The Quarterly No. 41 – January 2002
Irish Watermarks: Swiftbrook watermarks found in the Yeats Archive at the National Gallery of Ireland – Zoë Reid
The Yeats Archive contains nearly 200 sketchbooks of the Irish artist Jack B. Yeats, most are commercially manufactured, however, there is a series which have been identified as coming from Swiftbrook Paper Mills, Saggart. There is also a series of correspondence to Jack from the American journalist Anna Russell on Swiftbrook paper. The article gives details of the Swiftbrook watermarks in the archive and brief histories of the Saggart and Swiftbrook Paper Mills.
5 pages, illustrated
The End of an Era: Grover & Co Ltd close – Leslie Wilkinson
Short account of the activities of Grover & Co Ltd, Stratford, London, an engineering firm established in 1875 and manufacturers of stamp and other perforating machines since 1912. Unlike many other firms they have kept all the working records on perforating machines, the majority of which has now gone to the Royal Philatelic Society where it is available for research.
2 pages, illustrated
A Visit to the De Montalt Mill – Richard Hills
An account of the author's visit to this mill near Bath which details its current condition and gives a description of the site. The mill is a scheduled Ancient Monument but the legislation contains no powers to enforce the current owners to keep the buildings in proper repair. For further information on this mill and the connection with the papermaker George Steart see The Quarterly No. 40.
Editor's Note: The De Montalt site is currently being surveyed by the Bath Archaeological Trust prior to the re-development of the site. As further information becomes available we will publish it in The Quarterly.
2 pages, illustrated
The Illusive Silver Lining: The Rise and Fall of the Lancashire Limited Paper Company between 1860 and 1880 part one – Mike Malley
The first part of an investigative article into the factors influencing the demise of several mills in Lancashire. Claims made of the losses within the industry by two influential papermakers: John Mitchell of Higher Primrose Mill, Clitheroe and John Carlisle, also of Clitheroe, are used as a starting point. The article goes on to investigate the role of company promoters in the foundation of mills and highlights the high number of mills founded in the area many of which failed in a relatively short time.
8 pages, illustrated, tables
Letters
Decorative Writing Paper
As a collector of ephemera, and particularly of that having a connection with letter writing and travel, my interest in the paper itself tends to be ancillary rather than primary. As I am sure many of your readers will know, decorative writing paper was often sold in
special souvenir envelopes which included up to a dozen sheets with different views of the town or city in question. While most such sheets seem, in my experience, to have been printed in unwatermarked paper, some are more revealing and a set which I purchased in America this summer reveals an interesting diversity of paper supplied to the publisher in question.
I illustrate a typical example with a fine engraving of The Royal Crescent in Bath, which itself needs no introduction, and which reveals that the various scenes of the city were all 'Engraved on Steel & Published by J. Holloway, 10 Union Street, Bath'. This particular sheet is one of five differing views which are printed on unwatermarked paper but four others bear the following watermarks:
'Pultney Bridge, Town Mill etc Bath':
TASSELL & SMITH 1838.
'Queen Square, Bath':
R. TASSELL 1837.
'View of Bath, taken near Prior Park':
J WHATMAN 1838.
'Cavendish Place, Lansdown Crescent etc Bath':
R TURNER, CHAFFORD MILLS, 1836.
I am sure that you, or other members, can fill me in on the paper mills in question and particularly on the apparent change of ownership of the Tassell concern between 1837 and 1838 but the variety does suggest a very competitive market and/or a large turnover by this provincial publisher.
John Scott
Chlorine Bleaching
Congratulation on the latest issue of The Quarterly. Your readers may like to know of an article on the Early years of Bleaching history in
the British Isles: S. M. Edelstein, "Two Scottish Physicians and the Bleaching Industry: the Contributions Home and Black", published in the American Dyestuff Reporter, volume 44, number 20, September 26 1955, pp 35-38. The article covers the work and publications of Joseph Black (1728-1799) and Francis Home (1719-1813) in particular their researches into bleach.
