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Dudd (Dud) Dudley (1599 – 1684), was an English metallurgist, who fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War as a soldier, military engineer, and supplier of cannon. He was the first Englishman to smelt iron ore with coke.

Dudley was the illegitimate son of Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley of Dudley Castle, and grandson of Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley. Dudd was the fourth of Lord Dudley's eleven children by Elizabeth, the daughter of William Tomlinson (she died 3 July 1629). His eldest brother was Robert Dudley of Netherton Hall. Dudd married Eleanor (nee Heaton), (1606-1675), on October 12, 1626, at St. Helen's Church, Worcester.

Lord Dudley, though married in 1586 to Theodosia Harrington and having legitimate heirs at the time, seems to have attended to the up-bringing of his natural children by Elizabeth Tomlinson; educating them carefully, and afterwards employing them in confidential offices connected with the management of his extensive property. When a youth,...

Created by dipity on Jan 23, 2008

Last updated: 11/05/09 at 09:44 AM

• Dudd Dudley Died
  1683

  Dudd Dudley died

• Metallum Martis
  1664

  Metallum Martis, a 1665 book by Dudd Dudley, is the earliest known reference to the use of coal in metallurgical smelting. The book is also referred to as Iron made with Pit-Coale, Sea-Coale, &c. And with the same Fuell to Melt and Fine Imperfect Mettals, And Refine perfect Mettals.Many attendant difficulties had to be overcome before this fuel could be applied to the purpose of smelting iron. Dudley does not describe in his book how he was using coal, only that he was and in so doing laid the foundation work for future discoveries. It is most probable that in substituting coal for wood as a fuel, he would further subject the coal to a process not unlike that employed in charcoal-production. The result would be what is called coke; and as Dudley informs us, he followed up his first experiment with a second blast, by means of which he was enabled to produce good, marketable iron. His success was also in part due to an improvement of the blast process which he contrived for the...

• Dudd Dudley's Birthday
  1598

  Dudd Dudley was born