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Abstract
The historiography of the electric telegraph in the UK rests completely on Kieve's 1973 book Electric Telegraph. However Kieve relied entirely on secondary literature which was heavily oriented toward the Electric Telegraph Company almost ignoring its competitors. This paper, which is based entirely on original research, focuses on those competitors. There were originally three companies: two formed by users to serve neglected markets, and one by an engineer who felt he could provide a better technological solution. The engineer, Edward Highton, started earlier than the others although commenced service last. Jacob and John Brett are best known for laying the world's first submarine cable, from Dover to Calais. This paper shows, however, that they also connected Liverpool and Manchester to Dover and then, in a reverse takeover of Highton's company added service to Yorkshire, Scotland, and Ireland. Alarmed by the continued significant losses of Highton's company they sold out to the third company, based in Liverpool to form the British & Irish Magnetic Telegraph Company. This company then formed a duopoly of telegraph companies that served the UK market for many years.