The process of converting pig iron into wrought iron (also known as bar iron) was at that time carried out in a finery forge, which was fuelled by charcoal. Charcoal was a limited resource, but coal, more widely available, could not be used because the sulphur in coal would adversely affect the quality of the wrought iron.
George Cranege worked in Coalbrookdale in Shropshire, at the ironworks established by Abraham Darby I, and his brother Thomas worked at a forge in Bridgnorth in Shropshire. They suggested to Richard Reynolds, manager of the works at Coalbrookdale, that the conversion process could be done in a reverbatory furnace, where the iron did not mix with the coal. Reynolds was sceptical, but authorized the brothers to try out the idea.
Richard Reynolds, in a letter dated 25 April 1766 to his colleague Thomas Goldney III, described his conversation with the Craneges and the experiment:
A patent for the process, dated 17 June 1766, in the name of the brothers Cranege, was secured. It apparently made little difference to the lives of the brothers. The process was improved soon afterwards, by Peter Onions who received a patent in 1783, and by Henry Cort who received patents in 1783 and 1784 for his improvements.