A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



be collectively large, and we shall be proud to under- 

 take the defence of the works against what we must 

 deem an unprovoked attack on the dearest interests 

 of the working man." 



In spite of this support, in 1843 Messrs. 

 Cookson ceased to manufacture alkali, and in 

 1844 the works were acquired by the Jarrow 

 Chemical Company. Under the management of 

 James Stevenson they rapidly increased, until 

 they became the largest in the North of England. 

 In the great Exhibition they exhibited a minia- 

 ture of the Arctic regions in crystal soda, 

 which weighed 2 tons and measured 6 ft. In 

 1858 the Friar's Goose Works united to the 

 Templetown concern, and the amalgamated 

 works were then the largest in the kingdom, 

 employing nearly fifteen hundred men. The 

 United Alkali Company acquired the whole 

 concern in 1891.'" The Templetown Works, 

 generally known as the Tyne Dock Works, were 

 closed and later pulled down, but the Friar's 

 Goose Works still continue, though not in full 

 work. 



In October, 1886, the chemical firm of 

 Pattinson & Co., founded seventy years before 

 at Felling, closed their works, and more than 

 fourteen hundred men were thrown out ot 

 work ; the magnificent buildings still stand un- 

 occupied. 



The Hebburn Works, once owned by Charles 

 Tennant and partners, are now worked by the 

 United Alkali Company, whose most extensive 

 works are in the borough of Gateshead, and 



were formerly under the control of the New- 

 castle Chemical Company.*' 



The chemical works founded by H. Lee 

 Pattinson in 1837 at Washington, and bought 

 in 1872 by Mr. Newall, still continue. But the 

 chemical industry was not confined to the Tyne. 

 As early as 1772 copperas works were started 

 at Deptford by Messrs. Taylor and Inman. 

 Pyrites for the purpose was obtained from Lyme 

 in Dorsetshire, a ton costing 30J. On 

 the death of Inman, the remaining partner, 

 in 1780 the works were bought by Mr John 

 Bliss and managed by him for seven years ; his 

 son succeeded to the business and took Mr. 

 Bernard Ogden into partnership. The works 

 were enlarged and the manufacture of Glauber's 

 and Epsom Salts begun. Mr. Ogden became 

 the sole proprietor in 1820, and six years later 

 a further extension of business took place. 

 Pyroligneous retorts were installed and the manu- 

 facture of acetate of soda begun. Dr. Ogden 

 succeeded his father, in 1831, and extended the 

 manufacture of acetate of soda and acetic acid, 

 until the works became one of the largest of the 

 kind in the world. From 1869 to 1892 Mr. John 

 Maude Ogden, his younger brother, was manager. 

 His executors carried on the business, but sold 

 the whole estate to Doxford & Sons, and in 

 1902 every vestige of these chemical works, 

 and the old Deptford Hall, which Mr. Inman 

 the founder of the firm had built, was swept 

 away to make room for the extension of the 

 Shipbuilding and Engineering Works." 



SHIPBUILDING 



Shipbuilding is the most characteristic and im- 

 portant industry in the county of Durham, and 

 Durham is the most important shipbuilding county 

 in the United Kingdom. Four hundred and 

 sixty-eight ships above 1,000 tons were built in 

 the British Isles during 1905 ; of these 175 were 

 built in this county. Durham accounts for 

 589,944 of the 1,808,771 tons that represent the 

 total tonnage of England, Scotland, and Ireland. 

 Taking England, exclusive of Durham, as the 

 standard of comparison, the pre-eminent position 

 of Durham is still clearer, for England turns out 

 only 465,460 tons, so that Durham with its 

 output of 589,944 tons exceeds the total English 

 output (exclusive of Durham) by 124,484 tons. 

 Nor can this great industrial development be 

 traced to any natural advantage ; the Wear is 



" From a copy of an address to Isaac Cookson and 

 William Cuthbert, esqs., from their workpeople, 

 agreed to at a meeting held in South Shields Market- 

 place on 22 Jan. 1832, kindly lent to me by Mr. 

 N. C. Cookson. 



'^ Chemical TraJcs Journ. 1890, pp. 32, 33. 



the only exclusively Durham river, for Northum- 

 berland and Yorkshire claim the lion's share of 

 the shipbuilding of the Tyne and the Tees, and 

 it has been rightly said that man has done every- 

 thing for the Wear, nature nothing. 



Sunderland is often spoken of as a mushroom 

 growth of the mid-seventeenth century, but its 

 shipping had a history long anterior to that period. 

 Among the Mickleton MSS. is a document com- 

 piled in the early part of the seventeenth century^ 

 which contains a list of all the rolls then in 

 existence which dealt with Sunderland shipping. 

 They cover a period from 1 183 to 1609. In 

 many cases the date of the document only, no 

 hint of its contents, is given. The first one 

 quoted is dated 1 9 Edward III, and runs, ' Thomas 

 Menvil held a certain place called Hendon for 

 building of ships and paid yearly for the same 



*' I am indebted to Mr. Alfred Allhusen for many 

 of the details of the Durham Alkali Works. 



^ From a manuscript description of the Deptford 

 Copperas Works in possession of the Sunderland 

 Antiquarian Society. 



302 



