The Chemistry?, Mancot, Flintshire

[johneowens]

The 16 July 1824 burial record @ Hawarden of my 4th gt grandmother, Elizabeth Bennion (nee Iball) states "Elizabeth wife of Wlliam Bennion Labourer at the Chemistry, Abode Mancot, Flints".

Not familiar with the area, I checked on Google and found a Chemistry Lane in Mancot. Can some kind person with local knowledge of the area please tell me what the Chemistry was. I'm guessing it was some kind of chemical plant. What was it producing, and is there any information available on this works?

In anticipation of kind assistance, many thanks.

Best wishes

John

[mazi]

The best I can find is that “chemical works” are shown on the os map of 1867 in Queensferry, a mile away, and Connahs Quay three or four miles away.
It seems likely that as early as 1824 these works were distilling coal to produce tar, pitch and possibly creosote and ammonia, pitch especially being used in shipbuilding.

Other rootschatters may know more.

Mike

[johneowens]

Many thanks, Mike. That would work. So unusual and great to find such a snippet on a burial record.

Best wishes
John

[Jo Harding]

There is a Wikipedia entry for Hawarden which has come information on the industries in the 19th century. These include, "making of... chemicals such as Glauber Salts and Ivory Black making". This can be found on the part headed, "19th century".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawarden

The parish was larger than it is today. Hawarden and Mancot are in very close proximity.

Jo

[trish18]

This link mentions ‘The Chemistry’ and it’s location.


http://chester.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Lower_Reaches#Saltney_and_Blacon_Point


Richard Willett's "Memoir of Hawarden parish, Flintshire" gives an account of the early chemical industry in Saltney:

In the year 1781 Mr Tharp a button manufacturer in Chester purchased a small allotment upon the lately enclosed Saltney Marsh and near to Big Mancott lane end where he erected "the Chemistry". To this place he sent down his refuse horn and bones from which he extracted Glauber's salts and sal ammoniac and ground down the calcined residuum into ivory black.

Trish

[johneowens]

Many thanks, Trish and Jo.

My reference was for 1824. So, could the Chemistry have originally [1780's] manufactured "Glauber's salts and sal ammoniac and ivory black" based on agricultural products, as per Willett, and then later, as Mike has suggested, production turned to "distilling coal to produce tar, pitch and possibly creosote and ammonia, and pitch"? (Presumably, there were coal mines closely by.) In other words, were these very different products produced on the same site sequentially or separately, at different locations?

FYI, our man, William Bennion was born in Shotton in 1760, married at Hawarden, between 1785 and 1805 fathered children in Mancot where his wife died in 1824, at which time he was 64, and apparently still working as a labourer at The Chemistry.

Any further information or insights much appreciated.

Many thanks and best wishes


John

[wilcoxon]

https://places.library.wales/

This is a link to Wales tithe maps, search Chemistry,  there's only one result.
You can see where it was and the location on a modern map. Also name of landowner and occupiers

Hope this helps.

[mazi]

I think the other suggestions are probably correct 

Mike

[johneowens]

Thanks, Mike and everyone.

Looks like we have a consensus. Wonderful, and thanks so much to everyone for help.

Best

John