Festiniog Law – The shaping of a pioneering railway

Festiniog Law – The shaping of a pioneering railway

Much has been written about the acclaimed engineers and surveyors of the Festiniog Railway Company (FRCo), the oldest statutory railway company in the world still in operation. However, numerous personalities within the legal sector, including senior members of the judiciary, who have contributed to the development of the pioneering company, have received little attention to date. This book seeks to remedy the omission by offering a novel perspective on the Ffestiniog Railway’s history and demonstrating the considerable influence of the law and its institutions on the shaping of FRCo.

Dr Stephen Murfitt LLB, LLM, PhD is a lawyer with a particular interest in the early railways. Now semi-retired, he was formerly Chair of the Board and Senior Partner of a national firm of solicitors. He has presented papers at International Early Railway Conferences and in 2017 was awarded a PhD from the University of York for his thesis ‘The English Patent System and Early Railway Technology 1800-1852.’ Stephen is a non-executive company director and a charity trustee of standard gauge railway organisations and has been involved with the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway for many years, commencing as a volunteer locomotive fireman. Since 1994 he has been honorary solicitor and clerk to the FRCo, and since 2006 a statutory director.