'Stories from the Stones'
Please visit the Contents Page for this section where you will find other 'Stories from the Stones.'
These same stories are also published on Penistone Archive Group's Facebook page, their Journal and in 'The Bridge' magazine issued by St John's church, Penistone. Many thanks to their tireless author, Mr Steve Lavender, for his worthy contributions to local history and this website. - JB.
Story 17 - John Senior 1805 - 1880 and Maria Senior 1805 - 1859
And a fascinating link to Sheffield Stainless Steel Pioneer, Harry Brearley.
During our burial ground project, we identified thirteen members of the Brearley family interred at St John's, Penistone. As we had done for previous Stories. we were naturally inclined to wonder whether the world renown metallurgist Harry Brearley might be associated with our graveyard and consequently add another name to our ever-increasing list of important people linked to our town.
Harry Brearley was born in 1871 in Sheffield to John Brearley and his wife Jane. He had eight siblings. When he left school at the age of twelve, Harry went to work as a labourer in the same steelworks where his father worked. Prior to the First World War, Harry became involved in a research project to investigate issues arising out of the erosion of metal from gun barrels due to extreme temperatures. Making a very simple story out of a complex research project, we observe that Harry began investigating the addition of Chromium to Carbon steel. This had an unexpected result leading to the discovery of 'Rustless Steel'. A local cutler suggested that a better name for this alloy might be 'Stainless Steel' and the rest is history.
Our research has taken us on a most unusual journey. Harry Brearley wrote about his life called ‘Knotted String - the Autobiography of a Steel-maker’ published in 1941. In it he describes what can only be described as a totally unexpected encounter with his Uncle George one afternoon at Stocksbridge, who he had not seen for many years. The book describes how Harry Brearley’s grandfather met his wife – the description is in broad Yorkshire – so with the help of colleague John Beardwood (who brought this story to my attention), here is a brief translation:
'My grandfather (John Brearley 1773 - 1857) was in Penistone market place when he came across a man thrashing his wife. John took it upon himself to give the man a good hiding, whereupon the man told John that if "she was your wife, you would beat her." So John asked "Do you want to be rid of her?" to which the man replied, "Aye, five bob will do it." John said that was a bargain, paid the man and took the lady home.'
The lady in question was Sarah Taylor (1771 - 1855) and, as she and John never married, Uncle George made the point to the young Harry that his name should be Taylor, not Brearley. John and Sarah had a long life together bringing many children into their Sheffield home. One of the children - James (1806 - 1889) married Ann and they too had many children including Harry’s father John (1831 - 1899) and Uncle George (1838 - 1907) who we mentioned earlier. John married Jane Senior in 1855 and Harry was born in 1871, one of their nine children. Its at this point that I usually reveal an unexpected link to a member of the large Brearley family – but on this occasion, following hours of searching both the Ancestry and Burial Ground data, I have not been able to find a link through the Brearley line. So why this story if I couldn’t find a link? Well, whilst we couldn’t find a Brearley link we did find another, unexpected direct association between the Brearley family and St John’s Burial Ground.
As mentioned above, John (Harry's dad) married Jane Senior in 1855. Jane was born in 1834 and was from Thurlstone. Jane's parents are John Senior (1805 - 1880) and Maria Redfearn (1805 - 1859). John is a blacksmith also from Thurlstone. And there we have our connection – both John and Maria Senior are buried together at St John's Burial Ground. So Harry Brearley, the remarkable metallurgist and inventor of stainless steel is directly connected to Penistone by his maternal grandparents lying in St John's Burial Ground.
In due course, Harry would marry Helen and they would name their son Leo Taylor Brearley maybe as a tribute to their great grandmother rescued from the affray in Penistone. I am sure there are many other links to be discovered within this family but for now we remember John and Maria Senior, the Brearley family and their contribution to changing life in Britain and the world forever with the discovery of stainless steel in Sheffield.
My thanks to John Beardwood for his support and contribution to this story. The autobiography of Harry Brearley – 'Knotted String' 1941.
S.J.Lavender
Chair, Friends of St John’s Church, Penistone
Further Reading (on Harry Brearley):
William Wordsworth - "There's something in a flying horse, there's something in a huge balloon."