21st century research has established that this is not the world's first wagonway with edged rails, but the earliest known specific documentary evidence relates to it and so it was attributed as such by earlier writers.
A key innovation currently attributed to him is the introduction of boring rods to assist in finding coal without sinking a shaft.
[citation needed] His working life covered involvement in coal mining activities in Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Northumberland.
His coal mining and waggonway activities in the early 1600s near Blyth in Northumberland were, like most of his ventures, unprofitable but the boring rod and wagonway technology he took with him was implemented by others to significant effect.
New (2014) outlines a different perspective; Beaumont took over the Wollaton coal operation when it was almost worked out and facing closure, he applied what were for the time appropriate management actions delaying for 20 years what hindsight identifies was inevitable failure.