Fenton, Murray and Wood

Fenton, Murray and Wood

VR name plate of 1843 showing Fenton, Murray and Jackson at Victoria Lock, Meelick on the River Shannon
Former type	General partnership
Industry	Engineering Heavy industry
Fate	Out of business
Successor	Fenton, Murray and Jackson
Founded	1790s
Founder	David Wood Matthew Murray
Defunct	1843
Headquarters	Round Foundry, Holbeck, Leeds, United Kingdom
Key people	James Fenton William Lister Joshua Routledge Benjamin Hick Benjamin Cubitt Charles Todd John Chester Craven Richard Peacock David Joy

Fenton, Murray and Jackson was an engineering company at the Round Foundry off Water Lane in Holbeck, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

Fenton Murray and Wood was founded in the 1790s by ironfounder Matthew Murray and textile machine engineer David Wood to build machine tools (mainly for the textile industry) and stationary steam engines. The company was capitalised by colliery owner James Fenton (1754–1834) as the main financier, and millwright William Lister, a sleeping partner.

The partnership was approached to design a locomotive that would exploit the rack-and-pinion patent granted to Blenkinsop in 1811. Their 1812 product, Salamanca was successful, and a total of six engines were built before Murray's death in 1826.

After Wood's death in 1820, the company became Fenton, Murray and Jackson.

In 1824 the company supplied a 60hp beam engine to the commissioners of Deeping Fen as one of two erected at Pode Hole. The other engine was supplied by the Butterley Company as were the scoop wheels for both. Although the Butterley engine was purchased outright (for £3,300), it appears that the Fenton and Murray engine was not. The accounts for 1825 showed a payment of only £127/6/- for the Fenton engine. It was not uncommon for beam engines to be leased, purchased 'on terms', or paid for in other novel ways such as a share of the earnings. The engine was named Kesteven and worked until 1925.