Horace Mayhew
Horace Mayhew | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Broughton Hall, Flintshire, United Kingdom |
| Died | August 15, 1926 (aged 81) |
| Occupation(s) | Mining engineer, colliery owner |
| Known for | Founder of Broughton, Nova Scotia; Managing Director of Brinsop Hall Colliery Company; President of Cape Breton Coal, Iron & Railway Company |
Horace Mayhew (born 20 June 1845 – died 15 August 1926) of Broughton Hall, Flintshire was a distinguished British mining engineer and owner of collieries, recognized for founding the town of Broughton, Nova Scotia, which has since become a prominent Canadian ghost town. He was the offspring of John Mayhew Esq of Platt Bridge House, Lancashire, and Elizabeth Mayhew (née Rapley). Throughout his life, he held several official roles including Justice of the Peace in Lancashire (1876) and Flintshire (1888), Deputy Lieutenant (1901), and served as High Sheriff of Flintshire in 1904.
Mayhew received his education at King William's College, Isle of Man, before commencing his career as an apprentice with the Wigan Coal and Iron Company Ltd. He rapidly advanced to become a leading figure in mining engineering, overseeing and co-owning multiple collieries within the Wigan area. As Managing Director of the Brinsop Hall Colliery Company, he collaborated closely with A. H. Leech.
During the economic boom experienced by Wigan in the 1870s and 1880s—fueled by coal mining and textile industries—Mayhew capitalized on influential connections, notably through his brother Walter, who was Mayor of Wigan from 1876 to 1878. In 1883, he entered into partnership with then-Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, managing Gladstone’s extensive coal mines and brick manufacturing operations located in Hawarden. By 1888, Mayhew had acquired control of Halls Collieries situated at Swadlincote near Burton-on-Trent, employing close to 2,000 workers.
Broughton, Nova Scotia
At the dawn of the twentieth century, Horace Mayhew joined forces with Thomas Lancaster to establish Broughton, Nova Scotia and launch the Cape Breton Coal, Iron & Railway Company. Mayhew assumed the presidency of this enterprise as well as the Canada Land & Development Corporation, which held ownership over the land designated for Broughton. He invested substantially in both the town’s infrastructure and its coal mining ventures across several viable seams.
Work commenced in 1905 with the layout of streets and construction of key structures such as mining administrative offices, a church, the Broughton Arms Hotel, and the Crown Hotel. Recognized as one of Canada’s earliest planned communities, Broughton featured modern conveniences; notably, the Broughton Arms was reputed to be “the finest east of Montreal,” incorporating innovations like the first revolving door on the American continent alongside elegant upper-class architectural designs.
In 1906, Mayhew’s eldest son, Horace Dixon Mayhew Jr., accompanied him to Cape Breton Island but tragically passed away that August. Despite Mayhew’s efforts to persuade Nova Scotia’s government to increase railway subsidies essential for transporting coal, he was unable to obtain critical rail access due to resistance from competitors such as the Dominion Coal Company.
The Cape Breton Coal, Iron & Railway Company declared bankruptcy in 1907 after failing to secure railway connections to port facilities. Following this failure, Mayhew returned to Flintshire where he established Mayhew & Mayhew alongside his sons. This company subsequently acquired ownership of several collieries within Buckley and Hawarden regions—including Aston Hall, Mare Hey, Dublin Main, and Main coal workings. Horace Mayhew passed away in 1926.