Lancashire Lantern
Lancashire Lantern: Lancashire Pioneers
Part of the Lancashire Lantern network, the Pioneers gives details of people who were famous local people in science, technology and innovation. These pioneers were either born in Lancashire or their endeavours made a significant contribution to the development of the County.
John Mercer - Mercers introduction to dyeing
Mercer was fired with enthusiasm for dyeing.
He had seen his young step-brother's new orange dress and the colour was such that he was inspired to try to create similar.
He went into Blackburn and bought the suitable constituents of dyes and a chemistry textbook.
Apprenticeship indenture (Click to enlarge)
(Courtesy of The Lancashire Record Office)
By experimentation and hard work he taught himself the basics, and started in business as a dyer, dyeing the pieces of the handloom weavers of Great Harwood.
He went as an apprentice to Richard Fort at Oakenshaw, but after ten months he returned to handloom weaving.
OS Map of Oakenshaw in 1848
(Click to enlarge)
Page from Mercer's chemistry book
(Click to enlarge)
(Courtesy of The Lancashire Record Office)
He was still fascinated with dyes, so continued to experiment in his own time, and discovered Antimony orange.
He then got another job at Oakenshaw.
Oakenshaw works
(Click to enlarge)
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