The Quarterly No. 61 – January 2007
Making Paper for the Daily Mail in Britain's Oldest Colony – Bryan C Marsh
The story behind the role played by the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company Limited in the genesis of pulp and paper manufacture in Newfoundland. The first cargo of newsprint leaving the factory in 1909 and destined for the presses of the Harmsworth owned Daily Mail in London.
6 pages, illustrated
Papermaking in Honoré de Balzac's Lost Illusions – Daven Chamberlain
Lost Illusions is actually a composite of three books published by Balzac 1837-1843. The author quotes the relevant parts relating to papermaking which contain a reasonable and concise history of paper up to the date of writing albeit with some slightly inaccurate descriptions of pulp and paper manufacture.
7 pages
Device for Preventing Accidents on the Drying Cylinders
Short article taken from The World's Paper Trade Review, 1888, detailing improvements made by Mr Kommercienwrath Rostosky with the object of averting injuries caused by drying cylinders.
1 page, illustrated
Inventory of Two Waters Mill – Michael Stanyon
Transcription of an inventory for Two Waters Mill held at Hertfordshire County Record Office. It was created by John Hall and Bryan Donkin in 1810 and gives a detailed picture of the equipment of the mill.
5 pages, illustrated
An Account of an Essay on the Origin of a Natural Paper
This unusual article is taken from Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, December 1769, and purports to describe a natural substance akin to paper. The editors would be pleased to hear from anyone who has seen such a substance, or is aware of any held in a private or public collection.
3 pages, illustrated
Fred Cook's Story: Paper Making at St Cuthbert's Mill in the Early 1900s – Brian Luker
Edited transcript of a conversation with Fred Cook about his time working at the mill and life after leaving. It gives an idea of a life that has now nearly vanished – esparto, poachers, beaters, sandtraps, deckle straps, steam engines and 12 hour shifts.
6 pages
The Evolution of the Sulphite Digester
This monumental article, serialised in The Paper Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1898, gives a very thorough treatment of its subject, and has the advantage of being written only around three decades after the earliest such apparatus was published.
7 pages
A Dispute Concerning Wages and "Rejections," and the Duties of a Foreman
Court cases and legal disputes are an interesting source of social history. This example, reprinted from The Paper Trade Review, 1888, concerns a wages dispute between one mill owner and several of his staff.
2 pages
Envelope Gumming Machine
Drawing and description of an envelope gumming machine reported in The World's Paper Trade Review, 1888.
1 page, illustrated
Cirencester Conference 2005
Balancing the Books on Paper – Andrew Gold
Paper exploring the use of paper for bookkeeping prior to computers, and pays particular attention to bound account books and the little known life cycle of heavyweight loose leaf ledgers.
7 pages, illustrated
The Way of the Watermark – Harry Dagnall
Summary of an undated 12 page pamphlet issued by dandy roll manufacturer TJ Marshall & Co Ltd in order to clarify which way and how many times the watermark is required to appear in a sheet of paper of a given size.
1 page, illustrated
Watermarks found in drawings at the Sir John Sloane Museum – Peter Bower
Brief catalogue of the watermarks found in various drawings from the office of Sir Christopher Wren relating to the architecture and detailing of two projects: Greenwich Hospital and Hampton Court Palace. Listed by papermaker where known.
5 pages, illustrated
Book Review
De La Fin Des Familles à la Mondalisation.
Marc de Ferrière le Vayer
Dark Watermarking
Short article from The Paper Trade Review, 1889, purporting to describe an unusual variety of watermark, but actually spending most of the time outlining a more unusual bi-coloured form of hand-made paper developed for security purposes.
1 page
The Quarterly No. 62 – April 2007
An Illusive Image: Some Thoughts About Watermarking Handmade Papers – Simon Barcham Green
"What do you mean you can't use the drawing as a watermark?" a Canadian designer once complained to the author. "All I want are a few basic lines." Well it's not that easy," he explained. "The problem is …" An article on the trials and tribulations of designing and using watermarks reprinted from Fine Print, The Review for the Arts of the Book, 1986.
9 pages, illustrated
Paper Barrels
A small article from a supplement to The Paper Trade Review, 1889, showing one of the multitude of uses to which paper was being put prior to the invention of synthetic polymers.
1 page
Böckler's Paper Mill – Alan Crocker
An investigation of the engravings used by German born architect, engineer and author Georg Andreas Böckler in his seventeenth century publications to illustrate paper mills.
3 pages, illustrated
Belgium Conference 2002
Technological Improvements of the Belgian Industry due to Import Tax Legislation. The Examples of Paper Mills and British (and French) Technology 1834-1851 – Harry van Royen
The effects of changes in Belgian Import Taxes on the import of paper making machinery. Due to these changes entrepreneurs could reclaim taxes on imported new machinery not available in the home market.
