Matthew Boulton
Boulton was a key member of the Lunar Society, a group of Midlands men in the arts, sciences, and theology.  Members included Watt, Erasmus Darwin, Josiah Wedgwood and Joseph Priestley.  The Society met each month near the full moon.  Members of the Society developed concepts and techniques in science, agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport that laid the groundwork for the Industrial Revolution.