Hawks family
Corporate brand
UnclaimedThe Hawks family was a British industrialist dynasty whose ironmaking and engineering businesses became major producers and exporters during the Industrial Revolution.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Hawks family was an armigerous British industrialist dynasty associated principally with iron manufacture, engineering, shipbuilding materials, bridges, marine equipment and related commercial ventures in northern England and London. Its industrial story began with William Hawks Senior, a foreman smith at the ironworks established by Sir Ambrose Crowley at Swalwell. During the late 1740s, Hawks established workshops on waste ground beside the River Tyne at Gateshead. These works became the foundation of a family enterprise that expanded through several generations and operated under a succession of names, including Hawks and Co., Hawks, Crawshay, and Stanley, and Hawks, Crawshay and Sons. The business grew through a combination of family partnership, acquisition and diversification. In 1770 William Hawks Junior joined with his brother-in-law Thomas Longridge to acquire a plating forge at Beamish in County Durham. Further metalworking sites were later obtained at Beamish, Lumley and on the River Blyth in Northumberland, while the family also became associated with the Bedlington Ironworks. By the end of the eighteenth century, the Gateshead works produced steel, anchors, heavy chains, steam-engine components and a broad range of iron goods. Its customers included the Board of Admiralty and the East India Company, and its products were moved through commercial and maritime networks connected with the Thames, Medway and northern ports. The family’s industrial businesses reached their greatest influence during the Victorian period. Their Gateshead factories, sometimes called New Deptford and New Woolwich after London warehouses, covered large areas and employed hundreds and eventually more than 2,000 people. The works manufactured marine and land engines, puddling-furnace products, dock equipment, bridge components, lighthouses, piers, paddle steamers and hydraulic dredgers. The companies also supplied ironclad warships and other materials for the Royal Navy. Their own ships helped them export products internationally, contributing to a reputation that extended beyond Britain. Among the best-known engineering achievements associated with the Hawks companies was the production of the Vulcan in 1821, described in the family history as the first iron boat. The works also constructed or reconstructed major iron bridges. Their projects included the High Level Bridge over the River Tyne, the one-span cast-iron bridge at York, work on the Rowland Burdon bridge at Sunderland, bridges in Constantinople, an iron pier at Madras and iron lighthouses at Gunfleet, Harwich and Calais. The High Level Bridge used approximately 5,050 tons of iron; George Hawks drove in its final key in 1849, and Queen Victoria opened it later that year. The Hawks were also prominent in civic, political, financial and social life. Members were involved in merchant banking, Whig free-trade politics and Freemasonry. George Hawks served as the first mayor of Gateshead in 1836 and later held the office again. The family developed residential areas in West London, including Pembroke Square in Kensington, and built Hawks Cottages in Gateshead’s Saltmeadows district for workers. Family members also supported religious and civic institutions, including St John’s Church at Gateshead Fell. Control of the industrial concern became increasingly divided among family branches. After the death of William Hawks Junior in 1810, the estate and business interests passed to surviving sons and their descendants. In 1840, Hannah, Lady Hawks, and her two sons sold their one-third interest to George Crawshay. Crawshay later acquired another share connected with the Hawks family, leading to the development of the Hawks, Crawshay and Sons business. The enterprise ultimately failed to adapt sufficiently to changing industrial conditions. Hawks, Crawshay and Sons was liquidated in 1889, marking the end of the principal Gateshead industrial operation. The family’s later historical importance therefore rests less on a continuing commercial brand than on its contribution to British industrialization, engineering, urban development and imperial-era trade.
History
The Hawks industrial dynasty emerged from the ironmaking community of the River Tyne. William Hawks Senior worked as a foreman smith at the Swalwell iron manufactory established by Sir Ambrose Crowley. During the late 1740s he founded workshops at Gateshead, creating the industrial base later inherited and expanded by his eldest son, William Hawks Junior. In 1770, William Junior and Thomas Longridge acquired a plating forge at Beamish. The family and its partners subsequently operated several metalworking sites, including works at Beamish, Lumley and the River Blyth, and became connected with Bedlington Ironworks. By about 1790 the Gateshead complex was producing steel, anchors, heavy chains, steam-engine parts and assorted ironware. The works supplied the Admiralty and other major institutional customers. After William Junior’s death in 1810, his business interests were divided among branches of the family, including George Hawks, Sir Robert Shafto Hawks and John Hawks. Sir Robert acted as the family’s London agent and later became a director, while George Hawks eventually succeeded him in directing the concern. Expansion accelerated during the nineteenth century. The Gateshead factories occupied approximately 44 acres by the end of the 1830s and employed between 800 and 900 people. By the 1860s, employment had reached roughly 1,500 according to the family account, with substantial engine capacity and numerous puddling furnaces. The company built worker housing at Hawks Cottages in Saltmeadows and developed a reputation for large engineering contracts. The family’s product range extended from ordinary iron goods to nationally and internationally significant infrastructure. In 1821 the works produced the Vulcan, a rowing boat described as the first iron boat. The company constructed a cast-iron bridge at York, reconstructed the Sunderland bridge associated with Rowland Burdon, and supplied dock gates, lighthouses, piers, marine machinery and bridgework. Its international projects included bridges in Constantinople and an iron pier at Madras. The High Level Bridge over the Tyne became the best-known local monument to the enterprise; George Hawks installed its final key in 1849, before Queen Victoria formally opened it. Hawks family members also occupied influential positions outside manufacturing. Sir Robert Shafto Hawks was involved in London commercial affairs, politics and Freemasonry. George Hawks was a prominent Gateshead civic figure and served multiple terms as mayor. Joseph Stanley Hawks pursued merchant banking and served as sheriff of Newcastle. Other family connections linked the dynasty to the Moody family, British Columbia, the British Army, the Church of England and imperial administration. The family also participated in the development of London property, notably in Kensington. The enterprise’s ownership became less concentrated over time. In 1840, Hannah, Lady Hawks, and her sons sold one-third of the company to George Crawshay. Crawshay later obtained another share associated with a Hawks branch. The resulting Hawks, Crawshay and Sons concern retained a large industrial presence but was eventually unable to modernize and compete effectively as industrial methods and markets changed. The New Greenwich works at Gateshead, once among Newcastle’s largest employers, closed when Hawks, Crawshay and Sons was liquidated in 1889. The Hawks family therefore survives in industrial and social history as a dynasty rather than as an active commercial brand.
