20th October 2015

20th October 2015 - The Carron Ironworks

Ian Scott

At their meeting on 20^th October, members listened to a fascinating talk about the Carron Iron Works, in Falkirk, given by Ian Scott. Ian taught history for a number of years and is a founder member of the Falkirk History Society and Chairman of Falkirk Community Trust.

The Carron Iron Works was founded in 1759 by Dr. John Roebuck, Samuel Garbett, and William Cadell. Prior to this there had been virtually no iron making in Scotland. The 7-years war with France from 1756 to 1763 created a demand for ordnance and also they were in at the start of the Industrial Revolution, with all the machinery which that event needed in great quantities. A site on the River Carron was chosen; coal for fuel was plentiful, iron ore could be landed nearby, there were limestone quarries nearby, the Rivers Carron and Forth provided excellent communications and transport for goods, the river provided power, there were spare agricultural workers for labour and a local landowner happy to let them have the land. The first blast furnace opened in 1760 but every bit of equipment had to be imported from England, including skilled workers from Coalbrookdale. There was a lot of rivalry between the English and the locals but, as local workers were trained up, the English returned home. The Company manufactured every type of iron item including boilers, nails, parts for steam engines, pipes, baths etc. They wanted to manufacture iron cannons but, at first could not work out how to drill a straight barrel, and the quality was poor. However industrial espionage was employed and their “Carronades” were soon installed in ships of the Royal Navy. The Duke of Wellington insisted on having only Carron ordnance in his army. Charles Gascoigne took charge in 1769. He sorted out the gun problems and built the company up until it became one of the largest iron works in Europe. The company’s products were known for their quality and were decorated with patterns and pictures. Cooking pots and stoves were exported all round the World and the name “Carron” was internationally known. A new works was built in 1885 and the company continued supplying guns, and also domestic items such as baths and stoves. They also made the familiar pillar-boxes and phone-boxes, and cast-iron lining rings for the Tyne and Clyde tunnels. Making iron was a hard, dirty business and the workers went around bent over and looking old and sadly did not live long into old age. The Company expanded, buying up other concerns and opening their own shipping line but, after WW2, the demand for cast iron reduced in face of new materials such as aluminium, plastic, formica etc and the company eventually folded in 1982. There were many questions from the floor and Ian was thanked for his most interesting talk. The next meeting is on 3^rd November when the subject will be “Scotland’s Cruel Seas”.

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