History
William Marshall was born in Gainsborough in 1812 and in 1848 acquired the small engineering works of William Garland. William’s eldest son James entered the business in 1849 and Henry followed in 1853, both aged 13 years, as apprentices.
By 1855 the business had outgrown their premises, so William purchased the first 1 ½ acres of land, which became known as Britannia Iron Works, on Beaumont Street and
