Why my greatgrandfather and his father left Scotland?

[littlealison]

William Geddes Borron, Charles Borron, John Little and his son John.

“Young Jack Little, of Stevenson & Little, with Charlie Borron, as they were intimately called, migrated to Newton-le-Willows, St. Helens, and recommenced operations with the tank system.” This is the mention in the book about Scottish Glass by Arnold Fleming, but I was doubtful earlier that this technology could have been used in the middle 1860s. (Fleming was not always accurate!) I have been focusing on possible reasons WHY the Newton Glassworks were reopened when they were. I have a theory that it was to experiment with the latest glass technology – i.e. the tank furnace. (This eliminated the separate pots, and enabled a continuous flow of molten ‘metal’ - which incidentally altered the whole way that the men worked.)

Since the works, closed in 1861, was owned by Pilkingtons and leased to the Borrons, it could have been used by them when reopened, to try out a new furnace or series of furnaces. This works was confined to making bottles and so could not develop into a rival to Pilkingtons. I have found that there was a patent for a tank furnace taken out in 1866 by Antoine Pocheron in Britain – way before the Siemens patents in 1870 and 1872. (Siemens first applied in 1860, and there may have been other early tries at a new continuous furnace.) Other glassworks, in St Helen’s, were trying out Pocheron’s furnace between 1866 and 1869. Pilkingtons, according to their online history, started using the regenerative system in 1863 and the tank furnace only in 1873.

John Little before leaving Glasgow was involved in new technology in the shape of the Siemens Regenerative Gas Furnace (Article in the Glasgow Herald, 29 November 1862 about ‘Stevenson & Little’) – stating that it was the first time it was used in Scotland. (This venture may have been funded by W.G. Borron, at least in part, possibly with a view to updating his own works.) Before and after this John Snr. was connected with the two Borrons and was a working partner from possibly 1861. His son John was living near and also probably also working at the Stevenson & Little works in Camlachie.
(See http://bit.ly/14qrhwN for the long article about this works.) Both these new technologies may be the reason why both John Littles left Scotland for Lancashire.

But why was it the Borron partnership who took on the reopening of the works?
The Pilkington brothers only had to read the Glasgow Herald in 1862, to be aware of a partnership already experienced in trying out new types of furnace. This would fit with the possibility of CBF Borron being in Newton as early as 1863, mentioned to me by Donald Little. Maybe the first update to the Newton works when it reopened was the installation of a regenerativefurnace.
John Little Jnr, born 1841, is found living in Dublin by 1870, by which time the Irish Glass Bottle Works were being built; but he is said by Fleming to be the John Little (‘young Jack’) who came south first with Charles Borron, probably by 1866 - or earlier. John Little Snr. left the ‘Stevenson & Little’ partnership in 1870…..in order to come to Newton because his son left for Ireland?

And later: In November 1872, father WG Borron opted out of his partnerships with his son Charles and John Little, in both Glasgow and Newton, with a very clear notice in the Glasgow Herald. And he backdated the resignation to June, which appears to mean that he would not be responsible for debts from that date. And he now wanted nothing to do with ‘any Business in Newton’. Interesting. Does this mean that his son Charles and John Little (Snr) were making new experiments which were just proving too expensive?
(And, after this, Charles Borron was still in the Glasgow Directory at an address in Ann Street until 1875. Was he acting as an agent for the products of the Newton Works?)

[Russell]

Hi Alison
Yet more fascinating insights into the world of business. So often we are trying to find out what happened to our Agricultural labourer/ weaver/white fisher ancestor - very much the lower end of the workforce, that the emerging middle class are overlooked. Keep searching.
When is the biography to be published

Russell

[littlealison]

Just a small part of the story of the Industrial Revolution!

[littlealison]

I guess John Little the elder definitely emerged as middleclass, but he started as an apprentice, and worked his way up - and never was one of the partners with the money. He always lived at the glassworks in Glasgow and Newton, and was the working partner. He never owned his own house. Admittedly he was fairly well off when he died - at the house belonging to the works.

I've read that workers in glassworks all over would not work under a manager who had not started at the bottom.