Carron Company

Carron Company
Industry	Ironworks
Founded	1759;265 years agoinFalkirk,Scotland,United Kingdom
Founder	John Roebuck
Defunct	1982
Fate	went into receivership in 1982
Successor	Carron Phoenix
Area served	worldwide
Key people	Charles Gascoigne
Products	Cast ironproducts
Number of employees	2000

TheCarron Companywas anironworksestablished in 1759 on the banks of theRiver CarronnearFalkirk,inStirlingshire,Scotland. After initial problems, the company was at the forefront of theIndustrial Revolutionin 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 becameinsolventin 1982 and was later acquired by theFranke Corporation,being rebrandedCarron Phoenix.

Early years

Clocktower entrance to the Carron Works

Fragment of the firstblast furnacein the clocktower of the Carron Works

Cylinderfragment ofWatt's first operationalsteam engineat the Carron Works

The original founders of the Carron Works were:John Roebuck,amedical doctorandchemistfromSheffield;his two brothers, Thomas Roebuck and Ebenezer Roebuck;Samuel Garbett,a merchant fromBirmingham;William Cadell,Senior, anindustrialistfrom a merchant family, fromCockenzie,East Lothian;his son, William Cadell, Junior; and John Cadell.^[1]^[2]

The factory of "Roebuck, Garbett and Cadells" was established on the north bank of Carron Water, two miles north ofFalkirk.Takingiron orefromBo'nessand water from the Carron, they decided to use the new method pioneered byAbraham DarbyatCoalbrookdale,usingcokefromcoal minesin the vicinity as fuel rather than the usualcharcoal.^[3]^[4]The works helped to push other less technologically advanced ironworks, such as theWealden iron industrybased inthe Weald,out of business.

Cadell'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 necessaryinfrastructureand for the largely unskilled workforce to develop the techniques of iron working. The firstblast furnacebecame operational on 26 December 1760, producingpig iron.However, when the factory started to producecast irongoods, they were of a generally poor quality. Nevertheless, in 1764, theBoard of Ordnancegranted the company a lucrative contract to supply armaments to theBritisharmed forces. The company also cast parts forJames Watt'ssteam enginein 1765.^[5]

The company's fortunes had begun to improve as a result ofCharles Gascoignebecoming a partner in 1765. Gascoigne was a grandson of Charles 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.^[6]

The company's strict control over its supply of resources, including use of coal miners under conditions of life bondage, gave rise to disputes, with troops being called out to quell conflict on more than one occasion in the 1760s and 1770s.^[7]

The company received aroyal chartertoincorporateas the Carron Company in 1773.^[8]^: 139However, despite Gascoigne's efforts, the quality of company's products had remained low, and the company's contracts to supply theRoyal Navywere cancelled in 1773, with the company's cannon being removed from all naval vessels. A representative of theRoyal Artillery,Captain Blair, inspected the Carron Works in 1774 and reported ongoing problems with quality and handling of the guns: "on the death of [Carron Guns partner Ebenezer] Roebuck the Carron Guns had through the carelessness of the workmen very much deteriorated, and the firm lost ground."^[9]Despite this negative assessment, the report noted with approval that Charles Gascoigne was attempting to revive the firm.^[9]

Carronades

A pair of preservedcarronadesin King Street,Stenhousemuir

A neglectedcarronadestill on display at the former Carron Works

Gascoigne pushed forward the development of a new type ofcannon,originally known as the "Gasconades" but better known by its later name, the "Carronade".It was shorter and much lighter than along gunof the same calibre, meaning that more could be carried, and it was also quicker to load and required a smaller crew. On the debit side, carronades had a short range.^[10]

Some warships - mainly small ones - were equipped with carronades as their main or only armament, but such vessels were vulnerable to opponents armed with long guns. The carronade's principal use was on the upper decks of warships, where batteries of carronades replaced smaller numbers of long guns. This greatly increased firepower at the close ranges at which contemporary naval battles were usually fought, without impairing stability or sailing qualities.

The carronade was a considerable success, and remained in production from 1778 to the 1850s. The company established such a reputation for quality that theDuke of Wellingtonremarked in a letter to Admiral Berkley in 1812^[11]that he only wanted cannon manufactured by the Carron Company in his army. The company also made ammunition, including some invented byHenry Shrapnel.^[12]

The company supplied armaments to governments outside the UK, including weapons supplied to the embryonicUnited Stateswhich 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.^[8]^{: 141–144}He remained in Russia for 20 years, dying in July 1806 inKolpinonearSt. PetersburgasActual State CouncillorKarl Karlovich Gaskoin.^[13]

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^[14] was an engineer for the Carron Company in the early 19th century, and the company made engines for hissteamboats,theExperimentand theCharlotte Dundas.John Smeatonwas a consultant for the company.Henry Cort^[15] experimented on methods to produce malleable iron, anticipating thepuddling process.Benjamin Franklinvisited the factory,^[16]leaving works and is said to have left a design for a stove called 'Dr Franklin's stove or the Philadelphia stove'.

