252:, just north of Glasgow, to build a factory for the production of bleaching liquor and powder. The area was known as St. Rollox, after a French holy man. It was close to a good supply of lime, and since the area was rural, the land was cheap. Additionally, the nearby canal provided excellent transportation. Production was swiftly moved from the earlier bleachfields in Darnley, to the new plant in St. Rollox. It quickly became successful. Production increased from fifty-two tons the first year, 1799, to over 9200 tons the fifth year. Later a second plant was built at
222:. Further, in the last half of the eighteenth century, bleachers started to use lime in the bleaching process, but only in secret due to possible injurious effects. Tennant had the original idea that a combination of chlorine and lime would produce the best bleaching results. He worked on this idea for several years and was finally successful. His method proved to be effective, inexpensive and harmless. He was granted patent #2209 on 23 January 1798. He continued his research and developed a
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289:, A public dinner was organised to take place on 17 January 1838, Charles was to chair the event at Mosesfield house, the home of James Duncan Esq. Unfortunately Charles was indisposed and unable to attend. His ideas and active support helped create one of the most productive periods of social progress and reform, in almost every area, in Scotland's history.
281:, which had the effect of increased wealth for the manufacturing classes but poverty for the working classes. Charles and his son John were active in a time liberal views could be construed as treason. He worked for many years in the reform movement, but it was not until he reached the age of sixty-four that his effort bore fruit with the passage of the
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just could not do so efficiently. He plunged into a study of possible solutions to the problem. His imagination and interest were fired by a new way of transporting people and freight. This involved using wagons, pulled by a steam engine, on iron rails laid on a level roadbed. He had heard of this from his good friend
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Never one to overlook a sideline, Charles decided he must not forget the waterways. In 1830 he started his younger sister Sarah's son, William Sloan, with some small schooners. He saw this as a way to control the transportation of chemical products to nearby markets. At the time of Sloan's death in
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Charles
Tennant, in spite of the many demands on his time from outside sources, never lost sight of the main business in his life, the St. Rollox chemical works. By the year 1832, St. Rollox was consuming thirty thousand tons of coal a year. The system had not been designed to handle this volume. It
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160,000 in 1799 alone, by using the
Tennant process, they never paid for its use as agreed. As a result, the partnership lost a great deal in time and money. Further losses came from challenges to the patents in England and Ireland and the outright infringement of the process. In spite of these
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Charles lived to see his empire grow to be the largest and most important in the world. He was, beyond question, an entrepreneur of amazing ability. His dedication to his work, his family and his sense of what was right and fair lasted until the day he died. He was quick to champion those less
297:, the great railway engineer. He quickly realised this was the answer to his problem at St. Rollox. From 1825 until his death he was one of the prime movers in railway expansion. He was mainly responsible for getting a railway into Glasgow, over the fierce opposition of the canal proprietors.
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While still working in the bleachfields around the year 1794, Tennant formed a partnership with four friends. The first of these, Dr. William Couper, was the legal advisor to the partnership. The second partner was
Alexander Dunlop (His brother married Charles' eldest daughter), who served as
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grew to be the largest chemical works in the world during the 1830s and 1840s. It covered over 100 acres (0.4 km) and had 250,000 square feet (23,000 m) of floor space. It had a payroll of over one thousand persons and dominated the local economy. The huge
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Charles continued to expand his horizons during this time. When the partnership ended he purchased the company. As a forward thinking business man, he was in a class by himself. His company, during the 1830s and 1840s was the largest chemical plant in the world.
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The mighty business empire
Tennant founded and the immense wealth generated soon expanded even further with major initiatives in explosives with Alfred Nobel, copper, sulphur, gold mines and banking His grandson Charles Clow Tennant (1823–1906) became the 1st
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He acquired bleaching fields in 1788, at
Darnley, in Glasgow, and turned his mind and energy to developing ways to shorten the time required in bleaching. Others had already managed to reduce bleaching time from eighteen months to four by replacing
352:. Unfortunately when Tennant attempted to protect his rights against infringement, his patent was held invalid on the double ground that the specification was incomplete and that the invention had been anticipated at a bleach works near
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where his monument stands on the upper plateau. The unusual statue thereon is in the form of a very casually (arguably slumped) seated figure. The sculpture is by
Patrick Park (1811–1855) and appears to be based on
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In 1798 James Knox and Robert
Tennant (Charles younger brother), went to Ireland where they struck a deal with the Irish bleachers, for the use of the process. Although the Irish bleachers admitted a saving of over
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closed in 1964. Outwith ICI and its successors the privately owned group, now
Tennants Consolidated Ltd., continues with headquarters in London and chemicals, colours and distribution trade with every continent.
424:. Built in 1842, it rose a majestic 435.5 feet (132.7 m) in the air. It was 40 feet (12.2 m) in diameter at ground level. At the time of construction it was the
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245:, an excellent chemist, was the fourth partner. He is known for his technique of macintosh waterproofing and he also assisted in the invention of bleaching powder.
