The Battle of Mickleton, 1851

[caldrail]

I've always been interested in railways, but by chance I stumbled across a battle from the days of pioneer railway construction that I'd never heard of before...

 

Isambard Kingdom Brunel is a familiar figure in history. The image of a tall stovepipe hat and fat cigar instantly recognisable. For the most part his work as a railway engineer is what he's known for, as well his achievements, and failures, in shipbuilding. He remains the quintissential victorian engineer.

What he's less well know for is his part in a what amounted to a private war. The Great Western Railway had acquired inerests in the Oxford, Worcester , Wolverhampton Railway, a smaller company that proved to be a difficult partner with financial troubles. It would later be nicknamed the "Old Worse & Worse".

The OWWR had begun building a line in 1846. By 1851 it was building a tunnel under Chipping Campden courtesy of a sub-contractor, Mr Robert Marchant, but work was delayed due to lack of payment by the OWWR, said to have owed

[GhostOfClayton]

Very interesting, Caldrail. Especially as I read this whilst on a train.

[Melvadius]

I agree an interesting footnote in the annals of railway history. 

 

There seems to be several different versions of the 'battle' which precise spin is put on it seems ot be highly dependent on which of the current reports of it are used as the basis of the story. 

 

I found http://www.ampneycrucis.f9.co.uk/PARK/MickletonTunnel.htm'>this site which has a few of the various iterations but also a couple of useful maps of the area.

[caldrail]

There's a good accoubnt here that references the London Illustrated newspaper, and also mentions an official report on the incident.

 

Beaver-TunnellingHistory.pdf

[Pisces Axxxxx]

Hhhhhmm did this battle have any effect on British Economic History? Or British Law History?

[caldrail]

Not that I can detect. The period was known for industrial or social upsets (Soldiers had to fend off rioters with bayonets from Buckingham palace at one point) so the dispute at Mickleton wasn't unusual in that respect, though clearly a disgraceful episode.I do think however that the government of Great Britain did learn from the disorder as a whole - note how calm british society became in the latter half of Victoria's reign.