John Storey Barwick

John Storey Barwick, 1st Baronet of Ashbrooke Grange, J.P., (1840–1915), was an English industrialist involved within quarries, coal-mining, shipping and shipbuilding concerns.

John Storey Barwick began his career by entering into a humble clerical position within the offices of the Ryhope Coal Co. Ltd, an established firm then owned by Lord Londonderry (The Earl Vane).

These men participated in a series of ventures across a range of industries, Scott and Barwick serving as directors or trustees for debenture holders in several public firms that were associated with Furness, investing heavily in his enterprises.

Progress would be slow and troubled at first, by 1910 a depth of only 1320 ft feet had been reached, problems were caused by water entering the works that had to be overcome using a freezing plant.

In 1899 Barwick also became a director of the Weardale Steel, Iron and Coal Co.[10] set up by Sir Christopher Furness in September 1899 to take over the Weardale Iron & Coal Company,[11] it ran a number of collieries taking over Tudhoe, Croxdale, Black Prince, West Thornley, Hedley Hill, Middridge, Thornley, Ludworth, and Wheatley Hill.

[12] In 1905 Barwick became director of The Cargo Fleet Iron Co Ltd,[13] and in 1909 he joined with Christopher Furness and Walter Scott to acquire the firm of Wingate Coal Co. purchased from John Gully, they would run it as a private concern.

[14] Wingate's purchase was conducted on a leveraged basis with the buyers putting down a lump sum and borrowing the larger percentage from the National Provincial Bank.