Charles Roe | |
|---|---|
 Profile of Charles Roe on a Macclesfield halfpenny dated 1758 | |
| Born | 7 May 1715 Castleton,Derbyshire, England |
| Died | 3 May 1781 |
| Resting place | Christ Church, Macclesfield |
| Nationality | English |
| Education | Macclesfield Grammar School |
| Occupation | Industrialist |
| Known for | Silk manufacture, mining, copper and brass smelting |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Lankford (1743–50) Mary Stockdale (1752–63) Rachel Harriott (1766–81) |
| Parent(s) | Rev Thomas Roe Mary Turner |
Charles Roe (7 May 1715 – 3 May 1781) was an English industrialist. He played an important part in establishing thesilk industry inMacclesfield,Cheshire and later became involved in the mining and metal industries.
Charles Roe was born inCastleton,Derbyshire, the youngest of the eight children of Rev Thomas Roe, vicar of Castleton, and his wife Mary née Turner. His father died when he was aged eight and the family moved toStockport, Cheshire. Soon after this his mother also died and Charles went to live with siblings in Macclesfield. According to theOxford Dictionary of National Biography, it is thought that he was educated atMacclesfield Grammar School.[1] He then entered the button andtwist trade and became afreeman of Macclesfield in 1742. In 1743–44 he built a small spinning mill on Park Green and in 1748, in partnership with Glover & Co., a larger mill for the production of silk on Waters Green: both were based onLombe's Mill inDerby. Roe wasmayor of Macclesfield in 1747–48.[1]
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He started miningcopper atConiston in theLake District in 1756 and around the same time atAlderley Edge, Cheshire. In 1758 he built a coppersmelter on Macclesfield Common[1] using coal from a shallow outcrop outside the town.[2] He entered into partnership with Brian Hodgson ofBuxton, who had coal-mining interests atDisley. Roe then built brass-wire androlling mills atEaton nearCongleton and atBosley. Initially he bought copper ores from theDuke of Devonshire's mine atEcton Hill,Staffordshire (see alsoEcton Mines) but then extended his own mining interests toPenrhyn-Du inNorth Wales in 1763.[1] In 1764 he obtained a 21-year mining lease from the Bayly family forParys Mountain inAnglesey and for a lead mine inCaernarvonshire. In March 1768 a discovery was made of a very large deposit of copper ore, which was known as 'The Great Lode' and which turned the mine into the largest copper mine in Europe.[2]
In 1767 Roe & Co. built a copper smelter onLiverpool's south shore but following complaints about pollution the works was moved toToxteth Park.[1] The company later obtained possession of a colliery atWrexham. Both ore and coal were landed at a small purpose built dock below the copper smelting works on Wellington Road, Toxteth. Roe ceased mining at Alderley Edge in 1768 and at Coniston in 1770.[2] In 1774 the Macclesfield Copper Company was formed comprising Roe and 14 other partners. It became one of the three greatest brass companies of the late 18th century.[1] The Company's records are held by theJohn Rylands Library, Manchester.[3]
In 1743 Roe married Elizabeth Lankford, daughter of a button merchant ofLeek, with whom he had three children who survived infancy. Elizabeth died in 1750 and Roe then married Mary Stockdale in 1752 with whom he had eight children. Mary died in 1763 and Roe married Rachel Harriott in 1766, with whom he had one son.[1]
Charles Roe was anevangelical Christian. He invitedRev David Simpson to Macclesfield and builtChrist Church for him to undertake his ministry.[4] Roe was buried in the family vault in Christ Church.[1] A memorial byJohn Bacon to his memory is on the south wall of the church.[5]
Charles Roe lived from 1753 until his death in 1781 in Charles Roe House in Macclesfield on Chestergate (SK11 6DY). This is a Grade II* Listed building which was fully restored in 2017. The Silk Museum Heritage Centre is in Roe Street, Macclesfield, the street being named after Charles Roe.[6]West Park Museum, Macclesfield, contains a display about his life.[7]
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