Barry Watson
Editor's Note: The article on Hector Campbell in the last issue of The Quarterly produced some fascinating material from readers. Besides the Edelstein article sent in by
Barry Watson (which we hope to publish at a later date) both Richard Hills and Alan Crocker also sent in important material (see this issue, the next two articles). Any further contributions on this subject will be gratefully received.
8 pages, colour & b/w illustrations
Some Notes on the Introduction of Chlorine Bleaching – Richard Hills
The Quarterly No 40 contained the text of Hector Campbell's patent for using the gas which we now call chlorine for bleaching. Bower commented that
Campbell was only one of the many bleachers who "seem to start up like mushrooms" in the 1790's and his patent was strenuously objected to by several paper-makers, many of whom were already conducting their own experiments and objected to having other people take out patents on things they were themselves already doing.
This article briefly outlines the historical background of the introduction of chlorine bleaching to papermaking and identifies some of the sources which give more detailed information.
3 pages
Hector Campbell: Bleaching at Neckinger Mill, Bermondsey – Alan Crocker
Hector Campbell was a pioneer of chemical bleaching at the end of the eighteenth century. This article gives a summary of the history of the traditional methods of bleaching, particularly in
Bermondsey and at the Neckinger Mill site, of the evidence for Campbell's association with this site and of some later related events. One of these is the possible connection between Campbell and the work by Mathias Koops carried out later at Neckinger in ink extraction from recycled paper and the use of alternative materials including straw.
5 pages, illustrated
Book Review
Looking at Paper: Evidence & Interpretation. Edited by John Slavin, Linda Sutherland, John O'Neill, Margaret Haupt & Janet Cowan.
The London Papers (part three)
In a move away from past practices and in order to catch up on publishing the backlog of past BAPH conference papers it has been decided to include the conference papers as partworks within The Quarterly. The first of these to appear are The London Papers, the Proceedings of the British Association of Paper Historians Sixth Annual Conference, held at Imperial College London in 1995.
A Czech Family Mill Reclaimed – George Mandl
The author's family had owned the board mill in Merklin, near Carlsbad, in the western tip of Bohemia for three generations. He took over the management in 1945 following his return home after military service. Unfortunately this was short lived as the mill was expropriated by the Communists in 1948. Thirty five years were to pass before he set foot there again and this article traces the struggle to regain control of the mill.
4 pages, illustrated
A Handmade Papermaking Site in Southeast China – Russell Jones
A well illustrated personal account of a visit to Hokkien (Fujian) Province in China where the author investigated the manufacture of "spirit paper" or "gold paper". Spirit paper is a rather coarse paper used in religious festivals and can also be found made into a diverse variety of articles. The workshops where the paper was made are located in remote rural locations close to where the raw material, bamboo, is in abundance.
5 pages, illustrated
Splitting Tibetan Banknotes: An Investigation into the Structure of the Notes – Peter Bower
Tibetan paper currency was only produced between 1912 and 1959 when the Dalai Lama fled the country. The notes are unusual in that they contain a security feature little seen in other paper currencies; they are made up of two sheets of paper laminated together, and prior to lamination one of the sheets is printed with a short text. The article describes the process of investigation to determine the nature of the fibres and the number of laminations of a sample of these notes.
8 pages, illustrated
History of Papermaking Fibre Supply to the UK – Geoff Youd
This article records the history of paper making fibre supply to the UK from the start of paper making in this country (ca.1495) to the present day. By way of introduction the very early materials used for communication are mentioned and the article starts by tracing the development of paper making fibrous materials from the invention of paper in China to its introduction to Europe.
6 pages, illustrated
The Reuse of Waste Paper in Great Britain during the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries: An Introduction to a Complex Subject – Lorraine Finch
For the purpose of this article waste paper has been defined as that which has been printed or written upon. Reasons for the use of such material in the production of new paper, and the methods used to manufacture such paper will be examined. The timescale over which the main sources examined range cover the early nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries.
