- Carron Company
The Carron Company was an
ironworks established in 1759 on the banks of the River Carron nearFalkirk , inStirlingshire ,Scotland . After initial problems, the company was at the forefront of theIndustrial Revolution in theUnited Kingdom . The company prospered through its development and production of a new short-range and short-barrelled navalcannon , thecarronade . The company was one of the largest iron works in Europe through the 19th century. After 223 years, the company became insolvent in 1982 and was later acquired by the Franke Corporation.Early years
The company was founded as a partnership by three men, two Englishmen, Dr
John Roebuck , achemist , andSamuel Garbett , a merchant, and a wealthy Scottish shipowner,William Caddell . The factory of "Roebucks, Garbett and Cadells" was established on the north bank of Carron Water, two miles north of Falkirk. Takingiron ore fromBo'ness and water from the Carron, they decided to use the new method pioneered byAbraham Darby atCoalbrookdale , using coke fromcoal mine s in the vicinity as fuel rather than the usualcharcoal . The works helped to push other less technologically advanced ironworks, such as theWealden iron industry based inthe Weald , out of business.Caddell's young son, also William, was appointed manager, and the company's financial position was precarious in its first few years. It took time and a considerable investment to create the necessary infrastructure and for the largely unskilled workforce to develop the techniques of iron working. The first
blast furnace became operational on26 December 1760 , producingpig iron . However, when the factory started to producecast iron goods, they were of a generally poor quality. Nevertheless, in 1764, theBoard of Ordnance granted the company a lucrative contract to supply armaments to the British armed forces. The company also cast parts forJames Watt 'ssteam engine in 1765.The company's fortunes had begun to improve as a result of
Charles Gascoigne becoming a partner in 1765. Gascoigne was a grandson ofCharles Elphinstone, 9th Lord Elphinstone and had married Samuel Garbett's daughter in 1759. Gascoigne introduced many improvements in the company's techniques of production, and devoted considerable effort to increasing the quality of its work, and he took over the management of the works from William Cadell, Jr, in 1769.The company received a
royal charter to incorporate as the Carron Company in 1773. However, despite Gascoigne's efforts, the quality of company's products had remained low, and the company's contracts to supply theRoyal Navy were cancelled in 1773, with the company's cannon being removed from all naval vessels.Carronades
Undeterred, Gascoigne also pushed forward the development of a new type of
cannon , originally known as the "Gasconades" but better known by its later name, the "Carronade ". Easily identified by its considerably shortened barrel, the carronade had the same calibre as along gun , but contained much less metal and so was much lighter, enabling naval vessels to carry many more carronades than long guns. The resulting short range was not a problem as a result of the close-tobroadside tactics employed at the time. The new weapon was a considerable success, and remained in production from 1778 through to the 1850s. The company established such a reputation for quality that the Duke of Wellington remarked in a letter to Admiral Berkley in 1812 that he only wanted cannon manufactured by the Carron Company in his army. The company also made ammunition, including some invented byHenry Shrapnel . The company also supplied armaments to governments outside the UK, including weapons supplied to the embryonicUnited States which were used against Britain in theWar of 1812 . The British government tried to prevent the company from supplying plans and equipment to theRussian Empire , intended to improveCatherine the Great 's weapons foundry atPetrozavodsk ; nonetheless, Gascoigne delivered the Russian's orders, and travelled to Russia in May 1786 to supervise the works. He remained in Russia for 20 years, dying in July 1806 inKolpino nearSt. Petersburg asActual State Councillor Karl Karlovich Gaskoin.Prosperity and fall
By 1814, the Carron Company was the largest iron works in Europe, employing over 2,000 workers, and it attracted many innovators.
William Symington was an engineer for the Carron Company in the early 1800s, and the company made engines for hissteamboat s, the "Experiment" and the "Charlotte Dundas " .John Smeaton was a consultant for the company.Henry Cort experimented on methods to produce malleable iron, anticipating thepuddling process .Benjamin Franklin visited the factory, leaving works and is said to have left a design for a stove- 'Dr Franklin's stove or the Philadelphia stove'The company continued to produce
pig iron through the 19th century, together withcast iron products such as ballustades, fire grates, and theCarron bath . It ran its ownshipping line , and produced munitions in bothWorld War s, and telephone kiosks in the later 20th century. In the 1960s, it produced cast iron rings to line theTyne Tunnel under theRiver Tyne fromJarrow toHowdon and theClyde Tunnel under theRiver Clyde fromWhiteinch toGovan nearGlasgow .The company diversified into
plastic s andstainless steel , but the works went intoreceivership in 1982. The Company still exists today under the name of Carron Phoenix and is part of the Franke corporation. They produce both stainless steel and Granite moulded sinks which are sold around the world however some areas of production have been moved toChina recently.Further reading
*"Where Iron Runs Like Water! A new history of Carron Iron Works 1759-1982", Brian Watters, John Donald, 1998.
External links
* [http://www.falkirk-wheel.com/wheel/falkirk/information/Carron_Works.htm Charles Gascoigne - The Darling of Carron Works]
* [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/members/tom.paterson/mining/CarronCollieries.htm Carron Collieries]
* [http://www.falkirklocalhistorysociety.co.uk/home/index.php?id=107 Falkirk Local History Society]
* [http://www.fotw.net/flags/gb~hfca.html Flags of the shipping line]
* [http://www.railscot.co.uk/Carron_Ironworks/frame.htm Chronology]
* [http://www.falkirk.gov.uk/services/community/cultural_services/museums/museums_and_archives.aspx] [Falkirk Council currently hold the largest amount of objects and material associated with Carron]
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