INDUSTRIES 



1655 to 1680 the record of the firm is again 

 obscure, but from the latter date onwards is 

 unbroken. The business has always been in 

 the hands of the Field family until in 1887 

 it was converted into a limited company, and 

 ever since that date the managing director 

 has always been a member of the same family 

 down to the present gentleman who occupies 

 that position, Mr. F. A. Field, through whose 

 energy much is now being done to extend the 

 operations of the company. 



At first the business of the firm was con- 

 fined to the manufacture of wax candles, 

 wafers, sealing wax and the like, and the 

 bleaching of the wax was the chief operation. 

 The use of spermaceti for candles was taken 

 up about the year 1740. From an old bill- 

 head in the company's possession it appears 

 that in 1779 the style of the firm was Sarah 

 Field & Son, 'who make and sell all sorts of 

 fine sealing wax and wafers, wax candles, 

 branches, flambeaux, fine spermaceti candles 

 and links wholesale at the lowest prices.' 

 Sarah Field was the wife of William Field of 

 Lambeth whose son's indentures of appren- 

 ticeship to the business bear date 1764. 

 William seems to have retired in favour of 

 his wife for he was living some time after 

 1779. In 1800 John and Charles Field had 

 the business and were the chief purveyors of 

 candles to the palaces of London and Wind- 

 sor. In 1 820 the style was changed to J. C. 

 & J. Field, which, with the single addition 

 of the word ' Limited ' when the business 

 was converted in 1887, it has ever since re- 

 tained. 



In 1822 mortars or night-lights were in- 

 vented by the firm, and in 1835 they became 

 the first makers of stearine in this country, 

 and did much to introduce the use of paraffin 

 candles in the early 'fifties ' of the last century. 

 The first paraffin candle in England is indeed 

 believed to have been made at Lambeth 

 Marsh, although not by the Messrs. Field. 

 In 1 86 1 John Lyon Field patented the well- 

 known self-fitting candles and a similar in- 

 vention the wedge-end candles. These 

 patents have now of course long expired and 

 the idea is utilized by most of the leading 

 candle makers of the kingdom. About 1869 

 the firm commenced the manufacture of can- 

 dles from ozokerit, a kind of shale or earth 

 wax of a brownish, yellowish or greenish 

 colour, which is found chiefly in Galicia. 



Although the headquarters of the firm have 

 always been at Lambeth Marsh, they have 

 during the course of their history had various 

 branches in outlying districts, hitherto always 

 within the boundaries of Surrey. Thus from 

 1 830 to 1 890 they had a factory in Bermond- 



sey, and from 1870 to 1895 the ozokerit 

 works were at Battersea. For about a hun- 

 dred years previous to 1891 the wax bleach- 

 ing was performed on the firm's grounds at 

 Molesey. In 1855 the business of another 

 company, situated in Paradise Street, Lam- 

 beth, was acquired, but this was dissociated 

 on the formation of the limited company in 

 1887 and has since been discontinued. In 

 1 89 1 the whole business was concentrated at 

 Lambeth, the bleaching which had been 

 carried on by natural means at Molesey being 

 discontinued in favour of bleaching by chlorine 

 and other chemical agents, which could be 

 effected within the more circumscribed space 

 at Lambeth. Extra land was bought here, 

 and the old premises, which were then stated 

 by experts to be upwards of 400 years old, 

 were pulled down in 1892 and the company's 

 present premises erected. 



Every description of candle is now made 

 by the company of paraffin, stearine, bees- 

 wax and ozokerit. Stearine candles are still 

 more in demand abroad than those of paraf- 

 fin, but the more beautiful and transparent 

 qualities of the latter find more favour for 

 them in this country. The candles however 

 purchased by the Government for the use of 

 the army and navy are nearly all of stearine. 

 Bees-wax candles are chiefly made for use in 

 Roman Catholic churches, although there is 

 still some demand for them in private families. 

 The firm has made soap for about a hundred 

 years, but hitherto this manufacture has been 

 confined to those sorts intended for toilet 

 purposes. But the Lambeth premises of the 

 Messrs. Field, covering some two or three acres 

 of ground, have been found all too small for 

 their increasing business, and in order to keep 

 pace with the demand an additional estate of 

 fourteen acres has been lately acquired at 

 Rainham in Essex and work, in October of 

 last year (i 903), has been already started there. 

 The company hopes with this additional 

 space at its command not only to increase the 

 output of its present stock products but to 

 extend its operations to other branches of the 

 business, notably the manufacture of house- 

 hold and other soaps, which it has hitherto, 

 for want of room, left untouched. 



Besides the two important firms of Price's 

 Candle Company and Messrs. Field, there are 

 at the present day a number of others in 

 South London extending from Bermondsey to 

 Putney which carry on the businesses of 

 candle or soap-makers or both. Amongst the 

 principal of these may be noticed Messrs. 

 Wright, Layman & Umney, Limited, of 

 Southwark, makers of the well known 

 Wright's coal tar soap, Messrs. Francis Tucker 



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