Samuel Brown (1776-1852) and his cousin Samuel Lenox established the Brown Lenox Chainworks in Pontypridd in 1818. The main product of the works was chain anchor cable, supplying all of the anchor cable for the Royal navy until 1916, as well as chain for the great passenger ships such as the Mauretania and the Aquitania. The works also made the chain for suspension bridges, including the Menai Bridge, the Hammersmith Bridge, and the Chain Pier at Brighton. The works also made colliery engines and a large number of smaller items such as coal trams and railway wagon springs.