The Quarterly No. 73 – January 2010
East Lancashire Paper Mill Co. Ltd. – Part 2 – PW Hampson
The second part of this series examining the early years of this limited company. In particular this part details the occupations and geographic spread of the early shareholders over the first 30 years of the company’s life, linking this with the early Co-operative movement.
7 pages, 8 illustrations / tables
Alternative Suggestions for Excise List, 8 October 1816 – Tanya Schmoller, Brian Luker, Ian Dye and Daven Chamberlain
In Quarterly No.66 a transcription of this Excise list, made by Richard L. Hills, was published. After contact by a few members of the Association, this list of alternative suggestions for some for the entries has been compiled.
2 pages
The Story of Cross & Bevan: Part 3 – Viscose – Trevor Dean
The first two parts of this story were published in Quarterly Nos.62 and 66 respectively. This final part of the story deals with the partnership’s most important patentable discovery, viscose (a form of modified cellulose derived from wood pulp). Its early use in a variety of areas, including papermaking, is described, before the development of a textile industry based on the fibre is outlined. The surprising importance of this product to the war effort in WWII is also discussed.
6 pages, 5 illustrations / tables
Dutch Papermaking in the 17th Century as Exemplified by the Schoolmeester Windmill – Richard L Hills
Use of wind to power papermaking machinery was highly uncommon in the UK, but much more widely practised in Holland. The article describes how basic changes to the configuration of windmills around 1600 increased their power output, making them suitable for use in industrial settings, such as papermaking. Details of how they were used are gleaned primarily from the layout and mechanics of the Schoolmeester mill.
2 pages
History of Paper Test Instrumentation Part 14: Rigidity and Stiffness Testers – Daven Chamberlain
The series continues with a look at apparatus developed to measure two properties of great importance for ‘handling performance’ of paper and board. In relative terms all such apparatus is much more modern than for many other types of test apparatus reviewed previously, since it all stems from the twentieth century. Nevertheless a very wide series of approaches to the problem of measuring these properties is covered, from mechanical deflection of beams, to measuring transmittance of sound or vibrations through paper. Copious illustrations are provided to aid understanding.
9 pages, 7 illustrations
A Scottish Mystery – Michael Stanyon
A single illustration of a group of prominent Scottish papermakers, circa 1866.
1 page, 1 illustration
Bryan Donkin Junior and the Carr Family at St. Petersburg Mill – Alan Crocker
A short follow-up to Alan’s article from The Quarterly No.69, adding further background information to the story of Donkin’s stay in Russia.
1 page, 1 illustration
Sperling’s Cylinder Machines and Marbling Apparatus
This well-illustrated article described a firm who manufactured mechanical apparatus to print and marble decorative papers in the late Victorian era and early twentieth century.
3 pages, 3 illustrations
Mitchells of Bordesley: A Century of Fancy Papermaking – Martin Mitchell Davis
Mitchells were a family-run business specialising in fancy and decorative papers. The author, whose father ran the company, did not want to go in to the business so trained to be a solicitor instead. Nevertheless he came to realise, after closure of the firm in 1963, there was an interesting story to tell. Indeed, Mitchells appears to be a firm that has hitherto eluded detection by those interested in the history of decorative paper manufacture. This article covers the 130 year history of the firm; sample books described therein are available to consult, having been donated by the author to Manchester Metropolitan University.
4 pages, 1 illustration
The Development of Watermarking: Part 1 – Clayton Beadle
Clayton Beadle was a member of the Cross & Bevan partnership, and indeed is named on the early Viscose patent. Later, he left the partnership to set up as a consultant for the paper industry. In addition to technical consulting Beadle maintained an interest in history, and amassed a large collection of watermarked papers from the earliest days to the early twentieth century. This article is the first of two parts where he charts the development of watermaking in Western Europe.
7 pages, 9 illustrations
Laundry Blue Paper: Its Ingredients and Manufacture – James Scott
Sanitary-type papers formed a recurrent subject for Scott, and in previous editions of The Quarterly we have published a number of his articles. This one is slightly different from the rest in that he described a new use to which he thinks paper can be applied; as such he tries to interest prospective manufacturers in producing a paper containing a ‘blue-whitener’ for use in laundry.
3 pages, 3 illustrations
Mill Posters from the Depression – Michael Stanyon
A series of four posters from 1921 displayed at Croxley Mills. These were selected to illustrate a large collection of similar posters deposited recently at the Apsley Paper Trail Archive.
1 page, 4 illustrations
Book Reviews:
Papermaking at Hayle Mill, by Maureen Green
BAPH member Maureen Barcham-Green’s definitive work on the history of this important Kent mill.