4 pages
Artefacts from St Cuthbert's Mill – Brian Luker
Paper has been made at this site at Haybridge near Wells, Somerset, since 1738 at least. The mill has been called Kingstons, Lower Wookey, Mendip and, since 1886, St Cuthbert's. Early in 2006 Inveresk plc, then owners of the mill, deposited their surviving records at Somerset Record Office. They have since given two artefacts, a hand mould and a dandy roll, to the County Museum; these are described in the article.
2 pages, illustrated
History of Paper Test Instrumentation Part 5: Colour & Brightness Testers – Daven Chamberlain
So far this series has described instruments used to assess a range of mainly physical properties that have a bearing on the functional performance of the sheet. However, none of the properties, with the exception of gloss, have much of an effect on the appearance properties of a sheet. It is here that this new range of test instruments plays a role.
11 pages, illustrated
Pulp for Paper Beer-Mug Mats
This short piece is reprinted from The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1912. It describes the technicalities behind production of a seemingly trivial item, and shows how the desired properties of the finished article are engineered during the manufacturing process.
1 page
The Story of Cross & Bevan: Part 1 – The Partners – Trevor Dean
A short history of the partnership responsible for the discovery of Viscose. The author attempts to put the invention into perspective with other artificial fibres as well as identify some other achievements of Cross & Bevan which have been overshadowed by viscose.
6 pages, illustrated
Wage Rise Negotiations at Turkey Mill – Michael Fuller
Transcription of nine letters written in 1902 charting the progress of the papermakers' request for a wage increase of 3d per day. The contents cast a fascinating light on the world of industrial negotiations and relationships as they existed at Turkey Mill in the early twentieth century.
4 pages
The Benefit that Paper Brings – An Elizabethan Poem – Thomas Churchyard
The mill that is the main subject of this poem is that of Spilman, sited at Dartford. The various processes required to make paper are lovingly rendered in verse, as are its benefits, many of which are (as would be expected, exaggerated, but poetically.
4 pages
Incombustible Paper – James Scott
James Scott seemed to delight in finding unusual uses for which paper could be used. The following text, reprinted from The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1914, contains several suggestions for which fire-retardant tissue could be used, were such a grade manufactured. Includes accounts of his tests.
2 pages, illustrated
Restrictions on Rag Importation and use due to Cholera
Rags were not the safest and most hygienic of raw materials, and over the centuries several outbreaks of disease have been attributed to them. This series of unconnected but related articles were culled from several issues of The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1892-1894.
2 pages, illustrated
The Quarterly No. 63 – July 2007
St Omer Conference 2006
The Pile à Maillets or French Stamper Beater – Nigel Vellam
Research on stamper beaters centred around the area of Ambert in Auvergne, France. The author gives a comprehensive description of the operation and the whole and component parts of the stamper beater. Includes brief details of papermaking in the area.
8 pages, illustrated, appendices
York Conference 2004
'A Most Serviceable Drudge': The Papermills of the
Water of Leith – Sarah Bromage, Alistair
McCleery and David Finkelstein
This article outlines the twentieth century history of
papermaking on the Water of Leith using interviews conducted with
a variety of former mill employees as part of the SAPPHIRE
initiative. Until the mid-twentieth century, the Water of Leith
was an important industrial centre for Edinburgh, particularly in
papermaking.
8 pages, illustrated
Book Review
Stamp Perforation: The Somerset House Years 1848 to 1880. Ray Simpson and Peter Sargent
British Bibliography of Paper History and Watermark Studies No 14, 2006 – Peter Bower
Listing of articles concerned with papermaking published in 2006, with addenda to Bibliography No 13, 2005.
2 pages
Employment of Girls in Paper Mills
A piece taken from The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1917, concerning labour law and restrictions imposed upon women and girls working in heavy industry at a time of war, when male labour was in short supply.
1 page
Ittre Conference, 2002
La Papeteries de Virginal – Ian Hendry
History of this Belgian mill from the mid nineteenth century to the present day. The author also gives historical notes on the area and brief details of other papermills in the area.
7 pages, illustrated
Smith and Bateson Limited: A Family Affair for Two Hundred Years – Mike Malley
The story of a Merseyside paper dealership, and its papermaking predecessor, with over two hundred years of experience specialising in plain and printed point of sale packaging.
6 pages, illustrated
Paper Uniforms
An article from The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1917, which describes how paper was used during World War 1 to provide an alternative feedstock to the textile industry, albeit one that was noticeably substandard to the usual raw materials preferred by that sector.
1 page
The Manufacture of Luminous Paper
This short article taken from The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1906, describes coating recipes and processes to produce a rather interesting product.
