Draft:George Addison Cox: Difference between revisions

 

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==Later life==

==Later life==

Cox lived for many years at Beechwood House near the works and later at the estate of Invertrossachs near Callander<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/woodsforestsesta00hunt|title=Woods, forests, and estates of Perthshire : with sketches of the principal families in the county|first=Thomas|last=Hunter|date=November 13, 1883|publisher=Perth [Perthshire] : Henderson, Robertson & Hunter|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>. He served as a director of the Dundee Gas Light Company, a harbour trustee, Director of the Royal Insurance Company Dundee Board<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/dundeedirectory189900dund|title=The Dundee directory|publisher=Dundee : Printed and published by J.P. Mathew|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/dundeedirectory189394dund|title=The Dundee directory|publisher=Dundee : Printed and published by J.P. Mathew|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>, justice of the peace<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/slatersroyalcoun1896dire|title=Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Scotland … (Royal National Directory of Scotland.) With … map, etc|date=November 13, 1882|publisher=Manchester|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>, and later deputy lieutenant of Dundee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/10621/page/1237|title=Page 1237 &#124; Issue 10621, 9 November 1894 &#124; Edinburg…}}</ref>

Cox lived for many years at Beechwood House near the works and later at the estate of Invertrossachs near Callander<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/woodsforestsesta00hunt|title=Woods, forests, and estates of Perthshire : with sketches of the principal families in the county|first=Thomas|last=Hunter|date=November 13, 1883|publisher=Perth [Perthshire] : Henderson, Robertson & Hunter|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>. He served as a director of the Dundee Gas Light Company, a harbour trustee, Director of the Royal Insurance Company Dundee Board<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/dundeedirectory189900dund|title=The Dundee directory|publisher=Dundee : Printed and published by J.P. Mathew|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>, justice of the peace<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/slatersroyalcoun1896dire|title=Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Scotland … (Royal National Directory of Scotland.) With … map, etc|date=November 13, 1882|publisher=Manchester|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>, and later deputy lieutenant of Dundee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/10621/page/1237|title=Page 1237 &#124; Issue 10621, 9 November 1894 &#124; Edinburg…}}</ref>

He died at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on 6 May 1899 and was buried in the [[Western Cemetery, Dundee]] listed under “Notable Internments”.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mcmanus168.org.uk/mcmanus168entry/gilroy-brothers-co/|title=Gilroy brothers & -co :: McManus 168}}</ref>

He died at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on 6 May 1899 and was buried in the [[Western Cemetery, Dundee]] listed under “Notable Internments”.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mcmanus168.org.uk/mcmanus168entry/gilroy-brothers-co/|title=Gilroy brothers & -co :: McManus 168}}</ref>

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Scottish industrialist and engineer (1820–1899)

George Addison Cox
Born	1820 Lochee, Dundee, Scotland
Died	(1899-05-06)May 6, 1899 Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
Occupation(s)	Industrialist, architect – engineer
Employer	Cox Brothers Ltd
Known for	Engineering leadership at Camperdown Works; engineering specification for Cox’s Stack
Spouse	Eliza Methven

George Addison Cox (1820 – 6 May 1899) was a Scottish industrialist and architect – engineer^[1] , best known as one of the four Cox brothers who founded the Dundee jute firm Cox Brothers. He directed the engineering and architectural development of the vast Camperdown Works in Lochee, Dundee, including the specification for its famous chimney, Cox’s Stack. The Dictionary of Scottish Architects states that “Construction of completely new works, ultimately the largest in the world began in 1850 to George Cox’s design in consultation with Peter Carmichael of Baxter Brothers who was related by marriage.”

Cox was born in 1820, the youngest of the sons of James Cock (later Cox) of Foggyley, Dundee, and Helen Scott, a family long engaged in the local linen trade. In 1827 his father assumed control of the family business, and in 1841 George joined his elder brothers James, William, and Thomas Hunter Cox in forming the partnership Cox Brothers, which soon transitioned from linen to jute manufacture.^[2]

In 1848 he married Eliza Methven, with whom he had seven children, six sons and one daughter: James, b.1849; David Methven, b, 1851; George Methven, b. 1856; Alfred William, b. 1863; Charles Thomas, b. 1865; Edmund Connell, b. 1868; and Jessie, b. 1854, m, William Sinclair Thomson, M.D.^[3].

George Addison Cox was the principal architect-engineer behind the design and construction of the vast Camperdown Works in Dundee, a pioneering industrial complex that integrated every stage of jute manufacture within one site. Covering over thirty acres, the works included spinning, weaving, foundry, and engineering departments — an achievement described in 1911 as “one colossal establishment” whose technical equipment was “the finest extant.” ^[4]
As well as overseeing the overall development, Cox took a direct lead in the detailed planning of the works, designing key structures such as the High Mill and the landmark Cox’s Stack. Known as “the mechanic of the family,” he also patented a series of mechanical inventions that advanced textile manufacturing, including machinery for winding yarns (1854), hackling jute and flax (1863), and weaving improved fabrics (1868) ^[5][6][7][8]. His blend of vision, precision, and inventive skill made Camperdown not merely a factory, but a world-class model of Victorian industrial ingenuity, and helped make Dundee the jute capital of the world.

Construction of the complex began in the early 1850s and continued in phases for several decades. The High Mill (also known as the Silver Mill), erected between 1857 and 1868, and the monumental chimney known as Cox’s Stack (1865–66), were both conceived under Cox’s direction with architectural assistance from James Maclaren.^[9] Rising 282 feet (86 m) and built from over a million bricks in an Italianate campanile style, the Stack remains Scotland’s tallest industrial chimney and one of Dundee’s most recognisable landmarks.^[10][11].

The Camperdown Works eventually covered more than 30 acres, incorporating its own foundry, railway branch, fire station and free “half-time” school for the workers, at which there was a regular attendance of about 400 pupils^[12] , employing about 5,000 workers at its peak.^[13][2][14]

A 1911 history of Lochee wrote:
Each of the Cox brothers was an expert in his own field. James managed sales and developed international connections; William was known as an exceptional judge of yarns and materials; and Thomas oversaw the firm’s finances and commercial affairs. “Perhaps the most important role was that allocated to George, a qualified engineer. To him the entire control of the works was given. In each department the impress of a master mind is apparent – in construction, attention to detail, and in the productive power of appliances.” ^[4]

Cox lived for many years at Beechwood House near the works and later at the estate of Invertrossachs near Callander^[15]. He served as a director of the Dundee Gas Light Company, a harbour trustee, Director of the Royal Insurance Company Dundee Board^[16], justice of the peace^[17], and later deputy lieutenant of Dundee.^[18]
He died at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on 6 May 1899 and was buried in the Western Cemetery, Dundee listed under “Notable Internments”.^[19]

Under his guidance and that of his brothers, Cox Brothers became one of the largest jute manufacturers in the world. The Camperdown Works dominated Dundee’s skyline and economy throughout the nineteenth century and remains a major feature of the city’s industrial heritage. Cox’s Stack continues to stand as a symbol of that legacy.^[20]

Category:1820 births
Category:1899 deaths
Category:People from Dundee
Category:Scottish industrialists
Category:Scottish engineers