| AdminHistory | Josiah Mason was born in Kidderminster in 1795, the son of a carpet weaver. He came to Birmingham in 1816 and became manager of a gilt toy business belonging to his uncle, Richard Griffiths. When Griffiths sold the business, he became manager of Samuel Harrison's split ring making business, which he purchased in 1825. He became involved in the manufacture of steel pen nibs and for many years he supplied nibs to James Perry of London. His last industrial venture was in the electro-plating industry. He entered into partnership with the firm Elkington and established a copper smelting works at Pembrey near Llanelli.
During his life, Mason amassed a considerable fortune through his business interests; and because he had no family, he used his money for charitable purposes. He founded a small orphanage and almshouses in Station Road, Erdington. The building was apparently begun in 1855 and it opened in 1858 for women over 50 and for orphan girls. He initially invited co-operation and support from Birmingham religious leaders and philanthropists; but his insistence that catechism should not be taught to the orphans resulted in support being withdrawn. At his own expense he built a new larger orphanage in Bell Lane, later Orphanage Road, Erdington at a cost of £60,000. The girl orphans were removed to the new orphanage and the premises in Station Road were probably altered to provide more almshouse accommodation. Not all the space was immediately given over to the women; provision was made for a number of orphan girls from the orphanage who had temporarily lost their jobs to stay until they were able to find other employment. Mason endowed these with property by a trust deed dated 29 July 1868. A later deed of 1910 separated the two branches of the trust; two bodies of trustees were set up, one to administer the orphanage and one for the almshouses.
Josiah Mason also founded a scientific college, the building and endowment of which cost more than £200,000. He laid the foundation stone in 1875 and the institution opened in 1880. Masons Science College subsequently became the University of Birmingham.
Mason was knighted in 1872 and he died in 1881. The orphanage closed in 1960: the building was uneconomical and the care of orphaned children was adequately undertaken by the state by this date. The two trusts were re-amalgamated; and under a Charity Commission scheme dated Dec. 1963, the bulk of the trust's resources were concentrated in the provision of residential care of the elderly. A small part of the trust's income is also set aside for educational grants for young people. The trust now administers three separate residences for the elderly: Mason Cottages, Orphanage Road, Erdington (built in 1939 on the Trust ground adjoining the Orphanage playing fields to replace the almshouses in Station Road); Mason Court, Hillsborough Road, Olton (opened 1967); and Mason House, Shirley (opened 1974). |