8 pages, illustrated, table
The Quarterly No. 42 – May 2002
Papermaking Texts: Of the Street-Buyers of Waste (Paper) – Henry Mayhew
An extract from volume II of Mayhew's survey London Labour and the London Poor (pp.125-127). Although published in 1861 some of the information he recounts is based on the accounts of people describing events of earlier years. We are familiar with the concept of recycling paper as a raw material but Mayhew details the reuse of already used paper for other, sometimes surprising, purposes.
3 pages
The Portals Photo Archive – Nick Pearson
A set of photographs illustrating the handmade banknote papermaking process thought to date from between 1930 and 1950. These are a sample taken from the photographs recently recovered from old World War II bunker used as a store at the Portals paper mill in Overton. The photographs date from 1890s but the majority are from 1930 to 1970.
3 pages, illustrated
Multi-layer Paper – Richard Hills
A brief historical outline of some of the papers produced with more than one layer through hydrogen bonding without the use of paste or glue but not covering board with a weight of more than 200 grams per square metre. However, some later board machines will be mentioned. It will start with papyrus, look at some types of paper made by hand and then some produced on the cylinder mould and Fourdrinier papermaking machines.
5 pages, illustrated
Employment of Children in Paper Mills in England and Wales in the Mid-nineteenth Century part one – Tanya Schmoller
An extract of information on this subject from the 1843 Second Report to the Commissioners on Trades and Manufactures contained in Volumes 9 to 11 of the British Parliamentary Papers. The areas inspected are Kent, Bucks and Herts; Exeter; Northumberland and Durham; West and North of Lancashire; some miscellaneous mills in the south east; and Wrexham. Volume 9 reports on the industry in general, covering Place of Work, Nature of Employment, Hours of Work, Accidents, Wages and Physical Condition. The author considers the information sufficiently interesting to quote verbatim, using the numbered paragraphs.
8 pages
The Illusive Silver Lining: The Rise and Fall of the Lancashire Limited Paper Company between 1860 and 1880 part two – Mike Malley
The second part of an investigative article into the factors influencing the demise of several mills
in Lancashire including the role of company promoters in the foundation of mills. The author highlights the high number of mills founded in the area many of which failed in a relatively short time.
5 pages, illustrated, tables
Book Reviews
English Artists' Paper: Renaissance to Regency. John Krill
La carta occidentale nel tardo medioevo. E Ornato, P Busonero, Paola F Munafò, M Speranza Storace
Double Fold Libraries and the Assault on Paper. Nicholson Baker
The Edinburgh Papers (part one)
In a move away from past practices and in order to catch up on publishing the backlog of past BAPH conference papers it has been decided to include the conference papers as partworks within The Quarterly. The first of these to appear was The London Papers, it was anticipated that four issues of The Quarterly would have been needed, however, having only taken three we are catching up faster than was thought, so welcome to part one of The Edinburgh Papers, the Proceedings of the Seventh Annual BAPH Conference, held at Pollock Halls, University of Edinburgh, in 1996.
John Rennie: Mysterious Papermill Millwright – Richard Hills
Article based on a series of John Rennies' notebooks deposited in the National Library of Scotland. The mysterious reference in the title arises from the fact that although the books contain references to various papermills they do not record whether he carried out any work at the mills, so his involvement remains a mystery. However, the notebooks do record otherwise unknown information about these papermills which is worthwhile making available to a wider audience.
7 pages, illustrated
Swimming Wheels and Swinging Wheels – Glenys Crocker
The terms 'swimming wheel' and 'swinging wheel' have been found in several eighteenth century inventories of papermills and gunpowder mills. It is assumed that the terms are synonymous but no dictionary definition has been found, nor any reference to the terms in books on millwrighting. The article lists, and illustrates, several examples of these wheels and also points out that, as far as it is known, none have been used in corn mills. The author would welcome information on
other examples.