The company producedpig ironthroughout the 19th century, together withcast-ironproducts such as balustrades, fire grates, and the Carron bathtub. It ran its ownshipping line,and produced munitions in bothWorld Wars.^[17]It later became one of several foundries producingpillar boxesand was one of five foundries casting SirGiles Gilbert Scott's classicRed telephone boxes.In the 1960s, it produced cast-iron rings to line theTyne Tunnelunder theRiver TynefromJarrowtoHowdonand theClyde Tunnelunder theRiver ClydefromWhiteinchtoGovannear Glasgow.^[18]

The company diversified intoplasticsandstainless steel,but the works went intoreceivershipin 1982.

Carron Phoenix

The company was taken over and operates today under the name of Carron Phoenix, part of theFrankecorporation. Like its predecessor, The Carron Company, Carron Phoenix's headquarters are at the Carron Works in Falkirk.

Carron Phoenix produces stainless steel, ceramic and granite moulded sinks which are sold around the world but some areas of production have been moved to China and Slovakia.

Gallery

An ironovenmanufactured by Carron Company Scotland
The words "Carron Company Stirlingshire" appear near the base of many UKpillar boxes
A detail from the famousMVPanagiotisshipwreck (akaNavagio), situated on a beach of the island ofZakynthos,Greece.

References

^"Carron: Overview".Gazetteer for Scotland.Retrieved5 December2017.
^"Carron: Scotland's Forge".BBC.Retrieved20 February2019.
^Hamilton, Henry (1928). "The Founding of Carron Ironworks".Scottish Historical Review.25(99). Edinburgh University Press: 187–190.JSTOR 25525835.
^Devine, T.M. (2000).The Scottish Nation 1700-2000.Penguin. pp. 106, 116.ISBN 9780140230048.
^Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 35–39.ISBN 9780859765053.
^Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 49–108.ISBN 9780859765053.
^Duncan, Robert (2005).The Mineworkers.Birlinn. pp. 49–52.ISBN 9781841583655.
^^a ^bNorris, John (1958). "The Struggle for Carron: Samuel Garbett and Charles Gascoigne".Scottish Historical Review.37(124). Edinburgh University Press: 136–145.JSTOR 25526479.
^^a ^b"A List of the other Papers of the Society which are preserved".The Journal of the Royal Artillery.1.The Royal Artillery Institution: 21. 1858.Retrieved27 December2018.
^Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 74–85.ISBN 9780859765053.
^Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water! A New History of Carron Iron Works, 1759-1982.John Donald. pp. 298–299.ISBN 9780859765053.
^Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water! A New History of Carron Iron Works, 1759-1982.John Donald. pp. 118–119.ISBN 9780859765053.
^Stewart, A. F. (1913).Scottish Influences in Russian History.Glasgow, Maclehose.
^Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 116–118.ISBN 9780859765053.
^Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 102–103.ISBN 9780859765053.
^Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 63–64.ISBN 9780859765053.
^Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 305–326.ISBN 9780859765053.
^Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 345–346.ISBN 9780859765053.

External links

[GfS-1] "Carron: Overview".Gazetteer for Scotland.Retrieved5 December2017.

[BBC_Legacies_Carron-2] "Carron: Scotland's Forge".BBC.Retrieved20 February2019.

[HH28-3] Hamilton, Henry (1928). "The Founding of Carron Ironworks".Scottish Historical Review.25(99). Edinburgh University Press: 187–190.JSTOR 25525835.

[4] Devine, T.M. (2000).The Scottish Nation 1700-2000.Penguin. pp. 106, 116.ISBN 9780140230048.

[5] Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 35–39.ISBN 9780859765053.

[6] Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 49–108.ISBN 9780859765053.

[7] Duncan, Robert (2005).The Mineworkers.Birlinn. pp. 49–52.ISBN 9781841583655.

[JN58-8] Norris, John (1958). "The Struggle for Carron: Samuel Garbett and Charles Gascoigne".Scottish Historical Review.37(124). Edinburgh University Press: 136–145.JSTOR 25526479.

[RAI-9] "A List of the other Papers of the Society which are preserved".The Journal of the Royal Artillery.1.The Royal Artillery Institution: 21. 1858.Retrieved27 December2018.

[10] Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 74–85.ISBN 9780859765053.

[11] Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water! A New History of Carron Iron Works, 1759-1982.John Donald. pp. 298–299.ISBN 9780859765053.

[12] Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water! A New History of Carron Iron Works, 1759-1982.John Donald. pp. 118–119.ISBN 9780859765053.

[13] Stewart, A. F. (1913).Scottish Influences in Russian History.Glasgow, Maclehose.

[14] Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 116–118.ISBN 9780859765053.

[15] Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 102–103.ISBN 9780859765053.

[16] Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 63–64.ISBN 9780859765053.

[17] Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 305–326.ISBN 9780859765053.

[18] Watters, Brian (1998).Carron, Where Iron Runs Like Water!.John Donald. pp. 345–346.ISBN 9780859765053.

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