Samuel Ellis did not stay long in Montgomeryshire and was destined to leave his mark on the world as a pioneer of the railway industry.
Having been born at Felinrhyd Mill near Cyfronydd in the spring of 1803, the youngest of eight children, it did not take long for Samuel to impress his elders.
Young Samuel excelled at Castle Caereinion School, showing promise in poetry and mechanics.
Aged nine he had shown his aptitude in setting right a clock which had baffled the local clockmaker after taking the device apart and reconstructing it piece by piece.
Two years later, aged just 11, Samuel carved a model mill out of wood using only a pocket knife and upon its completion his father had used his son’s design to adapt his own business premises and machinery.
Samuel spent several years working as a millwright at the family home but felt unfulfilled.
The road young Samuel walked to follow his dreams near Cyfronydd. Picture: Geograph.
Despite his parents’ refusal he had seemingly run away from home in 1826 to start a new life in Manchester.
He walked every step with just seven shillings and sixpence to his name.
Samuel soon climbed the social ladder in Manchester and became a partner in a mill and iron foundry enterprise from 1832 to 1838 when he set up business on his own at Salford’s Irwell Works.
The Customs and Excise building in Salford, built on the site of the Irwell Foundry. Picture: Wikipedia.
It is during these years that Samuel’s ideas born in his youth had come to fruition.
In 1842 he invented turntables for use in the rail industry with his design dubbed one of the greatest improvements in railway machinery by Robert Stephenson.
The Manchester-Liverpool Railway.
Business trebled in six months as the competing railway companies rushed to adopt the revolutionary machinery.
Samuel’s inventions continued to revolutionise the rail industry.
Manchester Railway Station in the mid 1800s. Picture: Wikicommons.
In 1847 he designed an invention to adapt travelling cranes for use on railways, further expanding his business while also enhancing Britain’s fledgling rail network.
While business boomed Samuel had ignored advice from doctors and continued to work until his death on April 6, 1852 aged 49.
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