William Royse Lysaght
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William Royse Lysaght | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 July 1858 |
| Died | 27 April 1945 (aged 86) Tidenham, Gloucestershire, England |
| Occupations | Steelmaker, ornithology |
| Known for | The W R Lysaght Collection of Birds at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery |
William Royse Lysaght CBE JP (23 July 1858 – 27 April 1945) was an English steel manufacturer and collector of bird specimens.[1][2]
Lysaght was born on 23 July 1858, the son of Thomas Royse Lysaght and Emily Lysaght (née Moss). He was the nephew of John Lysaght, the founder of steel manufacturers John Lysaght and Co.[1]
Career as steelmaker
From 1874 Lysaght worked at the Gospel Oak works in Tipton, learning to produce sheet iron. John Lysaght purchased the Swan Garden ironworks of Wolverhampton in 1878 and William then became its manager, and he also managed the Osier Bed ironworks after that was purchased in 1885.[1]
Over the following 10 years, William helped his uncle John plan a new sheet-rolling plant in Newport, Wales. After the death of his uncle 1895, Lysaght completed the project with the opening of the Orb Works in 1897. By 1901 Lysaght had transferred sheet metal production from Wolverhampton to Newport and went on to manage expansion of the company which employed 3,000 workers by 1913. William and his brother Sydney went on to build the Normanby Park Steelworks in Scunthorpe and, when exports were interrupted by the First World War, they began construction of an Australian steelworks in Newcastle, New South Wales, which eventually opened in 1921.[1]
The Lysaght companies were sold to H. Seymour Berry and became part of Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds (GKN) in 1920, Lysaght becoming a director of GKN.[1][2][3]
Later life
Lysaght married Effie Elizabeth Stavern Gladstone in 1890 and had three children. In 1915 he became High Sheriff of Monmouthshire, and was appointed CBE in the 1918 New Year Honours for his services as an adviser to the wartime Ministry of Munitions. He died on 27 April 1945 at his home near Tidenham, Gloucestershire, with a wealth of £277,367 17s. 8d.[1]
