Boulton, Matthew, 1728-1809

Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) inherited his father's metal business in 1759, and began building a new factory in 1761, just north of Birmingham at Soho in Handsworth, England. It housed workshops, offices, a showroom, and accommodation for the workers. It produced buttons, buckles, boxes and japanned wares, as well as more luxury goods such as silverware. By 1775, the factory employed over 700 people, working in over 40 workshops. In 1788, when he believed he would soon receive a large coinage order from the Government, Boulton built the first mint at Soho. The Mint was equipped with steam-powered presses, the use of which was largely due to his partnership with the inventor James Watt (1736-1819). The Mint was enlarged in 1791, enabling the production of many other coins and medals, and it began to supply equipment to other mints in England and abroad. It also supplied copper to the United State Mint for use in minting minor coins. Boulton spent over twenty years investing in and perfecting the minting of coins and medals. It came to dominate the final years of his life, and he considered it to be his greatest achievement.

Matthew Boulton worked as an engineer.

Matthew Boulton was an engineer.