[CROWQUILL

This is from the satirical engraved strip cartoon by Forrester, alias Alfred Crowquill, depicting the rise, and downfall of the famous railway tycoon George Hudson. George Hudson (1800-1871) known famously as 'The Railway King' was, through his very questionable accounting practices, seen as the supreme strategist and financial genius behind the formative years of railway expansion. In 1844 he masterminded the formation of the Midland Railway Company which, had for its time, a tremendous capital of £5 million. Hudson was always very plausible at shareholders meetings, and quite brilliantly able to explain away such actions as the unauthorised increase in authorised shares when amalgamating two Newcastle Railways for his own personal benefit, the transaction never appearing in the account-books. He often received from grateful directorial boards of other railways, large presents of shares, and was certainly not above enriching his close personal friends with early information and allotment of shares. In 1849, however, as sitting Tory MP for Sunderland and having become the favoured house guest of the influential and famous, he came 'Off the Rails' as the Punch cartoon of the day had it, and suddenly as the great railway mania collapsed so did it bring down 'The Railway King'. Although fallen from grace, his reputation severely tarnished, Hudson's was nevertheless far from abandoned, being given financial support by his 'grateful' friends to help him in his hour of need.