John Fowler & Co (Leeds) Ltd
The early business history of John Fowler is somewhat confused, especially as the later publications of John Fowler & Co., (Leeds) Ltd., claim that the firm's origins date to 1850. Indeed John Fowler did begin in business in 1850, but in Bristol not in Leeds, by forming a partnership with a fellow Quaker, Albert Fry, as agricultural implement manufacturers and traders. On the dissolution of the partnership in 1856, Fowler moved to 28 Cornhill, London to concentrate on his consuming interest in steam cultivation machinery. Here he was a sole trader with no manufacturing works of his own, using variously the firms of Kitson; Thompson & Hewitson (of Leeds), Robert Stephenson & Co., (of Newcastle), Ransomes & Sims (of Ipswich) and Clayton, Shuttleworth & Co., (of Lincoln) to supply him with goods. In 1860 Kitsons, now restyled as Kitson & Hewitson, became sole suppliers and Fowler simultaneously began construction of his own works, the Steam Plough Works alongside Leathley Road, Leeds on land adjacent to and purchased from Kitsons. The link between the two firms grew when William Watson Hewitson joined Fowler in partnership, as Fowler & Hewitson in 1861. Next year with the Steam Plough Works completed all production was moved there from Kitsons. Hewitson, however, died in May 1863 leaving Fowler to continue alone, now trading as John Fowler & Co., though assisted by his brother, Robert Fowler, who ran the London office in Cornhill. John Fowler suffered a nervous breakdown in mid 1864 and to help ease his load entered into a partnership with Robert Fowler on August 2nd of that year. Unfortunately while still recuperating he sustained a fall on a fox hunt from which he died on December 4th, 1864. John Fowler & Co., was then continued by Robert Fowler and Robert Eddison, under the careful terms of Fowler's will, being subsequently joined by David Greig, Reginald Wigram and Barnard Fowler as fellow partners. In 1886 the limited company of John Fowler & Co., (Leeds) Ltd., was formed, merging with Marshall, Sons & Co., Ltd., of Gainsborough in 1947 to form Marshall-Fowler Ltd. Production finally ceased at the John Fowler Works, as the Steam Plough Works had been re-christened, in early 1974 but John Fowler & Co., (Leeds) Ltd., still remains a registered company, although now very much in abeyance.
The records cover the period 1850 - 1971. They include a large number of photographs, drawings, administrative and financial records.
More information
Workshop information pack
As part of the Heavy Metal Project, an information pack was produced, giving advice on how to search the collection. It can be downloaded here (Word doc).
Drawings
General lists of drawings for some of the various classes of engines are available as pdfs. Please note that not all drawings on the lists are availble, please contact us before ordering.
Please contact us if you would like information on your specific engine and we will try and help.
- Fowler ploughing engines (677KB)
- Fowler standard drawings (1.32MB) includes Traction engines, ploughing engines, ploughing engines, Fowler classes A, A1, A2, A3, A5, A7, A8, A9, AA
- B4
- Fowler B5 (521KB)
- Fowler B6, Fowler B6 (Super Lion) and Fowler B6 )
- Fowler BB1 (151KB)
- Fowler BB & BBS
- Fowler D2
- Fowler D5 (1.23MB)
- Fowler DN (3.40MB)
- K5
- Fowler K7 - Ploughing Engines
- N
- Fowler R3 (677KB)
- T3
- Fowler Z6 (154KB)
- Fowler Superba (298KB)
- Fowler Z7 (819KB)
Catalogues
A full description is available on our online database, or the catalogues can be downloaded as pdf files.
TR FOW - first deposit or available as pdfs Section one (699KB), section two (939KB) and section three (712KB)
TR 2FOW - second deposit or click here for a pdf (509KB)
TR 4FOW - fourth deposit or click here for a pdf (505KB)
TR 5FOW - fifth deposit or click here for a pdf (123KB)
TR 6FOW - sixth deposit or click here for a pdf (91KB)
TR 7FOW - seventh deposit or click here for a pdf (98KB)
TR 8FOW - eighth deposit or click here for a pdf (89KB)
TR 9FOW - ninth deposit or click here for a pdf (133KB)
TR 10FOW - tenth deposit or click here for a pdf (201KB)
Reference number TR FOW, TR 2FOW, TR 4FOW, TR 5FOW, TR 6FOW, TR 7FOW, TR 8FOW, TR 9FOW, TR 10FOW and TR 11FOW