Ambrose Crowley

Ambrose Crowley was a member of the first distinguished Quaker family in the iron trade. He was sent on apprenticeship to London where he became a great wholesale ironmonger with interests in manufacturing works near Newcastle-on-Tyne. His business flourished during the wars of 1689-1713 when he acted as a major supplier of ironware to the navy.

The firm which Crowley established survived well into the 19th century through shrewd management of his heirs and continued to prosper from all the wars of the time. At its heights, in the second quarter of the 18th century, the firm employed more than one thousand workers and was worth over £100,000. It made it the largest iron-manufactory enterprise in Europe.