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 £18,140,000 in 2019)[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
  1. "The late Mr. F.J. Ledsam". Worcestershire Chronicle. England. 31 December 1862. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. "No. 20825". The London Gazette. 11 February 1848. pp. 541–542.
  3. 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 2 February 2020.
  4. "Railway Speculation". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. England. 26 August 1848. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stour Valley Railway". Worcestershire Chronicle. England. 26 August 1848. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "The Queen's Return from Scotland". Leeds Intelligencer. England. 6 October 1849. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "Birmingham Banking Company". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 21 February 1861. Retrieved 6 August 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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