Papermaking in Lincolnshire 1600-1900, by Hugh Nott
Hugh Nott has produced the first book to describe papermaking in this county. With copious illustrations and an excellent text he details the intertwining history of the handful of mills. The book is particularly strong on social history.
The Quarterly No. 74 – April 2010
Magical Illusion – Two Collections of Watercolours by Jacques le Moyne de Morgues (c1533-1588) – Peter Bower
A well illustrated article that takes the reader through a forensic investigation of papers used by the French watercolorist. Although were found in a nineteenth century binding, they proved to be original sixteenth century works of art. Identification of the papers proved crucial in confirming the origin of the works.
15 pages, 20 illustrations
Book Reviews:
The Painted Picture, by Richard Benson.
A book describing the myriad ways in which multiple copies of an original image can be produced, starting with techniques used by cavemen and ending with digital technology.
Photographs of the Past: Process and Preservation, by Bertrand Lavédrine.
A book describing photographs on paper or glass, and their conservation and preservation.
Printed on Paper: the Techniques, History and Conservation of Printed Media, Ed. By Jane Colbourne and Reba Fishman Snyder.
This set of proceedings from a conference held in Gateshead and Newcastle in 2007 is self explanatory; it focuses upon the science, technology, and ultimately conservation and preservation, of printed works on paper.
East Lancashire Paper Mill Co. Ltd. Part 3 – PW Hampson
The third and final part of the series examining the early years of this limited company. In particular this part details the proportion of women holding shares in the company, and the effect of a bonus share issue on the company’s performance.
6 pages, 4 illustrations
Interior Views of Turkey Mill, Maidstone – Ronald White
A beautiful series of photographs of the interior of Turkey Mill taken in 1963, showing both the manufacturing process and mill architecture.
4 pages, 7 illustrations
History of Paper Test Instrumentation Part 15: Surface Strength and Surface Debris Instruments – Daven Chamberlain
This is the last article in the series to describe specialist strength test apparatus. Assessment of surface strength and debris deposition is important mainly in printing and other converting processes. The article shows the variety of ways in which papers can be tested to assess the integrity of the surface, including some that were borrowed from related industries, such as textiles.
7 pages, 4 illustrations
Bagasse as a Source of Papermaking Fibre – Barry Watson
Bagasse is one of the world’s most important non-wood crops that finds use in paper manufacture. The author gives an overview of the subject, starting with its history, leading on to details of its processing into pulp, and ending with its papermaking qualities.
4 pages, 5 illustrations
History of the Messmer Instrument Company – Fred Johnson
The Messmer Instrument Company started in the early 1920s as a British agency for foreign instrument manufacturers. Slowly it progressed on to design and manufacture its own instruments, in addition to maintaining its agency activities. Eventually, after a series of mergers, it was purchased by an American company, who finally closed the UK operation in 2009.
3 pages, 1 illustration
Pictures of French Stampers – Nigel Vellam
The author produced an excellent illustrated description of stampers in The Quarterly No.63. This series of illustrations was shown during his presentation at the 2006 Annual Conference, but not included along with the original article due to space constraints. The images shows details of a number of stampers and associated machinery in various French mills.
2 pages, 11 illustrations
The Paper Trade in Fiction – Anon
The Paper Trade is not a subject that lends itself greatly to fiction. Nevertheless, in a series of articles over the years, a few stories have been described where the industry plays a central role. This short article describes three further stories, dating from the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries, which have not previously been covered in The Quarterly.
1 page
Some Ancient Asiatic Papers – R. Bouvier and L. Vidal
An article describing the scientific examination of some tenth century papers of Asiatic origin, made at the turn of the last century by two notable French academics.
3 pages
The Quarterly No. 75 – July 2010
The Anstey Paper Mill Company Limited – Mike Malley
This small paper mill was one of the few to be sited in Leicestershire. It opened in 1873, and was closed by 1877. In a wonderful piece of detective work, the author traces the reasons for its inauguration, and the circumstances that led to its rapid closure.
8 pages, 4 illustrations
A Dated Watermark Causes Trouble – Anon
A very short piece about how a legatee tried to forge a will, but forgot to check the watermark, which was used ultimately to prove the document to be counterfeit.
Half page
New Patent Strainer – Anon
Another short, illustrated, article about a new design of strainer manufactured around 1890 by the famous Scottish firm of James Bertram & Son.
1 page, 1 illustration
A Brief History of Wiggins Teape UK Manufactories: Part 1 – The Beginnings of Empire (1881-1918) – Daven Chamberlain
The first in a four part series describing the paper mills, and occasionally other manufacturing sites, associated with this major UK firm. Dates, products and equipment are all touched upon in this story, the first part of which covers the transition from merchant to manufacturer.
