ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the development of the 'powerhouse' Wales of the 1790s onwards, emphasising the importance both of local roots and of influences from the wider national and imperial worlds. The growth of industry in Wales began remarkably early, certainly by the end of the seventeenth century. Anthony Bacon's career parallels at several points that of Chauncy Townsend, whose fortune derived from contracts granted in 1744 to provision British forces and settlements in Nova Scotia. Like Bacon, he entered Parliament, and in the 1750s he showed interest in the burgeoning industries of south Wales. The industrial complex of south Wales was not confined to iron and coal. The west Glamorgan industries had been based on copper and non-ferrous metals from the early eighteenth century. Industrial development went far towards influencing political attitudes, particularly over matters like peace and war. The potential of the Rhondda had long been realised, but transportation difficulties made it uncertain when the region might be exploited.