5 pages, illustrated
The Deterioration and Conservation of Coated Papers – J Stanley, D J Priest and A E Macdonald
The coating of paper is a topic of much interest for the modern paper industry, but as this article shows it is by no means a modern phenomenon having its roots in the Middle Ages. Several historical examples are described and the authors go on to cover modern developments in the field and problems associated with the longevity and conservation of such papers.
8 pages, illustrated
The Art of Paper Making as Explained by W Heath Robinson
Illustration of an alternative view of papermaking!
The Quarterly No. 43 – July 2002
Papermaking Texts: Matthias Koops' Petition – Alan Crocker
Matthias Koops had been granted two patents in 1800, one for a method of de-inking and remaking paper, and the second for making paper from straw and other materials. The first patent had been
enrolled in the Court of Chancery as was required, the patentee is protected against infringement by the inhabitants of Great Britain, but not against foreign infringement, as happened. The second patent was not enrolled and Koops petitioned for protection on his second patent. The text of the report on this is reprinted in full in this article.
5 pages, illustrated
Employment of Children in Paper Mills in England and Wales in the Mid-nineteenth Century part two – Tanya Schmoller
Continuation of an extract of information on this subject from the 1843 Second Report to the Commissioners on Trades and Manufactures contained in Volumes 9 to 11 of the British
Parliamentary Papers.
8 pages
The Illusive Silver Lining: The Rise and Fall of the Lancashire Limited Paper Company between 1860 and 1880 part three – Mike Malley
The third part of an investigative article into the factors influencing the demise of several mills in Lancashire including the role of company promoters in the foundation of mills. The author highlights the high number of mills founded in the area many of which failed in a relatively short time.
6 pages, illustrated
British Bibliography of Paper History and Watermark Studies No 9, 2001 – Andrew Honey
Listing of articles concerned with papermaking published in 2001, with addenda to Bibliography No 8, 2000.
3 pages
Index to The Quarterly Nos 37-40 – Terry Wells
The index is arranged in nine categories: Articles by author; Articles by title; Book reviews; General index; Illustrations; Papermakers; Paper mills; Tipped-in paper samples; Watermarks. The Watermarks index is further divided into those that are illustrated and those that are mentioned in the text.
11 pages
The Edinburgh Papers (part two)
William Morris and Paper – Barry Watson
In his early years William Morris was best known as a bookman, later founding Kelmscott Press. This article explores his relationship with publishing, printing and papermaking. Described is the relationship he forged with Ford Mill in Kent and the specific paper he requested based on fifteenth century books printed in Italy. He designed three watermarks for his paper, two of which are illustrated in the article.
6 pages, illustrated
The Time Capsule at Hele Mill – Phil Crockett
Potted history of the Devon Valley Mill situated at Hele near Exeter from the eighteenth century to the present day. Recent developments have necessitated demolition of the old machine house and salle, during which a small lead casket was found in the wall of the salle. The contents of this were paper samples, office stationery and a list of mill employees in October 1903 when the building was built.
4 pages, illustrated
History of Chirnside Bridge Paper Mill – Graham Horsburgh
Article about the early history of Chirnside Bridge Paper Mill with reference to Broomhouse Mill, the forerunner of Chirnside Bridge Mill and to The Dexter Corporation, the present owners of the site. Chirnside Bridge was worked by Young Trotter and Sons from the mid nineteenth century up to the 1960's when the site was purchased by The Dexter Corporation as their first site outside the USA.
7 pages, illustrated
Dalmore Mill – The Last Mill on the Esk – Gordon Wallace
History of the mill from its foundation in 1835 to the present day, charting developments in technology as they were installed, the costs involved, production rates and raw materials used. The final paragraph gives the authors thoughts on the future of the mill.