- 1889
Hawks, Crawshay and Sons liquidated
[1]The principal Gateshead industrial concern was liquidated, ending the dynasty’s major manufacturing operation.
- 1863
Gateshead works reach major scale
[1]The works employed approximately 1,500 people and operated extensive engine and furnace capacity.
- 1849
High Level Bridge completed and opened
[1]George Hawks drove in the final key of the High Level Bridge over the Tyne; Queen Victoria opened it later that year.
- 1840
Crawshay acquires a major share
[1]Hannah, Lady Hawks, and her sons sold a one-third interest in the company to George Crawshay.
- 1830
Worker housing built
[1]Hawks Cottages were built in Gateshead’s Saltmeadows district for employees of the company.
- 1821
Vulcan iron boat built
[1]The Hawks works constructed the Vulcan, described in the family history as the first iron boat.
- 1810
Business divided among family branches
[1]Following William Hawks Junior’s death, the business interests were inherited by surviving sons and divided among family branches.
- 1790
Gateshead works become a diversified iron complex
[1]The Gateshead works produced steel, anchors, chains, engine components and other iron goods for institutional and industrial customers.
- 1770
Beamish forge acquired
[1]William Hawks Junior and Thomas Longridge acquired a plating forge at Beamish in County Durham.
- 1740
Gateshead workshops established
[1]William Hawks Senior established workshops beside the River Tyne at Gateshead, laying the foundation of the family’s industrial enterprise.
Products and positioning
Industrial engineering and iron manufacture serving naval, civil-engineering, transport, dock, infrastructure and international export markets.
Iron boat · 1821
Vulcan
A rowing boat constructed at the Hawks works in 1821 and described by the family history as the first iron boat. Sir Robert Shafto Hawks supplied the iron without charge after learning of the inventor’s project. The craft reportedly competed successfully against wooden boats of comparable capacity before it was later abandoned after a fatal collision involving an accompanying boat in 1826.
Rail and road bridge · 1849
High Level Bridge
A major iron bridge spanning the River Tyne. The structure used approximately 5,050 tons of iron, and George Hawks drove in its final key on 7 June 1849. Queen Victoria opened the bridge later in the year, making it one of the most prominent engineering works associated with the Hawks companies.
Maritime infrastructure
Iron lighthouses
The Hawks companies manufactured iron lighthouse structures associated with Gunfleet, Harwich and Calais. These projects illustrate the firm’s ability to apply iron fabrication to maritime infrastructure beyond ordinary industrial and naval supply.
Civil engineering
Bridge and dock engineering
The family businesses built or reconstructed major iron bridges, including the York bridge over the River Ouse and the Rowland Burdon bridge at Sunderland. They also produced wrought-iron gates for Northumberland Docks and undertook bridge projects in Constantinople.
Brand decisions
1889
Liquidation of Hawks, Crawshay and SonsOtherBackground
The Gateshead works faced the changing competitive and technological conditions of late nineteenth-century industrial manufacturing.
Action taken
Hawks, Crawshay and Sons was liquidated and the main New Greenwich operation closed.
Aftermath
The liquidation ended the Hawks family’s principal industrial manufacturing enterprise, although the family continued to be remembered through its engineering works, civic activities and historical connections.
1840
Sale of a family share to George CrawshayM&ABackground
Ownership of the Hawks business had become divided among different family branches after William Hawks Junior’s death. Hannah, Lady Hawks, and her two sons controlled one-third of the concern.
Action taken
They sold their one-third interest to George Crawshay, a member of a prominent South Wales ironmaking family.
Aftermath
Crawshay later acquired another share connected with the Hawks family, and the business operated under the Hawks, Crawshay and Sons name before its liquidation in 1889.
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