility was opened at Tipton, expanding the fleet to roughly 50 vessels by the early 1860s. The company’s primary focus remained on long-haul cargo transportation.

In 1876, Frederick Morton invested capital into the business, leading to a rebranding as Fellows Morton & Co. Growth continued through acquisitions of smaller operators and fleet enlargement.

Formation of the company

Between 1888 and 1889, William Clayton from Saltley, who managed a fleet specializing in liquid cargo alongside conventional freight, joined as a third partner. Although William passed away before the official merger, his son Thomas took his place. On 3 July 1889, Fellows, Morton & Clayton Ltd. was formally established.

The first managing directors were Joshua Fellows, Frederick Morton, and Thomas Clayton, each receiving an annual salary of £600. Alderman Reuben Farley assumed the role of chairman; most shareholders were relatives of these directors.

At inception, the fleet consisted of about 11 steam-powered vessels and 112 butty boats. Tank boats were transferred to Thomas Clayton Limited based in Oldbury, West Midlands.

For the eighteen months ending June 1890, net profits reached £7,497. Early operations encountered difficulties such as a dockworkers’ strike in London and equine influenza outbreaks that caused financial strain. Nevertheless, emerging traffic sources enabled completion of a basin and headquarters on Fazeley Street in Birmingham, designed by Edwin Shipway. The company also acquired competitor Fanshaw and Pinson. Capital was valued at £84,620; barges and steamers at £20,852; horses at £4,000.

Last known working boats in existence

Currently, 29 vessels from this fleet remain extant, with six still operational. The surviving examples are preserved at the National Waterways Museum. There have been twelve documented sinkings; two boats are presently undergoing restoration. The condition of the remainder is unverified.

Steam-powered boats

Fellows Morton & Clayton (FMC) constructed five steel-hulled steam boats at their Fazeley Street yard. These early models proved unsatisfactory due to rapid hull deterioration.

In 1896, FMC adopted iron construction featuring elm bottoms combined with iron sides for enhanced durability. Three of the original steel steamers were subsequently rebuilt using this design.

Between 1898 and 1899, eight additional iron-composite steamers were produced at Saltley dock, followed by nine more vessels between 1905 and 1911.

Known as fly-boats or express boats, these steam-powered vessels primarily served long-distance mainline routes. For instance, a nonstop journey from London’s City Road Basin to Birmingham’s Fazeley Street Depot took approximately 54 hours with a crew of four working in shifts. However, engine and boiler dimensions restricted available cargo capacity. Refueling with coke occurred at designated stops along the route.

The steam narrowboat President remains preserved and is maintained by the Black Country Living Museum.

