William Blacket Haigh (or William Blackett Haigh—it appears that he was not consistent in the spelling) established W. B. Haigh & Co., Ltd., Globe Iron Works, in 1854. Judging by patent records, Haigh established his business to manufacture a patent mortising machine. His product line expanded to include saw benches, tenoners, spindle shapers, moulders, etc.

A son, also William Blackett Haigh, was born in 1855, and joined his father's business in 1871. The junior Haigh worked on the factory floor, proving to be an able mechanic. When the senior Haigh died in 1883, the junior Haigh assumed control of the business which continued to thrive under his leadership. However, within a year of assuming control of the business he developed tuberculosis. Trips to Australia and Germany failed to halt the disease's progression and he died in December of 1888. It is not clear who took over the business but it appears that ownership, at least, remained within the Haigh family. The ensuing years saw a gradual decline in the company's fortunes.

In 1893, a young businessman, Johann Wilhelm Gruban, moved from Germany to open an English branch of Leipzig-based woodworking machinery maker Ernst Kirchner & Co. The timing of the events is murky but Gruban changed his name to John George William Gruban, became a British citizen, joined the now ailing firm of W. B. Haigh & Co. and became a full partner in the business, which in 1912 became W. B. Haigh, Gruban & Co. By that time Gruban's efforts had brought considerable success and Haigh Gruban was touting themselves as the largest woodworking machinery manufacturers in the U.K. With the outbreak of war with Germany, Gruban was concerned about his continuing ability to win the government contracts that were a significant portion of his firm's revenues; he was also seeking funds to expand the business. He hired Frederick Handel Booth, chairman of the Yorkshire Iron & Coal Co., Member of Parliament for Pontefract, and a Liberal Party insider. Gruban paid Booth £400 for his lobbying services, but Booth apparently felt this wasn't enough and asked for 10% of the value of a £6000 contract that Haigh Gruban was being awarded. When Gruban refused to make this illegal payment, Booth began quietly working against Gruban and his company. A letter from Lewis Ransome, of woodworking machinery maker A. Ransome & Co., played on prejudices against Germans and warned that Haigh Gruban should not be granted any war-related business. The Secretary to the Munitions Department endorsed this suggested action. Booth then took this information to Gruban and told him that he should hand over control of the business to Booth to avoid Gruban's imminent arrest. Gruban did so, and Booth promptly wrote to the ministry of munition that Gruban had "taken leave of his senses". Within a week Gruban was arrested and interned.

Gruban sued for, and won, his freedom from internment, and then sued Booth for damages. This was in the aftermath of the sinking of the Lusitania by German U-boats and there was enormous public interest in this "German" who was suing an M.P. The evidence against Booth was damning and the jury of British citizens took only 10 minutes to return a verdict in Gruban's favor awarding him £3,950 in damages.

From December 1919 Indian & Eastern Engineer

In 1917 the company name was changed to Haigh's (Oldham) Ltd. In 1925 the business went into receivership. In 1927 or '28 the business merged with that of T. & R. Lees to create Haigh & Lees. The business limped along until about 1945 when it disappears from the records.

Information Sources

• The 1871 census reports that W. B. Haigh & Co. employed 47 men and 5 boys.
• 1875 The Commercial Directory of Liverpool lists "Haigh W. B., Globe works, Hill street" under "Machinists" in the "Lancashire Towns Section".
• 1883-03-09 The Engineer.

  An exhibition devoted to appliances directly connected with lighting or heating by electricity or gas, and general exhibits of a bona fide engineering character, was opened in the St. James's Hall, Manchester, on Saturday. The whole arrangements are, however, at present in so backward a state that any general description is impossible. The only section at all approacihing completeness is that devoted to gas engines, and as this will form one of the most important features of the exhibition, some reference to it will be of interest. Manchester and the district may now be considered the most important centre in the kingdom for the manufacture of gas engines, and although all the local makers have not as yet put in an appearance, no less than seven different types of gas engine are shown. Messrs. Crossley Bros.' Otto silent engine, and Messrs. J. E. H. Andrew and Co.'s Bisschop engine, which are shown, are already well known, and the Haigh and Nuttall engine, shown by W. B. Haigh, Oldham; the Turner engine, shown by Thos. Bradford and Co., Salford; the Wordsworth engine, shown by John Wolstenholme, of Radcliffe, have all been at previous exhibitions, so that detailed reference to these is not necessary...

• The 1884-85 The Manchester. Cotton District, and General Lancashire Commercial List.

  Haigh W B and Co. Limited. (Late W B Haigh.) Hill street, Oldham—Registered 1883. Director:— W B Haigh, N N Haigh, Jn. Harling, Jn. Harling. Manager— W B Haigh. Secretary— J F Winterbottom. Capital, nominal £30,000 in £50 shares. Subscribed and paid 20,000 No dividend has been declared, the 7 per cent, profit on capital earned having been spent on the works. The shares are held solely by the family.

• 1889 Transactions of the Manchester Association of Engineers.

  William Blackett Haigh was born in Oldham, on 14th February, 1855, his father, the late W. B. Haigh being then in business as a manufacturer of wood-working machinery. He was educated first at Tait's School in Oldham, and afterwards at a college at Blackpool.