202:. Huge quantities of unbleached cotton piled up in the warehouses. Tennant left his well paid weaving position to try to develop improved bleaching methods.
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285:. Following on from the success of the reform Bill of 1832 Charles appears to have been a leading light in the movement to honour Scotland's Political Martyr
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became managing director of
Charles Tennant & Co for the next 40 years. Amongst other diverse business interests, he also became a partner in the
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and other derivatives. It seems
Macintosh also played a significant role in this discovery and remained one of Tennant's associates for many years.
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fortunate, and the reforms he initiated and supported made the lives of his countrymen better. On his death on 1 October 1838, his eldest son
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and water. This product had the advantage of being cheaper than the one generally used at the time because it substituted lime for
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worrisome problems the partnership was a great success. It continued for fourteen years when the rights under the patents expired.
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404:), which was sold worldwide. By 1815 the business was known as Charles Tennant & Co. and had expanded into other chemicals,
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down – four workmen died when part of the structure collapsed during the process – but until that time it was in daily use.
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146:, Ayrshire, the sixth of thirteen surviving children of farmer John "Auld Glen" Tennant (1725–1810), later of Glenconner,
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As a dedicated reformer Charles played his full part in the movements of the day. A great deal of unrest followed the
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known as the St. Rollox Stalk aka Tennant's Stalk towered over everything. It was a well-known landmark around
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and explosives. The early rail network in Scotland and important mines in Spain were also areas of interest.
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Immediately after granting of the patent on bleaching, Charles and his partners purchased land on the
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Tennant died at his home at Abercromby Place in Glasgow on 1 October 1838. He is buried in
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1016:
The will of Margaret Wilson (1766–1843) 1845 Glasgow Sheriff Court Wills ref: SC36/51/21.
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The will of Charles Tennant (1768–1838) 1840 Glasgow Sheriff Court Wills ref: SC36/51/16.
715:
Ronalds, B.F. (2019). "Bonnington Chemical Works (1822-1878): Pioneer Coal Tar Company".
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accountant to the group. The third partner, James Knox, managed the sales department.
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1848 they had the largest fleet in Glasgow, and were running nineteen vessels.
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Tennant was quick to learn his trade, but also to see that the growth of the
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of Glenconner. The chemical business founded by Tennant became known as the
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178:: weaver) Charlie", in reference to the occupation Tennant had undertaken.
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Ltd. and eventually merged with others in 1926 to form the chemical giant
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This article is about the Scottish industrialist. For his grandson, see
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and leaving the cloth exposed to sunlight for many months in so called
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International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology
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340:. In 1798 he took out a patent for a bleach liquor formed by passing
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364:) for which he took a patent in 1799. The process involved reacting
972:
Poems and Songs of Robert Burns publisher: London, Collins, 1955
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to "James Tennant of Glenconner" Tennant is mentioned as "wabster (
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parish school, then was apprenticed by his father to a master
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913:. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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the cloth. At that time this involved treatment with stale
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industry was restricted by the primitive methods used to
939:
Lindsey, Christopher F. "Tennant, Charles (1768–1838)".
893:. London: MacMillan, The Nancy Crathorne Memorial Trust.
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for which he was granted patent #2312 on 30 April 1799.
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Tennant's Stalk: the story of the Tennants of the Glen
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Broken Blood – The Rise and Fall of the Tennant family
838:, A Hauf Stop, 20 July 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2022
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Tennants Stalk The story of the Tennants of the Glen
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When Glasgow had the Tallest Chimney(s) in the World
432:). In 1922 it was struck by lightning and had to be
850:, A Hauf Stop, July 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2022
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Charles Tennant's St. Rollox Chemical Works in 1831
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644:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004.
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1025:An Avant-Garde Family: A History of the Tennants.
328:(1766–1843) he helped establish Scotland's first
690:"Society of Chemical Industry - Charles Tennant"
166:. The Tennant family were friends with the poet
23:. For the English landowner and politician, see
209:Charles Tennant's Darnley Bleach Fields c. 1800
934:. Vol. 56. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
848:Tennants Chimney Collapse and Demolition 1922
672:"Charles Tennant - National Portrait Gallery"
635:"The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography"
122:(3 May 1768 – 1 October 1838) was a Scottish
8:
945:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
808:Bancroft, Robert; Bancroft, Francis (1885).
392:In 1800 Tennant founded a chemical works at
785:. Pugmill Press. p. 30. Archived from
142:Charles Tennant was born at Laigh Corton,
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1022:Ordnance Survey map of Renfrewshire 1863.
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942:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
870:"Charles Tennant and Co - Graces Guide"
641:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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396:, Glasgow. The principal product being
372:to form bleaching powder, a mixture of
601:Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll
1019:Ordnance Survey map of Ayrshire 1860.
