James left home when he was 16 and tried his hand at a range of occupations, including wood turning and japanning, pub landlord, brush making, die sinking, medal making and cotton reel manufacture before turning his mind to perfecting the design of oil lamps.
[18] The great selling point of Hinks lamps was that they did not need frequent trimming or give off nasty smoke or smells.
Important customers included railway companies, which used oil lamps to light stations, trains and signals.
For a time he was president of Aston Villa Football Club and he regularly attended matches at the Wellington Road ground at Perry Barr.
[26][27] When he died his estate was valued at over £80,000 [about £8m in today's money] and his will made generous bequests to local hospitals, charities and his servants (as well as his family).