Brogden was born on 2 February, 1798 on his father's farm at Worston, near Clitheroe in Lancashire. He was raised on a farm near Clitheroe, Lancashire. As a young man he migrated to a rapidly growing Manchester and applied his farmer's knowledge of horses as a cleansing contractor. As the eldest four of his five sons came of age and joined him to form John Brogden and Sons he took iron-mining leases in Furness. 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. Beginning in 1853 the family expanded into South Wales buying mining leases and an Iron Works in the Llynfi and Ogmore Valleys. They developed these vigorously, also building a railway in the Ogmore Valley and a new harbour at Porthcawl. From an early age Brogden was a Methodist and in later life he contributed generously in time and money to Methodist and other good causes. He was educated at Clitheroe Grammar School. As a young man he left home for the rapidly expanding town of Manchester. Whereas other young men at that time chose to work in the burgeoning cotton industry, Brogden was an outdoor man, fond of riding and hunting so he preferred to work in haulage and transport. For further details of his work see John Brogden and Sons. He partnered with Joseph Whitworth to use the latter's patent cleansing machines. He also started the same business in Westminster.
Family life
In 1822 he married Sarah Hannah McWilliams, only daughter of Alexander McWilliams of Hazelhurst near Ashton-under-Lyne. She had been educated at the Moravian School in Dukinfield . The family lived as Methodists. The Methodists had close connections with the Moravians and John would have found Methodist chapels much easier to find on his many travels. Their children were: John, born Manchester 1823, married Ellen Garstang 20 March 1849 at Manchester Cathedral, died suddenly on 6 November 1855 at his home, Lightburn House, Ulverston, age 32. Lightburn House was later pulled down and replaced by the Coronation Hall. Alexander, born Manchester 3 November 1825, married Ann Garstang 6 September 1848 at Manchester Cathedral., died 26 November 1892 in Croydon. Henry, born Manchester 1828, married Sarah Ann Marshall on 11 September 1862 in Stockport, died at Hale Lodge, Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire in 1913. James, 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. George William Hargreaves Brogden, was born in 1842 and died in London in 1892. All the above sons except George joined him in his business on reaching the age of 21. Sarah Hannah, born in 1834, married Samuel Budgett on 5 June 1858. He was son and joint heir of the Bristol grocer Samuel Budgett. She died in 1905. 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.
Death and afterwards
John Brogden died at his home, Raglan House, Raglan Road, Sale on 9 December 1869. 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. The trustees were: Alexander and James Brogden, and Samuel Budgett. 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. They failed to do this so that, from December 1874, all the trustees were in breach of trust and therefore all individually liable to replace all the assets of the trust. No doubt they hoped that the firm would pull through. In fact, Brogdens failed in 1880 and Mary Billing sued the trustees for the money. 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. The partnership of James, William and Samuel Budgett, trading as H.H. & S. Budgett, broke up. James and William each ended up successfully running his own part of the old firm as a separate enterprise. Samuel and two of his sons also got a small piece but rapidly went bankrupt.