5 pages, 8 illustrations
I Promise to Pay – Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens wrote a number of articles on the subject of paper, its manufacture and uses. This is one of the earliest, and tells the story of banknote manufacture, and how the genuineness of such notes was verified in Great Britain by the mid-Victorian era.
3 pages
British Bibliography of Paper History and Watermark Studies No.17, 2009 – Peter Bower
Listing of articles concerned with papermaking history and conservation published in 2009.
4 pages
Industrial Fire Brigades in the Paper industry – Paul Sturman and Michael Stanyon
Fire was (and is) an ever present problem in paper mills, which tend to hoard large amounts of flammable materials into piles convenient for a fire to cause maximum destruction. So it comes as no surprise that paper mills were one of the first industrial groups to invest in resident fire engines. This article gives a brief overview of the subject, but concentrates mainly upon engines in the Dickinson range of mills around Apsley.
4 pages, 6 illustrations
Extracts from Notebooks in the Paper Federation Archive – Daven Chamberlain
The Paper Federation of Great Britain donated their archive to the BAPH in 2006. This consisted mainly of handwritten notebooks on a wide range of subjects. All of this material was deposited with St. Bride Library. This article is based upon the contents of around twenty of the notebooks, with material extracted under headings of Economic, Industrial, Social and Technical History. It gives a flavour of the range of material that can be obtained by consultation of this archive, which is on open access, but is un-catalogued.
7 pages, 4 tables
Poem on Paper – Benjamin Franklin
A shortened version of this poem was printed in The Quarterly No.64; this version was obtained from an earlier source, and contains a number of new verses not reproduced previously.
3 pages
Oakenholt Mill Steam Engine – Richard L Hills
A series of images taken, it is believed, in the late 1920s or early 1930s, showing the installation of a steam engine, made by Hick Hargreaves, at Oakenholt Mill.
5 pages, 8 illustrations
The Quarterly Index Nos 69-72 – 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.
10 pages
The Quarterly No. 76 – October 2010
A Study of British Library Manuscript ADD.15712: A German Passion of 1459 – Pam Allen
This article is based upon a research thesis submitted by the author for the degree of MA in the History of the Book. The subject is an obscure German Passion of 1459. The author places the subject in context, then describes work performed to elucidate the structure of the book and its illustrations; from this bibliographic investigation it is concluded the book is a rare survival of a Passion in a near original state.
11 pages, 9 illustrations
Oxfordshire Paper Mills Part 3: Sandford on Thames – Frances Wakeman
The paper mill at Sandford upon Thames was one of the larger ones in Oxfordshire. It was converted to paper manufacturing in around 1823, and only ceased work in the late 1980s. This article traces its history, and includes an image never before published of one of the early managers, Alfred Cannon.
3 pages, 4 illustrations
List of English Paper Makers, 1837 – Richard L Hills
In The Quarterly No.66 we published a transcription of the 1816 Excise list made by Richard L. Hills, which cased a lot of interest, and some little controversy. This latest transcription is of the English makers from a list made in 1837 (the Scottish makers having been published in The Quarterly No.65).
6 pages
A Brief History of Wiggins Teape UK Manufactories: Part 2 – The Age of Acquisition (1919-1939) – Daven Chamberlain
The first in a four part series describing the paper mills, and occasionally other manufacturing sites, associated with this major UK firm. Dates, products and equipment are all touched upon in this story, the first part of which covers the transition from merchant to manufacturer.
5 pages, 10 illustrations
Two Chapters on Bank Note Forgeries: Chapter 1 – Charles Dickens
Following on from the banknote article in The Quarterly No.75, here we start with the first of a two-part piece by the great man, tracing the history of banknote forgery in England. In his own inimitable prose he describes a series of cause célèbre events, most of which ended with the hangman’s noose.
4 pages
Paper Uniforms – Anon
This contemporary article describes a period during WWI when textile fibre was in short supply, so paper yarn was used as an extender in the production of many grades of clothing, including military uniforms.
1 page
History of Paper Test Instrumentation Part 16: Appearance Quality Testers – Daven Chamberlain
For many grades of paper, appearance is one of the major selling points. However, there are many aspects to the term ‘appearance’, which are experienced differently by whomsoever looks at the paper. For this reason technicians have long sought to produce instruments that can assess appearance characteristics ‘objectively’. This article describes some of these weird and wonderful apparatus.
6 pages, 4 illustrations
Visions in the Making: The Watercolours for Robert Blair’s Poem The Grave and Other Works on Paper by William Blake (1757-1827) – Peter Bower
In 2001 nineteen watercolours by William Blake were discovered in a Glasgow bookshop, having disappeared from public view in 1836. This article describes the forensic work performed on the primary supports, mounts, and watercolours themselves, to verify their origin.
12 pages, 25 illustrations