  Entering his father's works in the year 1871, he served a considerable time as a fitter, and being an apt scholar, and naturally inclined to mechanics, he was fully competent to take the management of the works on his father's decease in 1883. In that position, his practical knowledge of the business, combined with an inventive turn of mind, enabled him to initiate many improvements in the production of machinery for working wood, which certainly did a great deal towards placing the firm in its present position. About five years ago symptoms of consumption showed themselves in his constitution, and on the advice of the highest medical authorities, he went a voyage to Australia, and after 8 months sojourn in that country he returned to England, apparently recruited in health and strength. Appearances, however, were very deceptive, for very soon his old complaint returned, and a second time he paid a visit to Australia, and on returning to Europe again, proceeded to Germany, where under the treatment of Dr. Brehmer, at his sanitary establishment in Silesia he remained some time but unhappily without receiving any benefit. He died on the 15th December, 1888, and was interred at Greenacre's Cemetery.

  Mr. Haigh was enrolled as an Ordinary Member of the Association, in December 1884.

• 1907 Berly's Universal Electrical Directory lists "Broadbent, F., manager, Electrical Department, W. B. Haigh & Co., Ltd., Globe Iron Works, Oldham." Also, "Haigh, W. B., & Co., Ltd., electrical & general engineers, Globe Iron Works, Oldham. (Telegrams: 'Haigh, Oldham.' Telephone No. 146.)"
• A 1910 issue of Ice and Cold Storage.

  W. B. Haigh and Co., Ltd., refrigerating engineers, Globe Iron Works, Oldham, inform us that they have just completed the fixing of two of their meatcutting band saws for the Swift Beef Co., of West Smithfield, London. An order for two similar machines has been received from the River Plate Fresh Meat Co., Ltd., and for one machine from Messrs. H. Woodley and Co., meat salesmen, of Cardiff. We understand that Messrs. Haigh and Co. have installed a large number of these machines, ...

• A 1910 chain-mortiser patent was applied for on 1910-01-26 by William Blackett Haigh and assigned to Oliver Machinery Co. (UK). This suggests that by that time W. B. Haigh had left W. B. Haigh & Co.
• A 1911 bandsaw patent was applied for on 1910-07-15 by John George William Gruban and assigned to W. B. Haigh & Co., Ltd., which is the earliest data point we have where Gruban was working for W. B. Haigh & Co., Ltd.
• 1912-02-17 The Timber Trades Journal and Sawmill Advertiser

  W. B. Haigh, Gruban & Co., Ltd.
  In our last week's issue we mentioned that the style of W. B. Haigh & Co., Ltd., of the Globe Iron Works, Oldham, the well-known manufacturers of woodworking, has been altered, as from January 30th, in conformity with the unanimous resolution of the shareholders, to W. B. Haigh, Gruban & Co., Ltd., to commemorate the opening of their new branch engineering works at Lower Moor, Oldham (in addition to the old Plane St. works).

  This large new Lower Moor establishment of W. B. Haigh, Gruban & Co., Ltd., gives a further 20,000 sq. ft. of workshop space to their already existing large works. It will be exclusively devoted to the building of the larger machines, such as log band mills, New Century band re-saws, vertical and horizontal timber frames, and automatic feed saw benches.

• 1912-03-01 The British Trade Journal.

  The firm of W. B. Haigh & Co., Ltd., of the Globe Iron Works, Oldham, who have three hundred employees in their sawing and wood-working machinery department alone, recently opened new branch engineering works at Lower Moor.

• 1912-11-01 The British Trade Journal.

  Messrs. W. B. Haigh, Gruban & Co., Ltd., Plane St., Oldham, had a collection of their woodworking machinery, several of their machines being shown at work. One was the firm's chain and hollow chisel mortiser, whose adaptability and efficiency were demonstrated by a number of interesting specimens of mortising work. It is one of the firm's seven different types suitable for mortises up to 5in. by 14in., and for square mortises from 4 in. to 3in. The accuracy and finish of their jointing and moulding machine were also displayed by specimens of the work done. Their D.O.B. improved hand-feed planing, jointing and moulding machine has square or circular §3. with table 7ft. long. Their spindle and recessing machine, also exhibited, consists of an extra heavy vertical spindle mould for all classes of circular and straight moulding. It is suitable for housing stair stringers, trenching, recessing moulding up to 4 in., and is suitable also for tenoning, dovetailing, etc. Another machine which attracted marked attention was the firm's wood trimmer, which has a dead length gauge marked on the bed, patent cornice mould attachment, adjustable fixed stop pins to accommodate hard or soft woods for varying position of fence, and adjustable bearings for the knife carrier.

• The 1918-01-02 Nottingham Journal.

  ... had been informed by the Minister of Munitions that Mr, Gruban would interned unless resigned the managing directorship W. Haigh, Gruban and Co., Ltd. Since then, Mr. Gruban has consented to the payment of £3,950 in full satisfaction of all claims...

• Grace's Guide page for W. B. Haigh & Co.
• The 2016 book Pontefract and Castleford in the Great War, by Tim Lynch has a brief history of John Gruban and dedicates a couple of pages to the events related to the Gruban-Booth lawsuit. The book is quite inexpensive and is available for the Kindle.
• A forum post by Matty Fazio provided the Haigh/Lees connection.
• 1929-10-10 Machinery and Production Engineering: "Haigh & Lees are finding a good demand for their range of woodworking machines."
• The 1933 Sell's Directory of Registered Telegraphic Addresses lists "Haigh & Lees, Saw Mill Engineers, Derker Works, Derker st., Oldham. Main (Oldham) 1273. "Haigh Oldham".
• The 1945-11-10 issue of The Timber Trades Journal and Saw-mill Advertiser has a text ad from "Haigh & Lees / Succrs. to Haigh (Oldham) Ltd., and T. R. Lees, Hollinwood. / 'Phone: Main 1273 / 'Gram: Haigh, Oldham".