817:. Lewes: Farncombe and Co. p. 37
571:Charles Manners, 10th Duke of Rutland
7:
1109:19th-century Scottish businesspeople
1104:18th-century Scottish businesspeople
583:David Fane, 15th Earl of Westmorland
511:Edward Tennant, 1st Baron Glenconner
1059:People of the Industrial Revolution
751:"Ordnance Survey 25 inch 1892-1914"
609:(1970-2020) 4th great granddaughter
565:Harold Tennyson, 4th Baron Tennyson
537:(1897–1945) 2nd great granddaughter
426:tallest such structure in the world
134:and founded an industrial dynasty.
859:Glasgow Post Office Directory 1838
16:Scottish chemist and industrialist
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1089:Burials at the Glasgow Necropolis
615:(b. 1974) 5th great granddaughter
591:(b. 1937) 3rd great granddaughter
482:Notable descendants and relatives
931:Dictionary of National Biography
559:Hugh Fraser (British politician)
457:in the nearby Hunterian Museum.
356:. Tennant's great discovery was
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21:Sir Charles Tennant, 1st Baronet
519:(1864–1946) great granddaughter
1054:People associated with Glasgow
595:Arthur Gore, 9th Earl of Arran
585:(1924–1993) 3rd great grandson
579:(1919–2006) 3rd great grandson
573:(1919–1999) 3rd great grandson
567:(1919–1991) 3rd great grandson
561:(1918–1984) 3rd great grandson
555:(1911–1995) 3rd great grandson
549:(1906–1987) 2nd great grandson
543:(1902–1968) 2nd great grandson
531:(1897–1916) 2nd great grandson
1:
729:10.1080/17581206.2020.1787807
553:Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat
959:UK public library membership
759:National Library of Scotland
658:UK public library membership
603:(b. 1968) 5th great grandson
597:(b. 1938) 4th great grandson
471:Imperial Chemical Industries
25:Charles Tennant (politician)
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1049:People from South Ayrshire
755:Explore georeferenced maps
525:(1865–1935) great grandson
513:(1859–1920) great grandson
287:Thomas Muir of Huntershill
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1079:Scottish company founders
887:Crathorne, Nancy (1973).
811:Tall Chimney Construction
311:Bonnington Chemical Works
41:
921:"Tennant, Charles"
904:"Tennant, Charles"
782:Scotland's Tall Chimneys
473:. The chemical works at
236:St Rollox Chemical Works
230:St Rollox Chemical Works
1064:Scottish industrialists
998:Dugdale, Nancy (1973).
918:Harden, Arthur (1898).
910:Encyclopædia Britannica
779:Jenkins, Moses (2021).
1002:. London: Macmillan.
951:10.1093/ref:odnb/27131
650:10.1093/ref:odnb/27131
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1099:People from Ochiltree
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467:United Alkali Company
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983:Blow, Simon (1987),
507:(1823–1906) grandson
505:Charles Clow Tennant
402:calcium hypochlorite
374:calcium hypochlorite
170:(1759–1796); in his
501:(1772–1814) brother
283:Reform Bill of 1832
1074:Scottish inventors
987:. London: Faber.
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492:Glasgow Necropolis
446:Glasgow Necropolis
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344:into a mixture of
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1069:Scottish chemists
957:(Subscription or
789:on 5 October 2021
656:(Subscription or
535:Elizabeth Bibesco
499:Alexander Tennant
326:Charles Macintosh
295:George Stephenson
243:Charles Macintosh
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413:St. Rollox plant
362:chloride of lime
358:bleaching powder
224:bleaching powder
132:bleaching powder
130:. He discovered
103:Margaret McClure
86:Businessperson,
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762:. Retrieved
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613:Honor Fraser
589:Emma Tennant
577:Iain Tennant
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338:Renfrewshire
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307:John Tennant
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168:Robert Burns
164:Renfrewshire
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101:John Tennant
76:(1838-10-01)
29:
1044:1838 deaths
1039:1768 births
926:Lee, Sidney
430:Port Dundas
370:slaked lime
200:bleachfield
1094:Springburn
1033:Categories
961:required.)
881:References
764:13 October
660:required.)
475:Springburn
455:James Watt
406:metallurgy
394:St. Rollox
354:Nottingham
160:Kilbarchan
65:, Scotland
54:3 May 1768
821:4 January
793:5 October
737:221115202
434:dynamited
398:bleaching
332:works at
321:With the
317:Discovery
216:sour milk
152:Ochiltree
148:Ochiltree
138:Biography
98:Parent(s)
400:powder (
368:and dry
366:chlorine
342:chlorine
273:Reformer
63:Ayrshire
967:Sources
928:(ed.).
463:baronet
422:Glasgow
418:chimney
380:Fortune
323:chemist
254:Hebburn
188:weaving
182:Impetus
172:epistle
144:Alloway
124:chemist
112:Tennant
88:chemist
59:Alloway
1006:
991:
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440:Legacy
350:potash
334:Hurlet
192:bleach
108:Family
924:. In
815:(PDF)
733:S2CID
620:Notes
218:with
196:urine
1004:ISBN
989:ISBN
974:ISBN
823:2009
795:2021
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