1 page
Paper Yarn for Clothing
A short article, originally from The Pulp and Paper Magazine of Canada, but reprinted in The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal Annual Edition 1911-12.
1 page
Paper Lifeboats for Submarines
A most unusual use of paper, described in The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1915.
1 page
Fly Paper: Some Novel Ingredients – James Scott
Herein is another column by James Scott, first published in The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1912. This one is unusual in that some of the recipes he suggests can be tried at home using standard household ingredients. We would welcome any feedback on the efficacy of these potentially useful grades of paper.
2 pages
Index to The Quarterly Nos 57 – 60 – 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.
12 pages
The Quarterly No. 64 – October 2007
British Paper Mills: Edward Sweetapple's Mills in Cumbria – Alan Crocker
The article starts with a summary of Edward Sweetapple's career. An outline of each of his Cumbrian mills, Allanwood, Branthwaite and Derwent, is then given, including substantial details derived from the mortgage and company documents. Finally, the significance of these findings is discussed.
10 pages, illustrated, appendices
An Appendix on Branthwaite Paper Mill, Cumbria – Alan Crocker
Further details on this mill gleaned from a site visit by the author after the above article had been submitted.
1 page, illustrated
History of Paper Test Instrumentation Part 6: Opacity and Transparency Testers – Daven Chamberlain
The continuation of this comprehensive series, this time detailing testers designed to test opacity and transparency. Opacity determines how well a sheet of paper hides what is placed beneath it, transparency the opposite, how clearly an object placed beneath the paper is visible.
7 pages, illustrated
Paper Pictures
A short piece from The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1921, which suggests that for a brief period paper could have had a future as the film medium in the movie industry.
1 page
Poems from Songs of the Press
Songs of the Press is a title used for two compilations of mainly anonymous poems, songs, rhymes and witticisms on printing and related industries. Reproduced in the article are the poems dedicated to paper and papermaking.
2 pages
Five Drawings of NL Robert's Paper Machine 1799-1801 – Richard Hills
Reproductions of the five coloured drawings brought to England from Paris by John Gamble in 1801 so that Nicholas Robert's paper machine could be improved in this country where Didot, Robert's backer, though prospects were better.
4 pages, colour illustrations
Turkey Mill – Reminiscences & Resources – MJ Fuller
Another in the series of occasional articles covering various aspects of the history and operation of Turkey Mill, Maidstone, Kent. An article in two parts, the information in the first part from, in the form of reminiscences, Mr Douglas Baker, General Manager at the mill 1958-1976. The second part has data extracted from one of the mill's ledgers and deals with the situation at the mill mainly in 1879-80.
6 pages, tables
Hampton Gay Mill – Frances Wakeman
A short history of this Oxfordshire mill from the first recorded use in 1681till its closure in the late nineteenth century. Appendix of papermakers names extracted from parish and census records.
4 pages, illustrated, appendix
Sunday Labour in Paper Mills
Short piece taken from The World's Paper Trade Review, 1910 on the 'evils' of papermaking on the Sabbath..
1 page
Jacob Christian Schäffer: A Significant Contributor to Papermaking – or was he? – Sandy Thomson
A critical examination of Schäffer's methods of papermaking, including his relationship with the papermaker, Herr Meckenhauser. The evidence is presented, it is up to the reader to draw their own conclusion.
4 pages
The Leader Automatic Box Machine
Short item taken from The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1895, on the Leader Box Machine invented by FH Allen of Boston.
1 page
On the Manufacture of Paper from Wood
In the Mechanics' Magazine, Museum, Register, Journal, and Gazette, of 5 January 1839, was an article on the invention of paper made from wood by the French papermaker, Montgolfier: the English patent was taken out by Mr Desgrand. In the issue of 19 January 1839 was a letter, reproduced in the article, from William Badderley, refuting many of the claims in the aforesaid patent. The letter also predicts the failure of all-ligneous fibre as a resource for the paper industry; this illustrates the danger of publishing prophesies.
2 pages
John Evelyn's Visit to a Paper Mill – Barry Watson
Extract from Evelyn's diary of a visit to a paper mill at Byfleet (Surrey) giving an early and accurate description of paper production in England in the late seventeenth century. The mill was known as The King's Mills. No reference to papermaking at the mill is recorded after 1711.
1 page
The Paper Chewing Insect – James Scott
An article from The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, 1912, describing an insect of some importance to both papermakers and users, particularly to archivists and librarians. It is also of interest as it shows a relatively early use of microscopy in paper-related areas other than raw material analysis.
3 pages, illustrated
A World without Paper: A New Years Eve Nightmare – AD Reamer
A festive piece of fiction from The Paper-Maker and British Paper Trade Journal, Annual Edition, 1928. It was New Years Eve about 11:30 …
3 pages