Josiah Guest, the only surviving son of Thomas Guest, an ironmaster,
was born in Dowlais, Wales, in 1785. Josiah took over his father's
ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil in 1807. Guest
was a shrewd businessman, by the 1830s the Dowlais Ironworks was the
largest in the world.
Guest realised that it would be an advantage to link his ironworks
with Cardiff docks. He joined forces with
Anthony Hill, owner of another ironworks near Merthyr
Tydfil, to form the Taff Vale Railway Company.
Isambard Brunel, a talented engineer from
Bristol, was recruited to build the railway.
The Taff Vale Railway was completed in 1841.
It was now possible to transport goods from Merthyr
Tydfil to Cardiff in less than an
hour. Later, branches were built to link the mining valleys with Welsh
ports and England's fast growing industrial towns and cities. The
railway network reduced transport costs so much that it was now profitable
to export Welsh coal to countries as far away as Argentina and India.
A paternalistic employer, Guest provided a school for his workers
and was active in promoting the Merthyr Board of Health. However,
he was opposed to trade unions and parliamentary
reform. Guest was elected to the House
of Commons in 1826. After the 1832 Reform
Act, Guest represented Merthyr Tydfil.
A supporter of the Whigs, Josiah Guest held
the seat until his death on 26th November, 1852.
G. Childs, Dowlais Ironworks (1840)
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