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The 17th Century
When the Earl of Shrewbury died in 1616
the Countess of Pembroke inherited the ironworks as part of her share of the estate. It was run by Sir William Savile, Steward to the Earl of Pembroke, until his death in 1644. His
widow tried unsuccessfully to run it but ended up in grave debt.
Lionel Copley & Partners
The modern iron industry in Rotherham began in 1652 when Lionel Copley and partners leased forges, including Rotherham (Kimberworth) Forge, and obtained permission to build a slitting mill. The rents for all these business were enormous (£2000) but trade in the wake of the Civil War was bad and it often remained unpaid. However things improved after the restoration in 1660. Copley was based in Rotherham where in 1665, according to the Hearth Tax records, he occupied the largest house in town. In 1666 Copley agreed with Henry Howard to lease Chapeltown Furnace, Rotherham Forge, Wardsend Forge and Attercliffe Forge for £200pa and conver Rotherham Forge to a slitting mill at his own expense. He died in 1675 and his iron-working interests were acquired by his solicitor William Simpson. Most of the iron produced was slit into rods and used to make nails. Nailmaking was a seasonal occupation practiced by agricultural labourers when work was slack.
Production at the End of the Century
In 1691 the slitting mill at Masbrough produced 104 tons of rod which rose to 154 by 1704.
The Cementation Process
In the early 17th Century the cementation process was introduced from the Continent. Iron bars were packed in charcoal inside a fireclay chest and heated in a reverbatory furnace to
make blister steel. Coal could be used for the heating as it was not in direct contact with the iron. In 1664 Charles Tooker obtained a lease from Sir John Reresby of "All the water course which was lately used as a steel mill or forge called Thriburgh Steel Forge"
which had previously been leased by his father. Tooker sold a
quarter share in the steel forge at Thrybergh to the Harrison family in 1667. Charles Tooker and Sir John Reresby obtained a patent for some form of cementation furnace in 1666. The
Cutlers Company of Hallamshire obtained its reversal later in the same year. It seems likely that Tooker's furnace was near his house on Moorgate. In 1692 John Tooker obtained a new
lease form the Feoffees of Rotherham for a messuage, foldstead, two furnaces and a smithy in Moorgate, some of which were derelict.