Joseph Frederick Ledsam
Joseph Frederick Ledsam (16 April 1791 - 28 December 1862)[1] was a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Warwick, High Sheriff of Worcestershire (1848-1849)[2] and deputy chairman of the London and North Western Railway (1849-1862).
Background
He was born on 16 April 1791 in Birmingham, the son of Joseph Moreton Ledsam (1767-1816) and Mary Bullock. He married Elizabeth Ann Ashton Goddington on 4 December 1817 in St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Aston. They had one daughter, Mary Elizabeth Ledsam.
Career
He had an involvement in railways from an early stage, and became a director and deputy chairman of the London and Birmingham Railway. In 1846 it was reported that he had invested £186,000 (equivalent to £22,750,000 in 2023)[3] in railway speculation.[4] In 1848 he was chairman of the Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stour Valley Railway.[5]
In 1849[6] he succeeded Charles Lawrence as deputy chairman of the London and North Western Railway.[1]
He was also involved in other commercial undertakings holding the position of director of the Birmingham Banking Company[7] and the Birmingham and Staffordshire Gas Light Company.
He acted in a philanthropic context being a governor of King Edward VI School, Birmingham and chairman of the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival.
He died on 28 December 1862 and was buried on 3 January 1863 in Christ Church, Birmingham. His will was proved on 23 February 1863 and his estate was valued at under £60,000.
References
- ^ a b "The late Mr. F.J. Ledsam". Worcestershire Chronicle. England. 31 December 1862. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "No. 20825". The London Gazette. 11 February 1848. pp. 541–542.
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Railway Speculation". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. England. 26 August 1848. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stour Valley Railway". Worcestershire Chronicle. England. 26 August 1848. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "The Queen's Return from Scotland". Leeds Intelligencer. England. 6 October 1849. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Birmingham Banking Company". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 21 February 1861. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.