John Marston (businessman)

John Marston was a Victorian bicycle, motorcycle and car manufacturer and the founder of the Sunbeam company of Wolverhampton. Born in Ludlow on 6 May 1836, he was sent to Wolverhampton at fifteen to be apprenticed as a japanner, a metal lacquerer, and in 1859 set up his own japanned tin goods business. He began making bicycles in 1877 under the Sunbeam trademark suggested by his wife, building on high quality and enclosed oil lubricated chains. His company made prototype cars between 1899 and 1901, and the first production Sunbeam car appeared in 1901, after which a separate Sunbeam Motor Car Company was formed in 1905 while the Marston business kept the bicycles and motorcycles. He also built Seagull outboard engines and started the Villiers engineering company. Marston was twice Mayor of Wolverhampton, retired in 1916 and died in 1918 aged 82.