Henry Cort

Henry Cort was a British ironmaster credited with discovering of method that made possible the large scale and inexpensive conversion of cast iron into wrought iron, one of the most essential materials of the early Industrial revolution.

Born in Lancaster in a family of a brick mason, Cort ammased a small fortune as a young man by supplying provisions to the Royal Navy. At the time, the use of British wrought iron was prohibited in all military supplies due to its poor quality and the government was forced instead to import very expensive Russian iron. Cort bought a forge in Fareham in 1775 and began his experiments which resulted with invention of puddling process. Thanks to his invention, by 1780 iron became an English export for the first time in history.

However, after it was discovered that his business partner have invested stolen funds in their enterprise, the government deprived Cort of his patents and forced into bankruptcy. His competitors used this opportunity to manufacture iron using his method. Although the government eventually acknowledged his contribution to iron and steel industries of Britain and granted him a small pension, Cork died in poverty.