5 pages, illustrated
The Quarterly No. 44 – November 2002
Olive & Partington, Papermakers of Glossop, part one – Richard Hills
Matthias Koops had been granted two patents in 1800, one for a method of de-inking and remaking paper, and the second for making paper from straw and other materials. The first patent had been
enrolled in the Court of Chancery as was required, the patentee is protected against infringement by the inhabitants of Great Britain, but not against foreign infringement, as happened. The second patent was not enrolled and Koops petitioned for protection on his second patent. The text of the report on this is reprinted in full in this article.
5 pages, illustrated
Bryan Donkin's Rose Engine – Harry Dagnall
Short article describing the machine used to produce the engine-turned security patterns of the compound plates used to produce Paper Duty Ream Labels. It was recently restored and is now on display in the Museum of London.
2 pages, illustrated
The Illusive Silver Lining: The Rise and Fall of the Lancashire Limited Paper Company between 1860 and 1880 (Appendix) – Mike Malley
John Mitchell's 'retrospect' on the state of the Paper Industry in Lancashire, circa 1882, and a table of Lancashire and Lancashire 'Related' Paper Mill Company Incorporation's 1860 – 1876, identifying those failing in less than six years and between six to ten years from
incorporation.
2 pages, table
Employment of Children in Paper Mills in England and Wales in the Mid-nineteenth Century part three – Tanya Schmoller
Continuation of an extract of information on this subject from the 1843 Second Report to the Commissioners on Trades and Manufactures contained in Volumes 9 to 11 of the British Parliamentary Papers.
9 pages
Further Explanations of on the Art of Papermaking by W. Heath Robinson – Peter
Bower
Three illustrations of papermaking as seen through the eyes of this renowned and innovative artist. If anyone knows of other Heath Robinson papermaking illustrations would they please contact the editor.
3 pages, illustrated
Papermaking Texts: Of the Street-Buyers of Rags, Broken Metal, Bottles, Glass and Bones – Henry Mayhew
A second extract from Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor describing the working habits of London street-buyers of rags. The first extract was published in The Quarterly 42 (May 2002).
3 pages
In Memoriam – Peter Isaac (1921-2002)
Professor Peter Isaac was a noted authority in the twin fields of public health engineering and the history of the book.
In the former, his achievements included work for the World Health Organisation and presidency of the Institution of Public Health Engineers. He was also the first Professor of Public Health Engineering in Britain.
In the latter, both the research group "The History of the Book Trade in the North' and the British Book Trade Seminar have much to owe him. He also served as president of the Bibliographical Society. His association with paper history came about through his researches in to the history of the book and the subject benefited greatly from his knowledge and enthusiasm.
2 pages
Book Reviews
The Broad Spectrum: Studies in the Materials, Techniques, and Conservation of Color on Paper. Edited by Harriet K. Stratis and Britt Salvensen.
American Watermarks 1690-1835. Thomas L. Gravelle, George Miller & Elisabeth Walsh.
The Story of Bill Mills. Heather Hurley.
Dunhuang Manuscript Forgeries. Edited by Susan Whitfield.
The Edinburgh Papers (part three)
History of Bertrams Sciennes – Tom King
History of the famous engineering company of Bertram Sciennes which was founded at a time of great innovation in the in the paper machinery business, by two Scottish brothers: William and George Bertram. They had come from an engineering and papermaking background, with their grandfather having been a mechanic at the old Esk Mills at Penicuik, and their father a papermaker and engineer at Springfield Mill, Polton. The article is well illustrated with design plans and photographs of the works and machinery built by them.
9 pages, illustrated
The Bates Collection of Watermarks – Peter Bower
A collection of several hundred British and European watermarked papers dating from ca. 1400 to ca. 1850. A chance discovery in a small auction, it appears that the collector, Lt Col A. S. Bates, had intended to publish his findings, as, amongst the papers, were some seventy 'plates' prepared
for his intended book. As well as providing illustrations from the collection the author also examines where Bates's work fits in the context of the development of filigranology as a discipline.
11 pages, illustrated