Richard Beaumont-Thomas
Richard Beaumont-Thomas was the managing director of a major South Wales iron, steel and tinplate manufacturing company named Richard Thomas and Co Ltd[1] which eventually merged with Baldwins[2] to become Richard Thomas and Baldwins.
He was born on 25 May 1860 at Oxford, the eldest son of his father, tinplate manufacturer Richard Thomas[1]. Richard Beaumont Thomas married Nora Anderson, the fourth daughter of James Anderson a Tea Merchant, of Dundee and Elizabeth Ann Downes at Holy Trinity Church, Tulse Hill, London on 2 August 1888.
Richard and Nora produced four children
- Vera Nora Beaumont-Thomas born 12 June 1889, died 24 Nov 1900,
- Colonel Lionel Beaumont-Thomas MC MP born 1 Aug 1893,
- Irene Murial Beaumont-Thomas born 9 Oct 1894 and,
- Reginald Alexander Beaumont-Thomas born 3 Sep 1903.
Inventions
During 1885, assisted by Robert Davies, Richard Beaumont-Thomas invented a cleaning machine and a dusting machine.[3] These machines made possible the continuous production of tinplate. Richard Beaumont-Thomas continued this inventive streak, in 1897 together with his brother Hubert Spence-Thomas, a continuous tinning machine[4] was patented. The patents for these inventions were issued and utilised by the tinplate industry globally.
Will
Richard Beaumont-Thomas died on 14 February 1917 leaving a will of £449,285-18-9 pounds sterling. The will, due to its complexity was converted into a Private Bill, an Act of Parliament named the Beaumont Thomas Estate 1929 (19 & 20 Geo.5)[2] [5] read in the House of Lords.