Isaac Wilkinson

His mother died soon after his birth and his father in 1704, leaving him to be brought up by his elder brother John, a wool merchant.

[1] Some time between 1721 and 1723, Wilkinson moved to Workington where he worked at the Little Clifton furnace which probably produced cast iron by smelting with coke.

In 1735 he moved to Backbarrow furnace, which smelted with charcoal,[2] buying iron from the firm and selling his own produce.

By now, Isaac was living in Cartmel, enjoying several business interests, including the Lowwood iron company.

Another patent in 1757 was for a blowing-engine for blast furnaces, using columns of water similar to the trempe system, though it is uncertain how effective it was.

Litigation against his partners, including his son, had started as early as 1762, being exacerbated by the slump in Bersham's business following the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763 when demand for armaments dried up.