A small oscillating engine built by Crosskills of Beverley, as shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851. William Crosskill of Beverley, was a whitesmith who established an iron foundry, off Mill Lane, Beverley in 1825. His most famous product was the ‘clod-crusher’ for dealing with clay and heavy land that had not been broken down by ploughs or harrowing. In 1829, he supplied the iron railings and gates for St. Mary’s burial ground, North Bar Within, Beverley. By 1830, the Company expanded into the manufacture of agricultural machinery and they increasingly concentrated on this area producing catalogues showing a wide range of machinery, wagons and carts. By 1850, around 2,500 of his ‘clod-crushers’ had been manufactured and over 800 men were employed. The firm received an award at the Great Exhibition of 1851. During the Crimean War, (1855) the firm produced over 3,000 army carts, wagons, mortars and shells. In 1864, he founded the Company, William Crosskill and Sons, on Eastgate, Beverley, which manufactured iron goods such as railings and lamp standards for the Beverley Gas undertaking. It then became the East Yorkshire Cart and Waggon Company, until its closure in 1914. Today, several of his lamp standards can still be seen around Beverley with the name Crosskill at the base. Buy vintage prints online from www.picturearchives.og/eastridingphotos

(Why not try searching our East Riding of Yorkshire Map for more historic images? www.flickr.com/photos/erarchives/map )

(Copyright) We're happy for you to share this digital image within the spirit of Creative Commons. Please cite 'East Riding Archives ' when reusing.