Catalogue of steamers constructed by Fellows Morton & Clayton

Vessel Name	Build Material	Construction Site	Year Built	Registration Number	Registration Date	Engine Manufacturer	Boiler Manufacturer	Final Outcome
Hecla	Wood	Toll End, Tipton	1886	Birmingham 803	27 Mar 1892	W. H. and A. H. Haines Ltd., Birmingham	Cochranes, Birkenhead	Dismantled November 1921
Queen	Wood	Toll End, Tipton	1887	Wolverhampton 591		W. H. and A. H. Haines Ltd., Birmingham	Cochranes, Birkenhead	Scrapped circa 1910
Duchess	Wood	Toll End, Tipton	1887	Birmingham 841	16 Feb 1893	Unknown	Unknown	Sold May 1893
Victoria	Wood	Toll End, Tipton	1887	Birmingham 884	27 Oct 1893	Nettlefolds, Birmingham	J. Watt and Co., Birmingham	Dismantled July 1919
Phoenix	Wood	Saltley (FMC)	Dec 1893	Birmingham 886	1 Dec 1893	FMC	Danks, Oldbury	Dismantled September 1925
Speedwell	Wood	Saltley (FMC)	Mar 1894	Birmingham 892	20 Apr 1894	Nettlefolds, Birmingham	Cochranes, Birkenhead	Dismantled September 1925
Pirate	Wood	Saltley (FMC)	Jun 1894	Birmingham 900	16 Jun 1894	Nettlefolds, Birmingham	Fletchers, Derby	Sold December 1902
Duke	Wood	Saltley (FMC)	Mar 1895	Birmingham 930	29 Mar 1895	FMC	Cochranes, Birkenhead	Dismantled June 1923
Earl	Wood	Saltley (FMC)	Jun 1895	Birmingham 939	28 Jun 1895	FMC	Cochranes, Birkenhead	Sold November 1925
Princess	Iron Composite	Saltley (FMC)	Jun 1896	Birmingham 959	12 Oct 1896	FMC	Cochranes, Birkenhead	Converted to motor vessel Pilot, December 1924
Countess	Iron Composite	Saltley (FMC)	Jun 1897	Birmingham 987	1 Oct 1897	FMC	Burrells, Thetford	Converted to motor vessel Captain, July 1924
Marquis	Iron Composite	Saltley (FMC)	Mar 1898	Birmingham 1002	18 Mar 1898	FMC	Fletchers, Derby	Converted to motor vessel January 1925
Emperor	Iron Composite	Saltley (FMC)	May 1898	Birmingham 1006	3 Jun 1898	FMC	Cochranes, Birkenhead	Converted to motor vessel April 1917
Empress	Iron Composite	Saltley (FMC)	May 1898	Birmingham 1009	16 Jul 1898	FMC	Cochranes, Birkenhead	Converted to motor vessel Envoy, October 1919
Prince	Iron Composite	Saltley (FMC)	Oct 1898	Birmingham1011	5 Oct1898	FMC	Fletchers, Derby	Converted to motor vessel March1926
Baron	Iron Composite	Saltley (FMC)	Nov1898	Birmingham1015	23 Dec1898	Nettlefolds, Derby	Fletchers, Derby	Converted to motor vessel February1915
Baroness	Iron Composite	Saltley (FMC)	Nov1898	Birmingham1020	24 Feb1899	Nettlefolds, Derby	Fletchers, Derby	Converted to motor vessel Briton, May1915
Iron Composite |Saltley (FMC) |Jun1899 |Birmingham1034 |7 Jul1899 |FMC |Danks Oldbury |Converted to motor vessel May1924
Iron Composite |Saltley (FMC) |Jun1899 |Birmingham1036 |4 Aug1899 |FMC |Danks Oldbury |Converted to motor vessel July1925
Iron Composite |Saltley (FMC) |Jun1899 |Birmingham1040 |27 Oct1899 |FMC |Danks Oldbury |Converted to motor vessel September1924
Iron Composite |Saltley (FMC) |Feb1905 |Birmingham1152 |5 May1905 |FMC |John Thompson & Co., Wolverhampton |Converted to motor vessel June1925
Iron Composite |Saltley (FMC) |Sep1905 |Birmingham1157 |29 Sep1905 |FMC |John Thompson & Co., Wolverhampton |Converted to motor vessel June1924
Iron Composite |Saltley (FMC) |Nov1907 |Birmingham1192 |29 Nov1907 |FMC |John Thompson & Co., Wolverhampton |Converted to motor vessel May1925
Iron Composite |Saltley (FMC) |Apr1908 |Birmingham1201 |22 May1908 |FMC |John Thompson & Co., Wolverhampton |Converted to motor vessel January1925
"President"|"Iron Composite"|"Saltley (FMC)"|"Jun1909"|"Birmingham1212"|"23 Jun1909"|"FMC"|"Ruston Proctor & Co. Ltd., Lincoln"|"Converted to motor vessel May1925"
"Iron Composite"|"Saltley (FMC)"|"Dec1909"|"Birmingham1214"|"3 Dec1909"|"A.H. Beasley and Sons, Uxbridge"|"Ruston Proctor & Co. Ltd."|"Converted to motor vessel December1925"
"Iron Composite"|"Saltley (FMC)"|"Nov1910"|"Birmingham1226"|"25 Nov1910"|"A.H. Beasley and Sons"|"Ruston Proctor & Co."|"Former gas boat; converted to motor vessel September1927"
"Iron Composite"|"Saltley (FMC)"|"Jul1911"|"Birmingham1243"|"29 Sep1911"|"A.H. Beasley and Sons"|"Ruston Proctor & Co."|"Converted to motor vessel November1926"
"Wooden"'|"Uxbridge by FMC"|"Jul1911"'Uxbridge457'T.A.Savery & Co., Birmingham'T.A.Savery & Co.Dismantled'
'Iron Composite"'|'Saltley (FMC)'|'Oct1911"'|'Birmingham1247"'|'15 Dec1911"'|'A.H.Beasley and Sons"'|'Ruston Proctor & Co."'|'Converted to motor vessel August1927'
"Hecla (II)"'"Wooden"'Uxbridge by FMC"'May1922"'Birmingham1436"'19 May1922		Converted to motor vessel July1924'
"Duteous"' "Wooden"'Uxbridge by FMC"'Mar1923"'Birmingham1448"'2 Mar1923		Converted to motor vessel August1924'

Motor boats

In 1906, an innovative trial was conducted on the steamer Vulcan by installing a gas suction engine, which resulted in reduced crew requirements and lower fuel usage, although the engine's bulky size posed challenges. By 1911, after a competitor successfully utilized a semi-diesel engine, Fellows Morton & Clayton experimented with a Swedish Bolinder single-cylinder direct-reversing engine from J. & C. G. Bolinder on a vessel with a comparable hull but a shortened engine compartment. This boat, named Linda, became the company's inaugural motor-powered craft. Encouraged by this engine's performance, nine additional motor boats were commissioned, and by 1927, all steam-powered vessels had been converted to motor propulsion.

Fellows Morton & Clayton predominantly constructed their own fleet, with wooden boats built at Uxbridge dock and Saltley managing both new builds and maintenance work. In 1922, they placed an order with W. J. Yarwood & Sons of Northwich for twelve motor boats; the first was delivered in May 1923, followed by twelve more hulls supplied from 1926 onward.

Depots

The central office was located on Fazeley Street, Birmingham, supported by a network of depots situated at:

• London, Regent's Canal Dock
• Brentford
• Bulls Bridge
• Reading
• Slough
• Hertford
• Uxbridge
• Berkhamsted
• Aylesbury
• Oxford
• Blisworth
• Northampton
• Peterborough
• Long Buckby
• Braunston
• Stratford on Avon
• Warwick
• Coventry
• Worcester
• Stourport
• Dudley Port
• Wolverhampton
• Great Haywood
• Burton on Trent
• Derby
• Langley Mill
• Nottingham
• Newark on Trent
• Leicester
• Foxton
• Market Harborough

Liveries

The original livery of Fellows Morton & Clayton featured black and white colors separated by a red stripe. Following their re-incorporation in 1921, the color scheme was updated to red, green, and yellow.

Ending

During the first six months of 1948, Fellows Morton & Clayton experienced its initial financial loss amounting to £5,000 and subsequently entered voluntary liquidation in November that year. The company's assets were acquired by the British Transport Commission on 1 January 1949.

See also

• W. H. Walker and Brothers