BOOK REVIEW
BY GREGORY DL MORRIS
Lady Charlotte Guest : The Exceptional Life of a Female Industrialist
By Victoria Owens
Pen & Sword Books , Yorkshire and Philadelphia , 2020
214 pages with b / w photographs , notes , bibliography and index
This is a fascinating and sometimes challenging book . It is a thoroughly researched history of a little-known person at a pivotal moment in financial , business and industrial history . As such , it is a welcome addition . It is well written , which is not surprising given that the author has published both fiction and non-fiction . That said , Owens has taken too tight a focus on just the facts . There is little broader context , yet with only 172 pages of text , there was both need and room for some .
Impoverished aristocrat Lady Charlotte Bertie married wealthy Welsh ironmaster John Guest in 1833 . She was already something of a polymath and at first threw herself into learning and celebrating the notably recondite Welsh language . Impressed with both her diligence and her determination , she was asked to translate a seminal report from French experts — possibly industrial spies — on new ironmaking techniques around Britain .
John had obtained a copy of Sur l ’ emploi de l ’ air chaud dans les usines a fer de l ’ Ecosse et de l ’ Angleterre , by the French inspector of mines , Ours-Pierre Armand Petit-Dufrenoy . “ Its potential interest to the British iron industry was immense , but few ironmasters had sufficient command of French to be able to read it ,” Owens wrote . “ Knowing Charlotte ’ s facility with languages … she was just the person to translate into English .”
That kindled the fires of her own interest in ironmaking , and she rapidly became a confidant and advisor to her husband in business as much as in life . They had a strong and affectionate marriage that produced 10 children and a thriving business that seems to have been first among equals in the Welsh iron and coal industry .
We do get a fleeting glimpse of the circles in which they moved when Owens mentions that the Guests were friends of Charles Babbage , “ mentor of mathematician Ada Lovelace [ and ] inventor of the ‘ Difference Engine ’— a precursor of the computer .”
John Guest struggled with health issues most of his life , and as it became clear to both of them that he had only a few years left , he made Charlotte the sole trustee of the business on behalf of their children .
This is one of the instances where context is starkly missing . It was certainly unusual at that time for a woman to be heir and manager of a vast industrial complex . However , under Welsh and British law and custom , we don ’ t know if it was merely surprising or completely astounding .
There are frequent snapshots of Charlotte ’ s character . In one , she was asked to lay the first stone of a new railway . “ Presented with a minute , ornamental trowel , Charlotte made … a graceful play of laying the mortar ,” Owens wrote . “ But given a diminutive hammer with which to set the stone in place , she ‘ rebelled outright ’ at the rank absurdity of the thing . Seizing a labourer ’ s mallet , she swung it against the block with all her strength to hit it home .”
Later in the book the author details how Charlotte would walk the works with her managers , even going down into the mines . She knew the technology , the terminology , even the slang , and she was comfortable speaking with the workers . They , in turn , clearly treated her not just with the deference of class but also with the respect of employees who have confidence in the head of the company .
Clearly the business histories that trace the idea of “ management by walking around ” only to the 1970s or ’ 80s need to correct their timelines by more than a century .
Charlotte would consult with engineers , bankers and attorneys about everything from global prices of raw materials and finished goods to trade policy , transportation infrastructure and politics .
Politics , religion and class figure large throughout the story . In fairness , business and politics have always been intertwined , but it is clear that a British author is writing to a British readership . As a result , the family and personal dramas that are important parts of the story often come across as episodes of Downton Abbey .
To that point , however , it reinforces the reality at the time that a woman — even a bright and capable captain of industry — could never escape the gender-normative roles of society . All the more reason to admire Charlotte Guest .
Another running theme in the book is the skirmishing with the regional grandee , John Chrichton-Stuart , 2nd Marquess of Bute , who was a rival in both business and politics . He was also a member of the House of Lords , and he supervised the government and military response to the Merthyr Rising of 1831 , two years before Charlotte and John were married .
The Guest ’ s mines , mills and home — adjacent to the works — Dowlais , were in Merthyr . As to geography and pronunciation , American readers can probably muddle through most of it , but what is to be done with Ynyscedwyn Ironworks ? The publishers have a branch in Philadelphia and the book ’ s price is listed in dollars , not just pounds sterling . Did they not realize
40 FINANCIAL HISTORY | Summer 2021 | www . MoAF . org