[2] As a young man he moved to a rapidly growing Manchester and established himself as a cleansing contractor.

They quickly saw that a rail link from Furness to the rest of England and Wales was critical to the industrial development of Furness so they promoted the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway to run across Morecambe Bay from Carnforth to Ulverston, receiving the Royal Assent in 1851.

This was an innovative, challenging and risky project but it was eventually completed in 1857 and soon purchased by the Furness Railway.

[5][6] Beginning in 1853 the family expanded into South Wales buying mining leases and an Iron Works in the Llynfi and Ogmore Valleys.

[9] James Brogden, born Manchester 7 April 1832, spent most of his adult life in Mid-Glamorgan, first at Tondu and later at Porthcawl, where he died in January 1907.

Mary Jane, referred to as Jenny, married William Billing in Manchester Cathedral on 18 December 1867 and at one time they lived at Dunham Grange, Bowdon, Cheshire.

[9][12] In his will he left his business to his sons Alexander, Henry and James but he also set up a trust for Mrs Billing of £7,250 and previously a marriage settlement of £10,000.

For five years from his death the partners were empowered to use the trust money in the business but after that they had to provide evidence of good assets that were independent of it.

The action "Billing vs. Brogden" was tried in 1887 and appealed in 1888 with the result that Samuel Budgett, the only solvent trustee, had to replace all the trust's missing money himself.