William Brown was baptised at Heddon on April 2, 1717. He went on to become an authority on mine engineering and became known as ‘father of the coal trade.’
Starting off in the pits of Heddon and Throckley, Brown became manager of Throckley Colliery in 1756.
He erected a steam engine at the colliery and over the next two years, built six more engines for collieries in the district.
Within a decade, he had created 21 steam engines, including three in Scotland.
Brown died in 1782 and is buried in a family plot in the graveyard at St Andrew’s Church, in Heddon.
A contemporary of the famous landscaper Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, William Brown also associated with figures of the industrial revolution John Smeaton, James Brindley and Abraham Darby.
However, he appears to have been largely forgotten by history. In 2014, Andy Curtis of Heddon Local History Society began to look into Brown’s life. And in 2016, Les Turnbull’s book, The World of William Brown, went some way to redress the balance.
To mark Brown’s tercentenary on Sunday April 2, a celebration of his life will be held during the 10am service at St Andrew’s Church.
And on Monday, April 10, Heddon Local History Society will host a talk by Les Turnbull at 7.30pm at the village’s Methodist Church.
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